Movies

Domhnall Gleeson thought this About Time scene looked like he was trying to kill Rachel McAdams

By

Published on April 17, 2021 11:00AM EDT

His 2013 film About Time is supposed to be a romantic comedy, but star Domhnall Gleeson was worried that one scene, in particular, looked more like a horror movie.

Speaking with PeopleTV's Lola Ogunnaike for the latest Couch Surfing episode, the Irish actor reminisced about a scene in the film in which his and Rachel McAdams' characters leave a church and are pummeled with wind and rain, causing her outfit to fly up over her face and head. In the scene, he goes to help her, but Gleeson feels it looks like he's trying to do something more sinister.

"It looks like I'm trying to smother Rachel McAdams with that red veil. It looks like I'm trying to kill her," he says. "I remember saying to [writer and director] Richard Curtis that I don't think we should keep that bit in, I think that looks incredibly violent." Curtis ultimately reassured him that people would understand what he's trying to do in the scene, and it stayed in the film.

Gleeson, who was also joined by his brother Brian for the Couch Surfing conversation, says it was moments like this scene that made the film "one of the most fun shoots" of his life. "It was sunny and the job was about love and it was just wonderful," he says, adding that the cast also made the project special.

He admits he didn't necessarily set out to do a romantic comedy, in fact, Gleeson says he was surprised they wanted him for the part. "I like romantic comedies very much, and I like Richard's romantic comedies, like I love Notting Hill, but I never really considered myself a suitable candidate. So I was delighted to do it and it seems to be one of the things that stuck with people, strangely," he says.

For more with the Gleeson brothers, check out the full video, above.

Watch the full episode of CouchSurfing streaming now on PeopleTV.com, or download the PeopleTV app on your favorite device.

Related content: