2022 has been quite busy for Ethan Hawke. Not only did he star in Robert Eggers’ The Northman, but he will also lead in the upcoming The Black Phone, a supernatural horror story by director Scott Derrickson. The career of the four-time Academy Award-nominated actor is full of fun and interesting facts.
Here are five things you might want to know about the Texas-born but New Jersey-raised actor.
Renaissance Man
In 1996, Hawke published his first novel, “The Hottest State,” published by Little, Brown, and Company. The story follows a young actor who falls madly in love with a singer. Hawke also directed the live-action adaptation of the same name. The movie premiered at 2006’s Venice Film Festival before starting its theatrical run in August 2007. The cast starred Mark Webber, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Michelle Williams, and Laura Linney. The Hottest State was received tepidly by fans and critics alike.
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In a Galaxy Far, Far Away
One of the few things Hawke didn’t accomplish in his nearly 40-year career was working in a Star Wars movie. Before the Star Wars: The Force Awakens release, Hawke went as far as campaigning for a role in J.J. Abrams’ film, stating that he would be willing to play a Wookie. Unfortunately, Hawke didn’t land the gig. He did take part in a significant franchise when he portrayed Arthur Harrow for all six episodes of Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight series. Considering that both Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe are Disney’s intellectual properties, the chances that Hawke might finally tick off his bucket list for the much-coveted Star Wars role is now likely.
Child Prodigy
Hawke made his long-feature debut at 15 when he portrayed Benjamin Crandall in Joe Dante’s Explorers (1985). Briefly, the story follows two teenagers in love with sci-fi movies. One day, they decide to build their own spacecraft and explore outer space. On that occasion, Hawke worked side-by-side with future Academy Award nominee River Phoenix. The movie bombed hard at the box office, probably due to the unfortunate decision to rush its release. Still, most critics appreciated Hawke’s performance, and Explorers gained popularity among sci-fi fans after its domestic release.
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Is That Mark McGrath?
The resemblance between Sugar Ray vocalist Mark McGrath and Hawke is so strong that many people mistake the two artists. In fact, it happened so often that Hawke started signing autographs as McGrath and the other way around. In an interview with ComingSoon, McGrath confessed that he signs autographs as Hawke so that people won’t think poorly of Hawke.
Richard Linklater’s Pupil
Hollywood directors often team up with an actor for many films, but it’s hard to see a stronger relationship than the one between Richard Linklater and Hawke. To date, Hawke has worked in eight movies directed by Richard Linklater. Their first collaboration went down in 1995’s Before Sunrise, the first installment in the Before trilogy. Hawke and Linklater also joined forces for The Newton Boys (1998), Waking Life (2001), Tape (2001), Before Sunset (2004), Fast Food Nation (2006), and Before Midnight (2013). Their latest project, Boyhood (2014), received six nominations at the Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Hawke.
