"I feel like I've now entered the beginning of the fall of my life," says veteran actor Ethan Hawke.
Unbeknownst to us, the star of the 90s film "Biting Reality" - already 51 years old. 'Who does he think he is, a European actor?'.
"But if I'm doing well, why are you against me? It's so pretentious to try to create something you think could be really great? If that's the case then they should go to hell," says Hawk from the perspective of someone who is no stranger to Hollywood.
"As a young actor I thought I would get tired of the profession at some point, that I would move on from the dream of filmmaking and move on to something else, do not know what, maybe be a social activist, a different direction. But I found myself falling in love with the profession, and to this day I feel it deepens. "I give my all and it comes thanks to 30 years of experience."
From the height of the sixth decade of his life, Hawk sounded sober, sharper and more confident than ever.
"I have accumulated a lot of skills along the way and I constantly see how much it continues to reward me. And I have more goals to reach. I have worked with enough talented people to know that funding can be found for even the most artistic and abstract projects, even if it's hard to get people to notice. "For me it's a riddle I believe in. It may sound sad, but my dream has remained the same since my first film - to congratulate everything that happened your way for as long as you can. It is my guiding light in life, and I find no reason to stop doing it."
How was the corona period, which was perceived by many as dark?
"I do not know how much I have really managed to stay sane since the epidemic broke out, but I'm sure the two things that always help me are love and work. Being close to people I really care about, being a decent friend, father or good son, and at the same time continuing to work in my profession I'm also a big believer in humility, no matter if you're setting a table for a meal or driving a car - do it out of respect and try to act in the best way.
"I'm a very optimistic person, on board the Titanic I would probably say 'Not everything is terrible, the food is pretty good!'", The actor testifies to himself and jokes.
"However, I believe we only grow through pain, that's what motivates change. Despite everything that has happened recently and the division in the people, the pressure Corona has put on the health care system and the protest for social justice, I am still hopeful. We will not soon forget what we went through in the US" In recent years and one of the amazing things is that Mother Earth has sent us a reminder that we are not in control, that we are just guests on Earth.
I feel that if there is a feeling that we have suffered a lot it actually means that we have learned a lot.
And I am not detached from the fact that it can always get worse. "
The foundations of humanity
At 51, Hawk continues to work hard.
Recently, the streaming service Disney Plus (soon also in the country) released the intriguing new series from Marvel Comics, "Moon Night", in which he plays a dark villain and a cult leader who tries to influence the hero of the series (Oscar Isaac).
This week, the film "King of the North" was released in Israel, a revenge thriller that takes place during the Viking Age, starring alongside him Alexander Skarsgård and Nicole Kidman.
In addition, he is working on at least four films, including the sequel to Netflix's mystery comedy "Well-Written Murder" by director Ryan Johnson and Israeli producer Ram Bergman, which hit the Hollywood wave following the huge success of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi ", Which they worked on together.
Another series in which he participated recently aired on Cellcom TV, after winning acclaim.
The seven-episode mini-series "Bird of God in the Sky" was created, written and co-produced by screenwriter Mark Richard ("The Man in the High Castle," "The Horror of the Walking Dead").
This is an adaptation of the 2013 National Book of Fiction Award-winning novel by American author and Jewish journalist James McBride. Van Brown, played by Hawk - an event considered one of the causes of the American Civil War.
"This is a role I wanted to play for a very long time," Hawk admits.
"For generations they were afraid to talk about people like him - about white men who made their voices heard against slavery and their importance in US history.
When one reads in depth about what happened at that time one realizes how fully white America was fully aware of the terrible phenomenon of human enslavement.
One could argue and say that there may be some who did not understand in depth the seriousness of the subject, but they knew very well what they were doing.
"John Brown did not come to save blacks, he came to save the whites who desperately needed role models, because there is a lot to be ashamed of."
"There's a conversation here that every person should have, regardless of race."
Hook in "Bird of God in the Sky", Photo: PR
Were there any concerns about dealing with a charged issue like slavery?
"The starting point was that ignoring the issue is a mistake, because the most painful wounds must be treated. The only way to break free from guilt is to apologize and surrender to the truth. It is impossible to bring a historical story about America without being required to address slavery. Unbelievable pain and suffering. There are many Americans who do not understand who John Brown was and if he was one of the good or bad guys. In this movie it's like watching the Jedi characters in "Star Wars" Just watching and understanding yourself.We had the privilege of time while filming the series.In my approach, we manage to fulfill the real dream when not in a hurry.The great directors in the world take the time to work on their great works.
"So true, I'm a white actor in a lead role in a series about black slavery. And I remember before the filming I met James the writer and he took me to the church he attended and introduced me as the actor from 'Dangerous Training Day,' and some lady told me 'last time' We saw in the church a white guy. It was the air conditioner technician. ' Understand that my involvement in the project can still anger some people, or confuse them. Of what I went through with him and the story I believed had to be told. "
Take inspiration from producers you have worked with over the years?
"I got to watch a documentary about Sydney Lumet (a late Jewish-American director who directed films like" The 12 Juries "and" Broadcast Network "; D.C.) and he talked a lot about the transition between life and career, and that the energy for both drives successes or failures in each. .
He had a spatial vision of continuity from project to project, not just regarding a particular film.
I, too, began to relate this way to my career in my late 30s.
The art I do blends in with my development as a person, this is the way to ensure that good things happen to you.
My guideline as an actor is that I am meant to serve the piece, not what the piece means to me personally.
This insight gave my life meaning and happiness.
"As a young actor I would be drawn to the character's ego and try to think what it means to me as a person and if I want to play the role. In many cases the character stays with you after, and in other cases it does not necessarily work. The acting profession trains me to develop as a person. in the last decade".
Do you think a lot about what they will say about you?
"As I get older the challenge is to be who I am without reservation. But if you worry too much about yourself and try to plan exactly how to do it, you lose the way. You have to walk with the truth, not hear the noises around that say one person is incapable of change Those who change are transparent. It's the teacher who taught you a life lesson in school or your parents who taught you to be kind to others. These are the foundations of humanity. It's difficult in itself. "
Between pride and humility
From the moment he walks into a room at the Langham Hotel in the town of Pasadena, Los Angeles, it is impossible to ignore Hawk's hipster-chic style, an ultimate and charming "Guy Guy".
Wearing a tailored blue suit and a faded vintage T-shirt underneath, with a wide-brimmed hat on his graying head hair.
It seemed like he was just missing an acoustic guitar.
He sits down next to me, leans back and folds his legs, relaxed and proud to promote the series that won the prestigious Peabody Award and was nominated for two awards from the American Television Critics Association.
Hawk was nominated for this role for the Golden Globes last year.
"I came with three decades of experience in the game, and I knew what needed to be taken out of the character as it is presented in the book and how to combine that in front of a camera. That's how art is created for me," he explains.
"I liked that I could ask the writer things because I believe in dialogue. After all, the original vision is not mine. It's not that I'm some famous movie star who came and just picked a role because he wanted to do whatever he wanted with it."
What else would you like to do that you have not yet done?
"As someone who started acting at the age of 13, and already at the age of 19 I starred in 'Follow Me' alongside Robin Williams who helped me break out, directing has always interested me as a way to dominate another area of show business. I'm disappointed because they did not really like the audience. When I started playing people liked what I did, and the profession in my eyes was no choice. The universe directed me there. In theater I had more success with things I directed and also enjoyed more, because money is a less critical part of the overall experience. What's more, the topics that speak to me are probably irrelevant to the vast majority of the general public. 9 out of 10 people will shy away from an idea that I think is ingenious. Sticking to this game is safe, but I'm happy to experiment "Work is quite discouraging."
Compared to being a wanted Hollywood star?
"Being famous sounds great, but in practice it's a very confusing class. You're immersed in a relationship with your ego, stuck between pride and humility, constantly messing with your place in the world and how you perceive yourself. If you do not stay clean and pure you will not work long. "If you sink into an image too much, you can lose it. As an actor, my main goal is to make myself valuable in the eyes of others."
How do you sum up your first TV project?
"I never looked at it as a TV series, but as a seven-hour independent film. I always perceived television as a medium with less budgets than those in cinema, series being filmed quickly and not in an innovative way, and not necessarily well-written or well-played. The project, to faithfully serve the story, is given to two people: Jason Bloom (producer of "WeFlash", "Escape" and "Black on White"; D.C.), who was a partner in the project and brought from his experience in previous projects he did on television, and my wife Ryan .
Had it not been for both, I would not have gotten to TV.
The initial idea was of Ryan who likes to watch series and said that it is in a sense a new medium in what he has to offer today.
Suddenly I was watching a mini-series like 'Real Detective' and realized there was a new canvas to draw a story, similar to a movie.
Ryan changed my thinking. "
Hawk in "King of the North",
Hawke's wife, Ryan Shawios, who has been 12 years his junior since 2008, has in recent years also become a professional partner who joins him behind the scenes in filmmaking.
Together they also have two daughters, Clementine (14) and Indiana (11).
When they met, the relationship between them provided materials for tabloids.
After a passing affair around his break-in in the mid-90s with Julia Roberts (with whom he will soon be filming an action thriller for Netflix), in 1996 he met on the set of the film "What Happened in Getka?"
Uma Thurman, and after two years they married.
Both were then at their peak as rising stars in the Hollywood skies.
He starred in the films "High Hope," "Hamlet" and "Dangerous Training Day," for which he was nominated for an Academy Award in the 2001 supporting actor category.
At the same time, they gave birth to Maya (24), a promising actress who starred in, among other things, Netflix's "Strange Things," and Lavon (20).
But in 2003 the marriage ran aground, around rumors of Hawke's infidelity with the children's nanny, a young student named Ryan.
In interviews since the divorce, which ended in 2005, Hawk vehemently denied that his new partner was the cause, and in a previous interview with the British Guardian claimed: "I knew Ryan through my agent and she did take care of the children, but after that she went back to Columbia University and was not "No scandal. The marriage has meanwhile broken down due to stress, unrelated to Ryan. A year after the divorce I came across her by chance in the park, we had a good dynamic and she started with me. I know people imagine falling in love like in the movies, but in practice it happened long after I hired her."
Hawk and his wife Ryan, Photo: Reuters
Hawk's other significant partnership is with director Richard Linklater, with whom he first joined in the 1995 romantic drama "Before Sunrise."
Hawk starred alongside French actress Julie Delphi, as a foreign couple who meet by chance on a train ride to Vienna, and fall in love one night they spend together.
For the film, Linklater won the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival that year, and the success led to two sequels, "Before Sunset" from 2004 and "Before Midnight" from 2013, in which Hawk and Delphi also co-wrote and were nominated for each Oscar. In the processed script category.
One of the most significant films that Hawk has taken part in is Linklater's 2014 "Adolescence," an acclaimed film that was shot over 12 years and was nominated for six Oscars, including for him in the supporting actor category.
"Even when I left the pre-sunrise graduation party I knew one hundred percent that I would work with this director again, he represented our generation and what we were going to do instead of imitating previous generations. And lo and behold, we worked on nine films together in total," says Hawk.
"I go where life leads me no matter what. Working on the series for example was difficult. The weather was hot and the subject was charged. But for a moment I did not doubt whether it was true or not. Whether good things happen or things go wrong, you flow on."
Do you see yourself making more series than future movies?
"You know, for me there is no difference anymore. My son watched 'The Godfather' on his damn mobile ... If a streaming provider puts out a movie on the big screen as well - that would be my preference as a viewer. There is no greater fun than going to the movies with my wife and then sitting down to dinner Evening and talking about the movie. Once upon a time, for example, the news came from Broadway, thousands of people watched shows that became hits and then within two years Hollywood would turn them into Oscar-winning movies. That changed, but Broadway still has industry relevance. "But this hierarchy is gone. There is good art or bad art, and my goal is always to provide the highest quality product."
dcaspi@goldenglobes.org
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