View source for Ethan Hawke

{{Short description|American actor, author, and filmmaker (born 1970)}} 
{{Featured article}}
{{Pp-blp|small=yes}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| image              = BlueMoonBFILFF161025-53 (54875551295) (cropped 2).jpg
| caption            = Hawke in 2025
| alt                = A Caucasian male with brownish-grayish hair, wearing a dark blazer and a white shirt
| birth_name         = Ethan Green Hawke
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1970|11|6}}
| birth_place        = [[Austin, Texas]], US
| years_active       = 1985–present
| education          = {{plainlist|
* [[Carnegie Mellon University]]
* [[New York University]]}}
| occupation         = {{hlist|Actor|author|filmmaker}}
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Uma Thurman]]|1998|2005|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Ryan Shawhughes|2008}}}}
| children           = 4, including [[Maya Hawke|Maya]] and [[Levon Hawke|Levon]]
| works              = [[List of Ethan Hawke performances|Full list]]
| awards             = [[List of awards and nominations received by Ethan Hawke|Full list]]
}}

'''Ethan Green Hawke''' (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, author, and filmmaker whose [[List of Ethan Hawke performances|career on both stage and screen]] has spanned four decades. Known for his versatility across a wide range of roles—often in [[art film]]s—and acclaimed collaborations with director [[Richard Linklater]], he has received [[List of awards and nominations received by Ethan Hawke|numerous accolades]], including a [[Daytime Emmy Award]]. In addition, he has been nominated for four [[Academy Award]]s, three [[Golden Globe Awards]], a [[British Academy Film Award]], and a [[Tony Award]].

Hawke made his film debut at age fourteen in ''[[Explorers (film)|Explorers]]'' (1985) and gained recognition for starring in ''[[Dead Poets Society]]'' (1989). He established himself as a [[leading man]] with the films ''[[Reality Bites]]'' (1994), ''[[Gattaca]]'' (1997), and ''[[Great Expectations (1998 film)|Great Expectations]]'' (1998). Hawke received [[Academy Award]] nominations for his roles in the crime thriller ''[[Training Day]]'' (2001) and the coming-of-age drama [[Boyhood (2014 film)|''Boyhood'']] (2014), the latter also garnering him [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role|BAFTA]] and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Golden Globe]] nominations. He was Oscar-nominated twice for screenwriting two films from the [[Before trilogy|''Before'' trilogy]] (1995–2013), in which he also starred. He earned another [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy|Golden Globe]] nomination for portraying lyricist [[Lorenz Hart]] in the biopic ''[[Blue Moon (2025 film)|Blue Moon]]'' (2025).

Hawke garnered commercial success with [[Sinister (film)|''Sinister'']] (2012), ''[[The Purge (2013 film)|The Purge]]'' (2013), ''[[The Magnificent Seven (2016 film)|The Magnificent Seven]]'' (2016), and the [[Black Phone (franchise)#Films|''Black Phone'' films]] (2021–2025), while earning critical acclaim for his roles in ''[[Maudie (film)|Maudie]]'' (2016) and ''[[First Reformed]]'' (2017). He directed the narrative features ''[[Chelsea Walls]]'' (2001), ''[[The Hottest State]]'' (2006), ''[[Blaze (2018 film)|Blaze]]'' (2018), and ''[[Wildcat (2023 film)|Wildcat]]'' (2023), as well as the documentaries ''[[Seymour: An Introduction (film)|Seymour: An Introduction]]'' (2014), ''[[The Last Movie Stars]]'' (2022), and ''[[Highway 99: A Double Album]]'' (2025). Hawke portrayed abolitionist [[John Brown (abolitionist)|John Brown]] in the miniseries [[The Good Lord Bird (miniseries)|''The Good Lord Bird'']] (2020), for which he received a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film|Golden Globe]] nomination, and appeared as [[Arthur Harrow]] in the Marvel miniseries ''[[Moon Knight (miniseries)|Moon Knight]]'' (2022).

Hawke has appeared in many theater productions. He made his [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in 1992 in [[Anton Chekhov]]'s ''[[The Seagull]]'' and was nominated for a [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play]] in 2007 for his performance in [[Tom Stoppard]]'s ''[[The Coast of Utopia]]''. In 2010, he was nominated for the [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play]] for directing [[Sam Shepard]]'s ''[[A Lie of the Mind]]''. Divorced from actress [[Uma Thurman]], he has been married to Ryan Shawhughes since 2008; he has two children from each marriage, including actors [[Maya Hawke|Maya]] and [[Levon Hawke]].

== Early life and education ==
Ethan Green Hawke was born in [[Austin, Texas]], on November 6, 1970.<ref>{{cite web|last=Morales|first=Tatiana|date=July 1, 2004|title=Ethan Hawke's Love ''Before Sunset''|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ethan-hawkes-love-before-sunset/|publisher=[[CBS News]]|access-date=December 11, 2025}}</ref> His father, James Hawke, was an insurance [[actuary]], while his mother, Leslie ([[née]] Green), was a charity worker and teacher.<ref name="mission">{{cite news|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20137336,00.html|title=Mom on a Mission|last=Schindehette|first=Susan|date=June 17, 2002|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|access-date=October 26, 2009|archive-date=November 7, 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091107013626/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20137336,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="renaissance">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/magazine/16wwln-Q4-t.html|title=Renaissance Man?|last=Solomon|first=Deborah|date=September 16, 2007|work=[[The New York Times]]|url-access=limited|access-date=February 5, 2009|archive-date=December 11, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211190849/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/magazine/16wwln-Q4-t.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="p098">{{cite web |last=Lahr |first=John |title=The Many Faces of Ethan Hawke |website=[[The New Yorker]] |date=September 11, 2020 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/09/21/the-many-faces-of-ethan-hawke |access-date=October 19, 2025 |archive-date=September 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915113713/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/09/21/the-many-faces-of-ethan-hawke |url-status=live}}</ref> Hawke's parents were high school sweethearts from [[Fort Worth, Texas]], and married when his mother was seventeen.<ref name="NYTimes-HawkeWeissVows-2012">{{cite news|last1=Grossman|first1=Anna Jane|title=Vows: Leslie Hawke and David Weiss |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/fashion/weddings/leslie-hawke-and-david-weiss-vows.html|access-date=December 13, 2014|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 20, 2012|archive-date=December 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202072736/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/fashion/weddings/leslie-hawke-and-david-weiss-vows.html|url-access=limited|url-status=live}}</ref> Hawke was born a year later, while both of his parents were attending the [[University of Texas]] in Austin. His parents separated and later divorced in 1974, when he was four years old.<ref name="mission"/><ref name="actors">{{cite episode|title=Ethan Hawke|series=[[Inside the Actors Studio]]|network=[[Bravo (U.S. TV channel)|Bravo]]|airdate=April 21, 2002|season=8|number=12}}</ref>

After his parents separated, Hawke was raised by his mother. They moved several times before settling in [[Brooklyn]], where he attended the [[Packer Collegiate Institute]].<ref name="m423">{{cite news| last=Myers | first=Marc | title=Ethan Hawke Was Shaped by His Mom's Independence | date=October 6, 2020  | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/ethan-hawke-was-shaped-by-his-moms-independence-11601996450 | access-date=October 18, 2025 | website=[[The Wall Street Journal]] | url-access=subscription | archive-date=November 27, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127124938/https://www.wsj.com/articles/ethan-hawke-was-shaped-by-his-moms-independence-11601996450 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="q566">{{cite web | last=Phillipp | first=Charlotte | title=Former Jeopardy Winner Working as Teacher at N.Y.C. Private School Accused of Soliciting Child Sex Abuse Images | website=[[People (magazine)|People]] | date=July 26, 2024 | url=https://people.com/teacher-new-york-city-private-school-accused-soliciting-child-sex-abuse-images-8683771 | access-date=October 18, 2025 | archive-date=August 6, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806045932/https://people.com/teacher-new-york-city-private-school-accused-soliciting-child-sex-abuse-images-8683771 | url-status=live}}</ref> When Hawke was ten or twelve, his mother remarried and the family relocated to [[West Windsor Township, New Jersey]].<ref name="m423"/><ref name="o347">{{cite web | last=Higgins | first=Bill | title=Throwback Thursday: In 1985, Ethan Hawke Began His Own Film Boyhood | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=November 27, 2014 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/throwback-thursday-1985-ethan-hawke-751163/ | access-date=October 18, 2025 | archive-date=July 5, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705054556/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/throwback-thursday-1985-ethan-hawke-751163/ | url-status=live}}</ref> There, he attended [[West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South|West Windsor Plainsboro High School]]<ref name="z593">{{cite web | last=Complex | first=Valerie | title=Ethan Levy Signs with Ann Steele Agency | website=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]] | date=June 7, 2024 | url=https://deadline.com/2024/06/ethan-levy-signs-ann-steele-agency-1235961315/ | access-date=October 19, 2025 | archive-date=June 7, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240607190345/https://deadline.com/2024/06/ethan-levy-signs-ann-steele-agency-1235961315/ | url-status=live}}</ref> before transferring to the [[Hun School of Princeton]], a boarding school from which he graduated in 1988.<ref>{{cite news |first=Roger|last=Hurlburt|title=Earning His Wings|date=June 25, 1989|work=[[South Florida Sun-Sentinel]]|page=3F}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Ultimate New Jersey High School Yearbook&nbsp;— A-K|date=June 7, 1998|work=[[The Star-Ledger]]|page=1}}</ref> Around this time, Hawke volunteered with his mother's organization, the Alex Fund, a charity that supported educational opportunities for underprivileged children in Romania.<ref name="p098"/>

In high school, Hawke aspired to become a writer while also developing a strong interest in acting.<ref name="w448">{{cite web | last=Preston | first=Alex | title=Ethan Hawke: 'It's Just a Petrifying Time to Speak About Male Sexuality' | website=[[The Guardian]] | date=January 30, 2021 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jan/30/ethan-hawke-its-just-a-petrifying-time-to-speak-about-male-sexuality | access-date=October 19, 2025 | archive-date=September 23, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923081835/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jan/30/ethan-hawke-its-just-a-petrifying-time-to-speak-about-male-sexuality | url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="never">{{cite web | last=Brockes | first=Emma | title=Ethan Hawke: I Never Wanted to Be a Movie Star | website=[[The Guardian]] | date=December 8, 2000 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/dec/08/culture.features1 | access-date=October 19, 2025 | archive-date=December 2, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202004956/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/dec/08/culture.features1 | url-status=live}}</ref> During his time at the Hun School, he also studied acting at the [[McCarter Theatre]], located on the [[Princeton University]] campus.<ref name="keen eye" /> He made his stage debut at age thirteen in the theatre's production of [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s ''[[Saint Joan (play)|Saint Joan]]''.<ref name="p098"/> He later performed in his high school's productions of ''[[Meet Me in St. Louis]]'' and ''[[You Can't Take It with You (play)|You Can't Take It with You]]''.<ref name="keen eye">{{cite news |first=Joan|last=Vadeboncoeur|title=Despite Film Success, Hawke Keeps A Keen Eye on Theater|date=January 22, 1995|work=[[Syracuse Herald American]]|page=17}}</ref> After graduating, Hawke continued to study acting at [[Carnegie Mellon University]] in Pittsburgh but left after being cast in ''[[Dead Poets Society]]'' (1989).<ref name="payoff">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/14/movies/the-payoff-for-ethan-hawke.html|title=The Payoff for Ethan Hawke|url-access=limited|last=Kennedy|first=Dana|date=April 14, 2002|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=February 5, 2009|archive-date=February 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205072649/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/14/movies/the-payoff-for-ethan-hawke.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He later enrolled in [[New York University]]'s English program for two years before leaving to pursue acting full-time.<ref name="never" />

==Career==
{{See also|List of Ethan Hawke performances|List of awards and nominations received by Ethan Hawke}}
===1985–1993: Early years and breakthrough===
With his mother's permission, Hawke attended his first casting call at age fourteen and was cast in [[Joe Dante]]'s [[Explorers (film)|''Explorers'']] (1985), playing a misfit schoolboy alongside [[River Phoenix]].<ref name="d093">{{cite web | last=Maslin | first=Janet | title=The Screen: ''Explorer'' | website=[[The New York Times]] | date=July 12, 1985 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/12/movies/the-screen-explorers.html | url-access=limited | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref><ref name="halpernmeet">{{cite web | last=Halpern | first=Dan | title=Interview: Dan Halpern Meets Ethan Hawke | website=[[The Guardian]] | date=October 7, 2005 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/oct/08/features.fiction | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> Although the film received positive reviews,<ref name="w022">{{cite web | title=''Explorers'' | publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/explorers | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> it performed poorly at the box office, leading Hawke to step away from acting for a time after its release. He later described the experience as difficult to handle at such a young age, remarking, "I would never recommend that a kid act".<ref name="payoff"/> In 1989, Hawke had his [[breakthrough role]] as a shy student in [[Peter Weir]]'s ''[[Dead Poets Society]]''.<ref name="k877">{{cite web | title=''Dead Poets Society'' | website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=January 1, 1989 | url=https://variety.com/1988/film/reviews/dead-poets-society-1200428019/ | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref><ref name="z585">{{cite web | last=Barlow | first=Helen | title=Entertainment News | website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] | date=June 20, 2008 | url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/like-a-hawke/7RTMW6WYUERKMSIMDJRTGCPF5M/ | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> The film was critically and commercially successful and won the [[BAFTA Award for Best Film]].<ref>{{multiref|{{cite web | title=''Dead Poets Society'' | publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dead_poets_society | access-date=October 19, 2025}}|{{cite web | title=''Dead Poets Society'' | website=[[Box Office Mojo]] | url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0097165/ | access-date=October 19, 2025}}|{{cite web | title=''Dead Poets Society'' (1989) – Box Office and Financial Information | website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] | url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Dead-Poets-Society-(1989)#tab=summary | access-date=October 19, 2025}}|{{cite web | last=Buckmaster | first=Luke | title=''Dead Poets Society'': 30 years on Robin Williams' Stirring Call to 'Seize the Day' Endures | website=[[The Guardian]] | date=July 16, 2019 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jul/16/dead-poets-society-30-years-on-robin-williams-stirring-call-to-seize-the-day-endures | access-date=October 19, 2025}}}}</ref> Reflecting on the impact of its success, Hawke later said, "I didn't want to be an actor and I went back to college. But then the film's success was so monumental that I was getting offers to be in such interesting movies and be in such interesting places and it seemed silly to pursue anything else."<ref name="halpernmeet" /> After filming ''Dead Poets Society'', he auditioned for his next project, the comedy-drama [[Dad (1989 film)|''Dad'']] (1989), and settled in New York City due to its prominent theater industry and variety of opportunites.<ref name="n156">{{cite web | title=Ethan Hawke • Interview (''Dad'') | via=[[YouTube]] | orig-year=1989 | date=March 6, 2024 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms70dqeJJOw&t=158 | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hawke|first=Ethan|date=September 27, 2016|title=Ethan Hawke: Why I Chose New York Over Los Angeles|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/opinion/ethan-hawke-new-york-los-angeles-1201870706/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=December 11, 2025}}</ref>

In 1991, Hawke co-founded [[Malaparte (theater company)|Malaparte]], a Manhattan-based theater company that operated until 2000.<ref name="m764">{{cite web | last1=Landman | first1=Beth | last2=Spiegelman | first2=Ian | title=May 15, 2000 | website=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] | date=April 11, 2019 | url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/3111/ | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref><ref name="a490">{{cite web | last=Brodesser-Akner | first=Taffy | title=Ethan Hawke Is Still Taking Ethan Hawke Extremely Seriously | website=[[The New York Times]] | url-access=limited | date=August 28, 2018 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/movies/ethan-hawke-blaze-foley-first-reformed.html | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> His first leading role came with [[Randal Kleiser]]'s film [[White Fang (1991 film)|''White Fang'']] (1991), an adaptation of [[Jack London]]'s [[White Fang|novel of the same name]], in which he portrayed a young [[Klondike, Yukon|Klondike]] gold prospector who befriends a [[wolfdog]].<ref name="y658">{{cite web | last=Abele | first=Robert | title=''White Fang'' Film Review: Jack London Classic Gets Sturdy, Simplistic Animated Retelling | website=[[TheWrap]] | date=January 21, 2018 | url=https://www.thewrap.com/white-fang-film-review-nick-offerman-2018/ | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref><ref name="y882">{{cite web | last=Wilmington | first=Michael | title=Movie Review: ''White Fang'' Gentles the Jack London Saga | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | url-access=subscription | date=January 18, 1991 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-01-18-ca-313-story.html | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> A writer for ''[[The Oregonian]]'' appreciated how he kept the film from "being ridiculous or overly sentimental",<ref>{{cite news |first=Ted|last=Mahar|title=''White Fang'': A Boy, A Mine and a Dog|date=January 24, 1991|work=[[The Oregonian]]|page=C14}}</ref> while [[Roger Ebert]] praised how he was "properly callow at the beginning and properly matured at the end";<ref name="v224">{{cite web | last=Ebert | first=Roger | title=White Fang Movie Review & Film Summary (1991) | publisher=[[RogerEbert.com]] | author-link=Roger Ebert | date=January 18, 1991 | url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/white-fang-1991 | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> Hawke himself later called it the "single best experience of my acting life".<ref name="w999">{{cite web | last=Flint | first=Hanna | title=The Timeless Appeal of One-Man-and-His-Dog Stories | publisher=[[BBC Culture]] | date=January 18, 2021 | url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210115-the-timeless-appeal-of-one-man-and-his-dog-stories | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> In ''[[A Midnight Clear]]'' (1992), his character leads a group of American soldiers during [[World War II]], tasked with capturing a small squad of German troops stationed in the [[Ardennes]] forest in France.<ref name="x083">{{cite web | title=''A Midnight Clear'' | publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1039575-1039575-midnight_clear | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> Hawke made his [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in 1992, portraying the playwright Konstantin Treplev in [[Anton Chekhov]]'s ''[[The Seagull]]'' at the [[Lyceum Theatre (Broadway)|Lyceum Theater]] in [[Manhattan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE5DD133BF933A05752C1A964958260|title=Review/Theater: The Seagull; A Vain Little World of Art and Artists, Painted by Chekhov|last=Rich|first=Frank|date=November 30, 1992|work=The New York Times|page=1|access-date=February 5, 2009|url-access=limited|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817211118/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/30/theater/review-theater-seagull-vain-little-world-art-artists-painted-chekhov.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He then played [[Nando Parrado]], one of the survivors of the [[Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571]] crash in the [[Andes]], in the survival drama ''[[Alive (1993 film)|Alive]]'' (1993), adapted from [[Piers Paul Read]]'s [[Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors|1974 non-fiction book]].<ref name="Ebert">{{cite news | url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/alive-1993 | title=''Alive'' Review | publisher=[[RogerEbert.com]] | date=January 15, 1993 | first=Roger | last=Ebert | access-date=June 17, 2013 | archive-date=January 18, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140118193128/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/alive-1993 | url-status=live }}</ref>

=== 1994–2000: Established leading man ===
[[File:Richard Linklater Blue Moon-26 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|upright|''[[Before Sunrise]]'' (1995) marked the first of Hawke's nine film collaborations with director [[Richard Linklater]] (pictured).|alt=Linklater, neutrally looking at the camera]]
Hawke's next role was in the [[Generation X]] drama ''[[Reality Bites]]'' (1994), in which he portrayed a disaffected slacker who mocks the ambitions of his love interest, played by [[Winona Ryder]].<ref name="o195">{{cite web | last=Ebert | first=Roger | title=''Reality Bites'' Movie Review & Film Summary (1994) | publisher=[[RogerEbert.com]] | date=February 18, 1994 | url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/reality-bites-1994 | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> Ebert liked his "convincing and noteworthy" performance, writing that "Hawke captures all the right notes as the boorish Troy".<ref name="o195"/> [[Caryn James]] observed that his "subtle and strong performance makes it clear that Troy feels things too deeply to risk failure and admit he's feeling anything at all".<ref name="n815">{{cite web | last=James | first=Caryn | author-link=Caryn James | title=Review/Film; Coming of Age in Snippets: Life as a Twentysomething | website=[[The New York Times]] | url-access=limited | date=February 18, 1994 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/18/movies/review-film-coming-of-age-in-snippets-life-as-a-twentysomething.html | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> The film did moderately well at the box office, grossing $41{{nbsp}}million on a budget of $11{{nbsp}}million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1999/10/17/reality-is-a-gen-x-film-with-satirical-bite/|title=''Reality'' Is a Gen-X Film with Satirical Bite|work=[[Orlando Sentinel]]|date=October 17, 1999|access-date=April 1, 2016|archive-date=April 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404175819/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1999-10-17/entertainment/9910180191_1_lelaina-reality-bites-structure-of-reality|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Rickey | first = Carrie | title = Generation X Turns Its Back | work = [[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] | date = April 3, 1994 }}</ref> Hawke starred in [[Richard Linklater]]'s ''[[Before Sunrise]]'' (1995), the first installment of the [[Before trilogy|''Before'' film trilogy]].<ref name="d499">{{cite web | last=Hoad | first=Phil | title=Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke: How We Made the ''Before Sunrise'' Trilogy | website=[[The Guardian]] | date=November 4, 2019 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/nov/04/julie-delpy-ethan-hawke-how-we-made-before-sunrise-trilogy-sunset-midnight | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> He portrayed a young American man who meets a young French woman—portrayed by [[Julie Delpy]]—and they both disembark in [[Vienna]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1995/01/27/DD52018.DTL|title=An Extraordinary Day Dawns ''Before Sunrise''|last=LaSalle|first=Mick|date=January 27, 1995|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|access-date=February 3, 2009|archive-date=October 19, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019235408/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F1995%2F01%2F27%2FDD52018.DTL|url-status=live}}</ref> The reception for the film and Hawke's performance was positive, with the former receiving [[List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes|a 100{{nbsp}}percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes]].<ref name="k582">{{cite web | title=''Before Sunrise'' | publisher=Rotten Tomatoes | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/before_sunrise | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref>

Hawke directed the music video for [[Lisa Loeb]]'s US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] number-one single "[[Stay (I Missed You)]]"; Loeb was then a member of Hawke's theater company.<ref name="u485">{{cite web | last=Breihan | first=Tom | title=The Number Ones: Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories' 'Stay (I Missed You)' | website=[[Stereogum]] | date=March 7, 2022 | url=https://www.stereogum.com/2178522/the-number-ones-lisa-loeb-nine-stories-stay-i-missed-you/columns/the-number-ones/ | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/dec/19/comment|title=The Best Ethan Hawke Scene|date=December 19, 2000|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=July 16, 2009|archive-date=May 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509005927/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/dec/19/comment|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Spin (magazine)|''Spin'']] magazine named the video its Video of the Year in 1994.<ref name="Spin199412">{{cite magazine |issn=0886-3032 |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |title=A Dress for Success: Lisa Loeb, 'Stay' |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rxPc6mYwIxEC&pg=PA90 |page=90 |department=Video of the Year |given=Joe |surname=Levy |date=December 1994 |volume=10 |number=9 |access-date=September 23, 2021 |archive-date=October 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009154543/https://books.google.com/books?id=rxPc6mYwIxEC&pg=PA90#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> Hawke appeared in a 1995 production of [[Sam Shepard]]'s ''[[Buried Child]]'', directed by [[Gary Sinise]] at the [[Steppenwolf Theater]] in Chicago.<ref name="q276">{{cite web | last=Lazare | first=Lewis | title=''Buried Child'' | website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=October 9, 1995 | url=https://variety.com/1995/legit/reviews/buried-child-1200443526/ | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> He published his first novel, titled ''The Hottest State'', in 1996, which tells the story of a love affair between a young actor and a singer. He described writing the book as both the "scariest {{nbsp}}[... but also] one of the best things I ever did."<ref name="halpernmeet" /> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' said that Hawke "opens himself to rough literary scrutiny in ''The Hottest State''. If Hawke is serious&nbsp;[...] he'd do well to work awhile in less exposed venues."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,294593,00.html|title=''The Hottest State'' — Book Review|last=Schwarzbaum|first=Lisa|date=October 18, 1996|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=February 5, 2009|archive-date=April 25, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425114759/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,294593,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' thought Hawke did "a fine job of showing what it's like to be young and full of confusion", concluding that ''The Hottest State'' was ultimately "a sweet love story".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/03/books/love-hurts.html|title=Love Hurts|url-access=limited|last=Nessel|first=Jen|date=November 3, 1996|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=February 24, 2011|archive-date=May 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518130001/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/03/books/love-hurts.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Quote box|
| quote = "Writing the book had to do with dropping out of college and with being an actor. I didn't want my whole life to go by and not do anything but recite lines. I wanted to try making something else. It was definitely the scariest thing I ever did. And it was just one of the best things I ever did."
| source = — Hawke speaking on ''The Hottest State''<ref name="halpernmeet" />
| width = 23%
|align= right
|bgcolor= #CCDDFF|
}}

Hawke called his script in [[Andrew Niccol]]'s [[science fiction]] film ''[[Gattaca]]'' (1997) "one of the more interesting" ones he had read in "a number of years".<ref>{{cite news |first=Kenneth M.|last=Chanko|title=Hawke-ing the Future in Science-Fiction Thriller ''Gattaca''|date=October 26, 1997|work=[[U-T San Diego]]|page=E-6}}</ref> In it, he played the role of a man who infiltrates a society of genetically perfect humans by assuming another man's identity.<ref name="y822">{{cite web | last=Ebert | first=Roger | title=''Gattaca'' Movie Review & Film Summary (1997) | publisher=[[RogerEbert.com]] | date=October 24, 1997 | url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gattaca-1997 | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> Ebert called him a good choice for the lead role, stating that he "combin[es] the restless dreams of a 'Godchild' with the plausible exterior of a lab baby".<ref name="y822"/> Alongside [[Gwyneth Paltrow]] and [[Robert De Niro]], he starred in ''[[Great Expectations (1998 film)|Great Expectations]]'' (1998), a contemporary film adaptation of [[Charles Dickens]]'s 1861 [[Great Expectations|novel of the same name]], directed by [[Alfonso Cuarón]].<ref name="e369">{{cite web | last=Travers | first=Peter | title=''Great Expectations'' | website=[[Rolling Stone]] | author-link=Peter Travers | date=January 30, 1998 | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/great-expectations-116542/ | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> Hawke criticized the film's time of release, stating that "nobody gave a shit about anything but [[Titanic (1997 film)|''Titanic'']] for about nine months after{{nbsp}}[...] particularly another romance".<ref name="t847">{{cite web | title=Ethan Hawke Goes Back in Time to Visit His Most Iconic Characters | website=[[GQ]] | date=August 6, 2018 | url=https://www.gq.com/video/watch/ethan-hawke-goes-back-in-time-to-visit-his-most-iconic-characters | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> He collaborated with Linklater once again on ''[[The Newton Boys]]'' (1998), based on the true story of the [[Newton Gang]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/03/27/DD28206.DTL|title=Bank-Robbing 'Newton' Brothers Show Boys Will Be Boys|last=Stack|first=Peter|date=March 27, 1998|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|access-date=February 3, 2009|archive-date=July 30, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090730061706/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F1998%2F03%2F27%2FDD28206.DTL|url-status=live}}</ref> The film saw generally negative reception; [[Rotten Tomatoes]]' consensus said that the "sharp" cast made up for "the frustrations of a story puzzlingly short on dramatic tension".<ref name="g481">{{cite web | title=''The Newton Boys'' | publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/newton_boys | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref>

In 1999, he starred as Kilroy in the [[Tennessee Williams]] play ''[[Camino Real (play)|Camino Real]]'' at the [[Williamstown Theater Festival]] in Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?id=1077011429488|url-access=limited|title=Theater Review; Lost Souls, Not so Different from Their Creator|last=Brantley|first=Ben|date=June 28, 1999|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=November 26, 2010|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817211118/https://www.nytimes.com/section/theater?id=1077011429488|url-status=live}}</ref> That year, Hawke starred in ''[[Snow Falling on Cedars (film)|Snow Falling on Cedars]]'', adapted from [[David Guterson]]'s [[Snow Falling on Cedars|novel of the same name]]. Set in the 1950s, he played a young reporter who covers the murder trial of a fisherman.<ref name="s110">{{cite web | last=Bradshaw | first=Peter | author-link=Peter Bradshaw | title=Snow Falling On Cedars | website=[[The Guardian]] | date=May 12, 2000 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/may/12/culture.reviews3 | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> The film received a tepid response,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/snow-falling-on-cedars|title=''Snow Falling on Cedars''|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=October 16, 2017|archive-date=January 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105085010/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/snow-falling-on-cedars|url-status=live}}</ref> with ''Entertainment Weekly'' commenting that "Hawke scrunches himself into such a dark knot that we have no idea who [his character] Ishmael is or why he acts as he does".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,275053,00.html|title=Snow Falling on Cedars&nbsp;— Movie Review|last=Schwarzbaum|first=Lisa|date=January 7, 2000|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=February 4, 2009|archive-date=November 22, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122144826/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,275053,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hawke's next film role was in [[Michael Almereyda]]'s ''[[Hamlet (film)|Hamlet]]'' (2000), in which he played the [[Prince Hamlet|titular character]]. The adaptation set [[William Shakespeare]]'s play in contemporary New York City, a choice Hawke said made the story feel more "accessible and vital".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/nydn-features/a-renaissance-man-tackles-shakespeare-hamlet-s-ethan-hawke-mind-movie-stardom-article-1.869336|title=A Renaissance Man Tackles Shakespeare ''Hamlet''{{'}}s Ethan Hawke Has More on His Mind Than Movie Stardom|last=Dominguez|first=Robert|date=May 11, 2000|work=[[New York Daily News]]|access-date=April 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225025114/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/nydn-features/renaissance-man-tackles-shakespeare-hamlet-ethan-hawke-mind-movie-stardom-article-1.869336 |archive-date=December 25, 2013}}</ref>

=== 2001–2006: ''Training Day'' and further Linklater films ===
In 2001, Hawke appeared in two more Linklater films: ''[[Waking Life]]'' and ''[[Tape (2001 film)|Tape]]'', both critically acclaimed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/waking-life|title=''Waking Life'' Reviews|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|accessdate=October 22, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/tape|title=''Tape'' Reviews|date=November 2, 2001|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|accessdate=October 22, 2011}}</ref> In the animated ''Waking Life'', he shared a single scene with former co-star Delpy continuing conversations begun in ''Before Sunrise''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/12/movies/12WAKI.html|title=Surreal Adventures Somewhere Near the Land of Nod|last=Holden|author-link=Stephen Holden|first=Stephen|date=October 12, 2001|work=[[The New York Times]]|url-access=limited|accessdate=May 17, 2012}}</ref> The [[real time (media)|real-time]] drama ''Tape'', based on a play by [[Stephen Belber]], took place entirely in a single motel room with three characters played by Hawke, [[Robert Sean Leonard]] and [[Uma Thurman]].<ref>{{cite news|first=David|last=Denby|author-link=David Denby|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307063213/http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/film/tape_linklater|archive-date=March 7, 2008|url-status=dead|url=http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/film/tape_linklater|title=''Tape''|accessdate=June 15, 2010|date=November 12, 2001|work=[[The New Yorker]]}}</ref> Hawke then portrayed rookie cop Jake Hoyt alongside [[Denzel Washington]], as part of a pair of narcotics detectives from the [[Los Angeles Police Department]] spending a day in the gang-infested neighborhoods of [[South Los Angeles]], in ''[[Training Day]]'' (2001).<ref name="g362">{{cite web | last=Ayer | author-link=David Ayer | first=David | title=A Story From the Streets | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=September 9, 2001 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-sep-09-ca-43657-story.html | url-access=subscription | access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref><ref name="c970">{{cite web | last=Turan | first=Kenneth | author-link=Kenneth Turan | title=Washington's Arresting Performance Drives a Thrilling ''Training Day'' | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=October 5, 2001 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-oct-05-ca-53522-story.html | url-access=subscription|access-date=October 19, 2025}}</ref> The film saw favorable critical reception;<ref name="o339">{{cite web | title=''Training Day'' Reviews | publisher=[[Metacritic]] | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/training-day/ | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> [[Paul Clinton]] of [[CNN]] described Hawke's performance as "totally believable as a doe-eyed rookie going toe-to-toe with a legend [Washington]".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/04/review.training.day/index.html|title=Review: ''Training Day'' a Course Worth Taking|last=Clinton|first=Paul|date=October 4, 2001|author-link=Paul Clinton | publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=February 4, 2009|archive-date=May 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511114818/http://edition.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/04/review.training.day/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hawke later called ''Training Day'' his "best experience in Hollywood".<ref name="halpernmeet" /> His performance earned him nominations for the [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role]] and the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1789381.stm|title=SAG Awards Nominations in Full|date=January 29, 2002|publisher=[[BBC News]]|access-date=February 4, 2009|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203113955/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1789381.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/entertainment/2002/oscars_2002/1882301.stm|author-link=Tom Brook|title=Ethan Hawke's Oscar Surprise|last=Brook|first=Tom|date=March 21, 2002|publisher=[[BBC News]]|access-date=February 4, 2009|archive-date=April 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419210613/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/entertainment/2002/oscars_2002/1882301.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Hawke explored several projects outside of acting in the early 2000s. He made his directorial debut with ''[[Chelsea Walls]]'' (2002), an independent drama about five struggling artists living in New York City's [[Hotel Chelsea]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/film/chelsea_walls_hawke|title=The Film File: ''Chelsea Walls''|last=Diones|first=Bruce|date=May 6, 2002|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|access-date=February 4, 2009|archive-date=December 18, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218210905/http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/film/chelsea_walls_hawke|url-status=dead}}</ref> That same year, he published his second novel, ''Ash Wednesday'' (2002), which appeared on [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''The New York Times'' Best Seller list]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/11/books/bestseller/0811besthardfiction.html|title=Best Sellers; Hardcover Fiction|date=August 11, 2002|work=[[The New York Times Book Review]]|access-date=February 19, 2011|archive-date=May 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518115825/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/11/books/bestseller/0811besthardfiction.html|url-status=live|url-access=limited}}</ref> Centered on an [[Desertion|AWOL]] soldier and his pregnant girlfriend,<ref name="halpernmeet" /> the novel earned praise from critics. ''[[The Guardian]]'' described it as "sharply and poignantly written{{nbsp}}[...] an intense one-sitting read",<ref name="d233">{{cite web | last=Falconer | first=Helen | title=Review: ''Ash Wednesday'' by Ethan Hawke | website=[[The Guardian]] | date=October 19, 2002 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/oct/19/featuresreviews.guardianreview21 | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> while James noted that Hawke showed "a novelist's innate gifts{{nbsp}}[...] a sharp eye, a fluid storytelling voice and the imagination to create complicated individuals", though it found him "weaker at narrative tricks that can be taught".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/16/books/books-of-the-times-so-he-s-famous-give-him-a-break-if-not-a-free-ride.html|title=Books of the Times; So He's Famous. Give Him a Break, If Not a Free Ride.|last=James|first=Caryn|date=August 16, 2002|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=November 22, 2010|page=1|url-access=limited|archive-date=May 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516033032/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/16/books/books-of-the-times-so-he-s-famous-give-him-a-break-if-not-a-free-ride.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Returning to Broadway, he played [[Henry Percy (Hotspur)]] in [[Jack O'Brien (director)|Jack O'Brien]]'s 2003 production of ''[[Henry IV, Part 1|Henry IV]]''.<ref name="four">{{cite news|url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/theater/reviews/n_9543/|title=Star Turns|last=Simon|first=John|date=November 24, 2003|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|access-date=February 5, 2009|archive-date=May 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511062322/http://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/theater/reviews/n_9543/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ben Brantley]], writing in ''The New York Times'', opined that Hawke's interpretation of Hotspur might be "too contemporary for some tastes", but allowed "great fun to watch as he fumes and fulminates".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/21/movies/theater-review-falstaff-and-hal-with-war-afoot.html|title=Theater Review; Falstaff and Hal, With War Afoot|last=Brantley|first=Ben|date=November 21, 2003|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=February 5, 2009|url-access=limited|archive-date=November 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111112708/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/21/movies/theater-review-falstaff-and-hal-with-war-afoot.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Hawke returned to film in 2004 with two releases: the psychological thriller ''[[Taking Lives (film)|Taking Lives]]'' and the romantic drama ''[[Before Sunset]]''. Upon release, ''Taking Lives'' received broadly negative reviews,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/taking-lives|title=''Taking Lives'' (2004): Reviews|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=August 13, 2010|archive-date=April 24, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424164425/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/taking-lives|url-status=live}}</ref> though Hawke's performance as a serial killer who takes on the identities of his victims was favored by a critic from the ''[[Star Tribune]]'', who said that he played the "complex character persuasively".<ref>{{cite news|first=Colin|last=Covert|title=''Lives'' Digs Its Own Grave|date=March 19, 2004|work=[[Star Tribune]]|page=12E}}</ref> He then reunited with Linklater for ''Before Sunset'', the second installment of the ''Before'' trilogy.<ref name="a561">{{cite web | last=Pulver | first=Andrew | title=Julie Delpy 'refused' to Be in ''Before Midnight'' Without Rqual Pay | website=[[The Guardian]] | date=October 3, 2019 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/03/julie-delpy-equal-pay-before-midnight | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> Co-written by Hawke, Linklater, and Delpy, the film follows a young man and woman who reunite in Paris nine years after meeting in Vienna.<ref name="i864">{{cite web | last=Denby | first=David | title=Couples | website=[[The New Yorker]] | date=May 20, 2013 | url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/05/27/couples-4 | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> A ''[[Hartford Courant]]'' writer remarked that the screenwriting collaboration between the three "[kept] Jesse and Celine iridescent and fresh, one of the most delightful and moving of all romantic movie couples".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/topic/mmx-040628-movies-review-mw-beforesunset,0,842049.story|title=Movie Review: ''Before Sunset''|last=Wilmington|first=Michael|date=July 1, 2004|work=[[The Hartford Courant]]|access-date=September 2, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611212229/http://www.courant.com/topic/mmx-040628-movies-review-mw-beforesunset,0,842049.story|archive-date=June 11, 2011}}</ref> Hawke called it one of his favorite films, a "romance for realists".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/07/05/ethan-hawke-laments-lost-before-sunset-threequel/|title=Ethan Hawke Laments Lost ''before Sunset'' Threequel|last=Adler|first=Shawn|date=July 5, 2007|publisher=[[MTV News]]|access-date=July 13, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004181830/http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/07/05/ethan-hawke-laments-lost-before-sunset-threequel/|archive-date=October 4, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3620967/Love-that-goes-with-the-flow.html|title=Love That Goes with the Flow|last=Marshall|first=Lee|date=July 19, 2004|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=July 13, 2011|archive-date=June 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629102203/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3620967/Love-that-goes-with-the-flow.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Before Sunset'' was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/25/oscar.nominations/|title=''Aviator'' Leads Oscar Nominations|last=Leopold|first=Todd|date=January 25, 2005|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=March 20, 2011|archive-date=October 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024024204/http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/25/oscar.nominations/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Hawke starred in the 2005 action thriller ''[[Assault on Precinct 13 (2005 film)|Assault on Precinct 13]]'', a loose remake of [[John Carpenter]]'s 1976 [[Assault on Precinct 13 (1976 film)|film of the same name]] with an updated storyline.<ref name="m303">{{cite web | last=Davis | first=Sandi | title=Violence Dominates Story Line Behind ''Precinct 13'' | website=[[The Oklahoman]] | date=January 19, 2005 | url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2005/01/19/violence-dominates-story-line-behind-precinct-13/61958130007/ | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> He played a police sergeant who must band together with criminals to defend a police precinct from a siege by corrupt cops.<ref name="w803">{{cite web | first=Paul | last=Clinton | author-link=Paul Clinton | title=Review: An Enjoyable ''Assault on Precinct 13'' | date=January 20, 2005 | publisher=[[CNN]] | url=http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/20/review.assault/index.html | access-date=October 20, 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060619073724/http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/20/review.assault/index.html | archive-date=June 19, 2006 | url-status=dead}}</ref> While numerous critics found it inferior to the original,<ref name="e571">{{cite web | title=''Assault on Precinct 13'' Reviews | publisher=[[Metacritic]] | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/assault-on-precinct-13/ | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> they enjoyed Hawke's performance,<ref name="h868">{{cite web | title=''Assault on Precinct 13'' | publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/assault_on_precinct_13/reviews | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> with [[Jami Bernard]] from [[New York Daily News|New York ''Daily News'']] stating that Hawke and co-star [[Laurence Fishburne]] made the film work, "supported by a mostly strong cast".<ref name="s343">{{cite web | last=Bernard | first=Jami | title=In ''Assault'', a Reshoot Hits the Action Target | website=[[New York Daily News]] | date=January 19, 2005 | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2005/01/19/in-assault-a-reshoot-hits-the-action-target/ | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> In 2006, he directed his second feature film, ''[[The Hottest State]]'', based on his 1996 novel of the same name.<ref name="w270">{{cite web | last=Mondello | first=Bob | title=Ethan Hawke's ''Hottest State'' Is No Vanity Project | publisher=[[NPR]] | date=August 24, 2007 | url=https://www.npr.org/2007/08/24/13935706/ethan-hawkes-hottest-state-is-no-vanity-project | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> It saw poor reception from critics, largely for being too self-conscious and overly pretentious.<ref name="j161">{{cite web | title=''The Hottest State'' | publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hottest_state | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> From November 2006 to May 2007, Hawke starred as [[Mikhail Bakunin]] in [[Tom Stoppard]]'s trilogy play ''[[The Coast of Utopia]]'', an eight-hour-long production at the [[Lincoln Center Theater]] in New York.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nymag.com/arts/theater/reviews/28506/|title=Arise, Ye Prisoners of Tom Stoppard|last=McCarter|first=Jeremy|date=May 28, 2007|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|access-date=February 5, 2009|archive-date=October 13, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013025525/http://nymag.com/arts/theater/reviews/28506/|url-status=live}}</ref> The performance earned Hawke a [[Tony Award]] nomination for the [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play|Best Featured Actor in a Play]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/state-mind-article-1.236904|title='State' of Mind|last=Glitz|first=Michael|date=August 19, 2007|work=[[New York Daily News]]|access-date=April 10, 2012|archive-date=May 24, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120524212843/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/state-mind-article-1.236904|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2007–2012: Continued acclaim ===
[[File:Ethan Hawke Austin Texas.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|alt=Hawke wearing a red jacket|Hawke at the premiere of ''[[The Hottest State]]'' in 2007]]
Hawke starred alongside [[Philip Seymour Hoffman]], [[Marisa Tomei]], and [[Albert Finney]] in the crime drama ''[[Before the Devil Knows You're Dead]]'' (2007), the final direction of [[Sidney Lumet]]. Hawke prepared for his role by working closely with Lumet during a two-week rehearsal period, which allowed the cast to make creative decisions before filming began. On-set, Lumet intentionally pitted Hawke and Hoffman against each other to heighten the tension.<ref name="i372">{{cite web | title='I am not optimistic at all about American society': Sidney Lumet on ''Before the Devil Knows You're Dead'' | publisher=[[British Film Institute]] | date=June 21, 2024 | url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/interviews/sidney-lumet-before-devil-knows-youre-dead | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref><ref name="n393">{{cite web | last=Oganesyan | first=Natalie | title=Ethan Hawke Details How Sidney Lumet Pitted Him And Philip Seymour Hoffman Against Each Other For ''Before The Devil Knows You're Dead'' | website=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]] | date=October 19, 2025 | url=https://deadline.com/2025/10/ethan-hawke-sidney-lumet-philip-seymour-hoffman-1236591789/ | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref><ref name="b128">{{cite web | title=''Before the Devil Knows You're Dead'' | website=[[The Guardian]] | date=July 21, 2008 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/122447/before.the.devil.knows.you.re.dead | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> In ''Before the Devil Knows You're Dead'', Hawke played the younger brother of a debt-ridden broker who entices him into a plan to rob their parents' bank, but the scheme goes awry.<ref name="t879">{{cite web | title=Before the Devil Knows You're Dead | publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/before_the_devil_knows_youre_dead | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> ''[[USA Today]]''{{'}}s [[Claudia Puig]] deemed the film "highly entertaining", describing Hawke and Hoffman's performances as excellent,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2007-11-01-devil_N.htm|title=''Before the Devil Knows You're Dead'' Is Darkly Real|last=Puig|first=Claudia|date=November 1, 2007|work=[[USA Today]]|accessdate=February 4, 2009}}</ref> while [[Peter Travers]], writing for ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', stated that Hawke "[dug] deep to create a haunting portrayal of loss".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/before-the-devil-knows-youre-dead-20071018|accessdate=March 10, 2011|title=''Before the Devil Knows You're Dead''|last=Travers|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Travers|date=October 18, 2007|work=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref>

In November 2007, Hawke directed ''Things We Want'', a two-act play by [[Jonathan Marc Sherman]], for the artist-driven [[off-Broadway]] company [[the New Group]].<ref name="things">{{cite news|url=https://nymag.com/arts/theater/reviews/40973/|title=We've Seen the Lights Go out on Broadway|last=McCarter|first=Jeremy|date=November 16, 2007|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|access-date=February 5, 2009|archive-date=May 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511054405/http://nymag.com/arts/theater/reviews/40973/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' praised Hawke's "understated direction", particularly his ability to "steer a gifted cast away from the histrionics".<ref name="things" /> In [[Brian Goodman]]'s crime drama ''[[What Doesn't Kill You (film)|What Doesn't Kill You]]'' (2008), Hawke played the childhood friend of [[Mark Ruffalo]]'s character, who both become involved in crime in their [[South Boston]] neighborhood and scheme a heist to escape poverty.<ref name="v970">{{cite web | last=Dargis | first=Manohla | title=Dead Ends in South Boston: Ethan Hawke and Mark Ruffalo in Crime Drama | website=[[The New York Times]] | date=December 12, 2008 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/movies/12kill.html |url-access=limited| access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> [[Peter Brunette]]—in ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]''—named Hawke's performance a "personal best",<ref name="c731">{{cite web | agency=[[The Associated Press]]|first= Peter |last=Brunette | author-link=Peter Brunette | title=''What Doesn't Kill You'' | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=September 9, 2008 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/what-doesnt-kill-you-125649/ | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> and the ''New York Times'' critic [[Manohla Dargis]] wrote that he "holds [the viewer] with a physically expressive performance that telegraphs each byroad of his character's inner world".<ref name="v970"/> Hawke appeared in two features in 2009: ''[[New York, I Love You]]'', a romance film comprising twelve short films;<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2008/04/10/shia-labeouf-orlando-bloom-love-you/|title=Labeouf, Bloom, Christie in 'Love You|date=April 10, 2008|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=May 1, 2009|archive-date=April 21, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421224236/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20190317,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[Staten Island (film)|Staten Island]]'', a crime drama in which he co-starred alongside [[Vincent D'Onofrio]] and [[Seymour Cassel]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/movies/20staten.html |title=Movie Reviews&nbsp;– ''Staten Island'' |access-date=June 17, 2013 |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Andy |last=Webster |date=November 20, 2009 |archive-date=February 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205193058/http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/movies/20staten.html |url-access=limited|url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Ethan Hawke - 2009 Venice Film Festival.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|left|alt=Hawke wearing a suit and tie, looking slightly away from the camera|Hawke at [[66th Venice International Film Festival]] in 2009]]
To prepare for his role as a vampire [[hematologist]] in the science fiction horror film ''[[Daybreakers]]'' (2009), Hawke studied "the greats" of past cinematic vampire performances, including [[Willem Dafoe]]'s portrayal in ''[[Shadow of the Vampire]]'' (2000).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_movies_blog/2010/01/ethan-hawke-dons-fangs-for-daybreakers.html |title=Ethan Hawke Dons Fangs for ''Daybreakers'' |first=Roger |last=Moore |date=January 4, 2010 |work=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |access-date=January 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109162424/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_movies_blog/2010/01/ethan-hawke-dons-fangs-for-daybreakers.html |archive-date=January 9, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="d182">{{cite web | last=Villarreal | first=Yvonne | title=Ethan Hawke Says ''Daybreakers'' Aspires to Be ''Aliens'' with Fangs | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | url-access=subscription | date=January 8, 2010 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/hero-complex-blog/story/2010-01-08/ethan-hawke-says-daybreakers-aspires-to-be-aliens-with-fangs | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> He traveled to Australia to film ''Daybreakers'', which was directed by [[The Spierig Brothers|the Spierig brothers]].<ref name="t713">{{cite web | agency=[[Associated Press]] | first=Tatiana | last=Siegel | title=Hawke bites on Lionsgate ''Daybreakers'' | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=May 9, 2007 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/hawke-bites-lionsgate-daybreakers-135882/ | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> The film fared well both critically and commercially, grossing $51{{nbsp}}million on a $20{{nbsp}}million budget.<ref name="v697">{{cite web | title=''Daybreakers'' Reviews | publisher=[[Metacritic]]| url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/daybreakers/ | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref><ref name="z386">{{cite web | title=''Daybreakers'' | publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] | url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1481410049/ | access-date=October 20, 2025}}</ref> Hawke's next role was in [[Antoine Fuqua]]'s ''[[Brooklyn's Finest]]'', in which he portrayed a corrupt narcotics officer.<ref name="finest">{{cite news|first=Joe|last=Neumaier|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/brooklyn-finest-star-ethan-hawke-perfectly-conveys-constant-threat-job-new-york-police-article-1.171624|title=''Brooklyn's Finest'' Star Ethan Hawke Perfectly Conveys Constant Threat of Job with New York Police|access-date=April 10, 2012|date=March 5, 2010|work=[[New York Daily News]]|archive-date=October 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024084535/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/brooklyn-finest-star-ethan-hawke-perfectly-conveys-constant-threat-job-new-york-police-article-1.171624|url-status=live}}</ref> Although the film—released in the US in 2010—opened to mediocre reception,<ref name="m604">{{cite web | title=''Brooklyn's Finest'' Reviews | publisher=Metacritic | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/brooklyns-finest/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> his performance garnered praise from critics, including a New York ''Daily News'' reviewer who remarked, "Hawke—continuing an evolution toward stronger, more intense acting than anyone might've predicted from him 20 years ago—drives the movie."<ref name="finest"/>

In January 2010, Hawke directed his second play, Sam Shepard's ''[[A Lie of the Mind]]'', on the New York stage.<ref>{{cite news|first=Adam|last=Sternbergh|url=https://nymag.com/arts/theater/profiles/63419/|title=The Ethan Hawke Actors Studio|access-date=February 1, 2010|date=January 31, 2010|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|page=1|archive-date=February 3, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203110956/http://nymag.com/arts/theater/profiles/63419/|url-status=live}}</ref>  It marked the first major off-Broadway revival of the play since its 1985 debut.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/theater/31roundtable.html|url-access=limited|title=New Search for the Truth in ''A Lie''|last=Healy|first=Patrick|author-link=Patrick Healy (journalist)|date=January 27, 2010|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=February 25, 2010|archive-date=February 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225190844/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/theater/31roundtable.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Hawke was attracted to the play's exploration of "the nature of reality" and its "weird juxtaposition of humor and mysticism".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2010/02/conversation-ethan-hawke-on-directing-sam-shepards-a-lie-of-the-min.html|title=Conversation: Ethan Hawke on Directing Shepard's ''A Lie of the Mind''|last=Jacobson|first=Murrey|date=February 24, 2010|work=[[PBS NewsHour]]|access-date=February 25, 2010|archive-date=February 26, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226174749/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2010/02/conversation-ethan-hawke-on-directing-sam-shepards-a-lie-of-the-min.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="nyt"/> In his review for ''The New York Times'', Brantley lauded the production's "scary, splendid clarity" and praised Hawke for eliciting a performance that "connoisseurs of precision acting will be savoring for years to come".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/theater/reviews/19lie.html|url-access=limited|title=Home Is Where the Soul Aches|last=Brantley|first=Ben|date=February 19, 2010|work=[[The New York Times]] |author-link=Ben Brantley|access-date=February 22, 2010|archive-date=February 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225161908/http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/theater/reviews/19lie.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Entertainment Weekly'' commented that although ''A Lie of the Mind'' "wobbles a bit in its late stages", Hawke's "hearty" revival managed to "resurrect the spellbinding uneasiness of the original".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2010/02/18/lie-mind/|title=Stage Review&nbsp;— A Lie of the Mind (2010)|last=Labrecque|first=Jeff|date=February 18, 2010|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=February 22, 2010|archive-date=March 17, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317211307/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20345377,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The production garnered five [[Lucille Lortel Award]] nominations, including one for [[Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Revival|Outstanding Revival]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/01/lucille-lortel-nominees-announced/|title=Lucille Lortel Nominees Announced|last=Healy|first=Patrick|date=April 1, 2010|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=April 3, 2010|archive-date=April 4, 2010|url-access=limited|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100404015114/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/01/lucille-lortel-nominees-announced/|url-status=live}}</ref> and earned Hawke a [[Drama Desk Award]] nomination for [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play|Outstanding Director of a Play]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2010/legit/news/drama-desk-fetes-ragtime-scottsboro-1118018658/|title=Drama Desk Fetes ''Ragtime,'' ''Scottsboro''|last=Cox|first=Gordon|date=May 3, 2010|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=June 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629132536/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118018658?refCatId=15|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[Moby Dick (2011 miniseries)|2011 television adaptation]] of [[Herman Melville]]'s ''[[Moby-Dick]]'', Hawke played the role of [[List of Moby-Dick characters#Crewmates|Starbuck]], the first officer to [[William Hurt]]'s [[Captain Ahab]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/moby-dick|title=''Moby Dick'' Reviews|access-date=June 17, 2013|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|archive-date=December 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203015541/http://www.metacritic.com/tv/moby-dick|url-status=live}}</ref> He then starred opposite [[Kristin Scott Thomas]] in [[Paweł Pawlikowski]]'s ''[[The Woman in the Fifth]]'', a "lush puzzler" about an American novelist struggling to rebuild his life in Paris.<ref>{{cite news|first=John|last=Preston|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/7801192/Ethan-Hawke-interview.html|title=Ethan Hawke Interview|access-date=August 10, 2010|date=June 10, 2010|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|archive-date=June 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613014158/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/7801192/Ethan-Hawke-interview.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/woman-fifth-toronto-review-234709|title=''The Woman in the Fifth'': Toronto Review|last=DeFore|first=John|date=September 13, 2011|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=October 22, 2011|archive-date=November 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103173703/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/woman-fifth-toronto-review-234709|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012, Hawke appeared in the horror genre for the first time, playing a true crime writer in [[Scott Derrickson]]'s ''[[Sinister (film)|Sinister]]'', written along with [[C. Robert Cargill]]. Before the US release of ''Sinister'', Hawke said that he had previously been hesitant about horror films because they often do not require strong acting performances. However, he mentioned that the producer of ''Sinister'', [[Jason Blum]], with whom Hawke had a background in theater, approached him with an offer involving a script that featured both a "great character and a real filmmaker".<ref name="x029">{{cite web | last=Ryan | first=Mike | title=Ethan Hawke: It's 'Profoundly Disappointing' Ryan Is First Gen-X Candidate | website=[[HuffPost]] | date=October 9, 2012 | url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ethan-hawke-sinister_n_1949981 | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref><ref name="b005">{{cite web | last=Pols | first=Mary | title=Just How Scary Is ''Sinister''? | website=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date=October 11, 2012 | url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/10/11/just-how-scary-is-sinister/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref>

=== 2013–2018: ''Boyhood'' and career expansion ===
[[File:Ethan Hawke 2013.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|alt=Hawke with bleached hair, wearing a black overcoat. The collar of a gray suit is visible in the photo, with a white shirt and dark gray tie.|Hawke at the [[Berlin International Film Festival]] in 2013]]
Hawke reunited with director Linklater and co-star Delpy for the third installment of the ''Before'' trilogy, titled ''[[Before Midnight]]'' (2013).<ref name="t010">{{cite web | title=''Before Midnight'', Love Darkens and Deepens | publisher=[[NPR]] | date=May 30, 2013 | url=https://www.npr.org/2013/05/30/184269413/before-midnight-love-darkens-and-deepens | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> The film follows a couple, he and Delpy's character, who spend a summer vacation in Greece with their children.<ref name="y493">{{cite web | last=Scott | first=A.O. | url-access=limited  |title=''Before Midnight'', with Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke | website=[[The New York Times]] | date=May 23, 2013 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/24/movies/before-midnight-with-julie-delpy-and-ethan-hawke.html | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> ''Before Midnight'' received critical acclaim,<ref name="h629">{{cite web | title=''Before Midnight'' Reviews | publisher=[[Metacritic]] | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/before-midnight/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> with one from ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' naming the scene in the hotel room "one for the actors' handbook".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/before-midnight-1117949042/|title=Review: ''Before Midnight''|last=Chang|first=Justin|date=January 21, 2013|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=January 23, 2014|archive-date=January 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140119175703/http://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/before-midnight-1117949042/|url-status=live}}</ref> The film earned Hawke, Linklater, and Delpy another Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.<ref name="p979">{{cite web | last=Ford | first=Rebecca | title=Oscars: 9 Films Nominated for Best Picture | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=January 16, 2014 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oscars-complete-list-nominees-671296/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> Hawke next starred in the horror-thriller ''[[The Purge (2013 film)|The Purge]]'' (2013), set in a future America where all crime is legal for one night each year.<ref name="h458">{{cite web | last=Young | first=Neil | title=''The Purge'': Film Review | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=May 31, 2013 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/purge-film-review-561176/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref><ref name="a833">{{cite web | last=McClendon | first=Blair | title=The ''Purge'' Films Reveal the Ugly Truth About America | url-access=limited | website=[[The New York Times]] | date=October 27, 2020 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/27/magazine/the-purge-movies.html | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> Despite mixed reviews, the film opened atop the box office on its opening weekend with a $34{{nbsp}}million debut.<ref name="w489">{{cite web | title=''The Purge'' Reviews | publisher=[[Metacritic]] | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-purge/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref><ref name="i293">{{cite web | last=Labrecque | first=Jeff | title=Ethan Hawke in ''The Purge'' and ''Before Midnight'' | website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | date=June 10, 2013 | url=https://ew.com/article/2013/06/10/ethan-hawke-the-purge-before-midnight/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> In early 2013, Hawke starred in and directed the play ''Clive'', written by Jonathan Marc Sherman and inspired by [[Bertolt Brecht]]'s ''[[Baal (play)|Baal]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/22/ethan-hawke-will-star-in-and-direct-new-play-for-new-group/|title=Ethan Hawke Will Star in and Direct New Play for New Group|last=Healy|first=Patrick|date=May 22, 2012|work=[[The New York Times]] |url-access=limited|access-date=May 25, 2012|archive-date=May 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526145448/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/22/ethan-hawke-will-star-in-and-direct-new-play-for-new-group/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Hawke prepared for his role as a former racecar driver in ''[[Getaway (2013 film)|Getaway]]'' (2013) by attending a one-day driving school at the [[Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course]], where he learned high-performance driving techniques such as [[J-turn|180-degree spins]] and [[e-brake]] maneuvers.<ref name="s592">{{cite web | last=Wang | first=K.S. | title=Celebrity Drive: Ethan Hawke, Star of ''Getaway'' | website=[[Motor Trend]] | date=September 6, 2013 | url=https://www.motortrend.com/features/celebrity-drive-ethan-hawke-star-of-getaway | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> The film was critically panned.<ref name="h493">{{cite web | title=''Getaway'' | publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/getaway | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> He played the [[Macbeth (character)|title role]] in a Broadway production of ''[[Macbeth]]'' at the Lincoln Center Theater in late 2013. ''The Hollywood Reporter'' critic David Rooney criticized the "disharmonious acting styles led by Hawke's underpowered take on [his] role".<ref name="g427">{{cite web | last=Rooney | first=David | title=''Macbeth'': Theater Review | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=November 21, 2013 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/macbeth-theater-review-2-658859/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> Released in mid-2014, Linklater's ''[[Boyhood (2014 film)|Boyhood]]'' follows the life of an American boy from age six to eighteen, with Hawke portraying his father.<ref name="b578">{{cite web | last=Schager | first=Nick | title=Time of Our Life: On ''Boyhood,'' a Coming-of-Age Epic About Simply Growing Up | website=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]] | date=July 10, 2014 | url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/nick-schager/boyhood-richard-linklater-essay | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> The film became the best-reviewed release of 2014 and was named best film of the year by numerous critics' associations.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-and-worst-films-of-2014|title=The Best and Worst Movies of 2014|date=January 6, 2015|access-date=March 16, 2015|archive-date=March 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150312225100/http://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-and-worst-films-of-2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=scorecard>{{cite web|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/movie-awards-and-nominations-2014|title=Best of 2014: Film Awards & Nominations Scorecard|access-date=March 16, 2015|archive-date=March 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150308020050/http://www.metacritic.com/feature/movie-awards-and-nominations-2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hawke later admitted that the film's widespread acclaim came as a surprise, recalling that when he first joined the project, it felt less like a "proper movie" and more like "a radical '60s film experiment or something".<ref name="u488">{{cite web | last=Hughes | first=Jason | title=Ethan Hawke Didn't Expect ''Boyhood'' to Win Awards or Be Critically Acclaimed (Video) | website=[[TheWrap]] | date=December 3, 2014 | url=https://www.thewrap.com/ethan-hawke-didnt-expect-boyhood-to-win-awards-or-be-critically-acclaimed-video/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref>
He earned several nominations for his performance, including the Academy Award, [[BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor|BAFTA]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Golden Globe]] for Best Supporting Actor.<ref name="p194">{{cite web | last=Buchanan | first=Kyle | title=Ethan Hawke Is Helping His ''Boyhood'' Kids Through Oscar Season | website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]] | date=January 15, 2015 | url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/01/ethan-hawke-boyhood-oscar-interview-nomination.html | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref><ref name="v563">{{cite web | title=Oscars 2015: Best Supporting Actor | publisher=[[BBC News]] | date=January 15, 2015 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30752530 | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref><ref name="o910">{{cite web | last=Lewis | first=Hilary | title=Golden Globes: ''Boyhood'' Wins Best Motion Picture, Drama | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=January 11, 2015 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/golden-globes-2015-boyhood-wins-762883/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref>

Hawke reunited with the Spierig brothers for the science fiction thriller ''[[Predestination (2014 film)|Predestination]]'' (2014), in which he played a time-traveling agent on his final assignment.<ref name="e281">{{cite web | title=''Predestination'' | publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/predestination | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref><ref name="h959">{{cite web | last=Romney | first=Jonathan | title=''Predestination'' Review – the Ultimate Man-Walks-Into-a-Bar Anecdote | website=[[The Guardian]] | date=February 22, 2015 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/22/predestination-spierig-brothers-review-time-twister | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> Writing for ''[[Vulture (magazine)|Vulture]]'', [[David Edelstein]] wrote how he enjoyed Hawke's "low-key, solemn, enigmatic" performance.<ref name="z351">{{cite web | last=Edelstein | first=David | title=If You Love Time-Travel Movies, You’ll Love the Ethan Hawke&#8211;Starring ''Predestination'' | website=[[Vulture (magazine)|Vulture]] | date=January 9, 2015 | url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/01/movie-review-predestination-ethan-hawke.html | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> He next reunited with his ''Gattaca'' director Andrew Niccol for ''[[Good Kill]]'' (2014), a contemporary war drama. In his "best screen role in years" according to Rooney, Hawke portrayed a drone pilot grappling with a troubled conscience.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/good-kill-venice-review-730409|title=''Good Kill'': Venice Review|last=Rooney|first=David|date=September 5, 2014|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=July 7, 2017|archive-date=September 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915133456/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/good-kill-venice-review-730409|url-status=live}}</ref> He made his documentary debut with ''[[Seymour: An Introduction]]'', which premiered at the [[2014 Toronto International Film Festival]].<ref name="d728">{{cite web | last=Punter | first=Jennie | title=Toronto: ''Imitation Game'' Wins Festival’s People's Choice Award | website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=September 14, 2014 | url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/toronto-imitation-game-wins-festivals-peoples-choice-award-1201305517/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref><ref name="j496">{{cite web | last=Kaufman | first=Gil | title=Ethan Hawke & Maya Hawke Cover Willie Nelson's 'We Don't Run' For Light in the Attic Compilation | website=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date=October 3, 2023 | url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/ethan-hawke-maya-hawke-cover-willie-nelson-we-dont-run-1235431437/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> The film was conceived after a dinner party attended by both Hawke and its subject, classical pianist [[Seymour Bernstein]]. ''Seymour: An Introduction'' is a profile of Bernstein, who later said that, although he was normally a private person, he was unable to decline Hawke's request to make the film because the actor was "so endearing".<ref name=reuters>{{cite news|first=Solarina|last=Ho|title=Ethan Hawke ''Seymour'' Documentary Is Intimate Portrait of Pianist|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-filmfestival-toronto-seymour-idUKKBN0H72CX20140912|access-date=December 5, 2014|agency=[[Reuters]]|date=September 12, 2014|archive-date=September 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924012250/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-filmfestival-toronto-seymour-idUKKBN0H72CX20140912|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Ethan Hawke 2018.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|left|alt=Hawke looking straight at the camera|Hawke at the [[Montclair Film Festival]] in 2018]]

Hawke had two films premiere at the [[2015 Toronto International Film Festival]], both of which were well-received.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/born_to_be_blue/|title=''Born to Be Blue'' (2015)|publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=July 7, 2017|archive-date=August 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830121448/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/born_to_be_blue|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/maggies_plan_2016/|title=''Maggie's Plan'' (2016)|publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=July 7, 2017|archive-date=August 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830140534/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/maggies_plan_2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In [[Robert Budreau]]'s drama ''[[Born to Be Blue (film)|Born to Be Blue]]'' (2015), he portrayed jazz musician [[Chet Baker]], focusing on the artist's turbulent late-1960s comeback and struggle with [[heroin]] addiction.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/20/ethan-hawke-chet-baker-born-to-be-blue-interview|title=''Born to Be Blue'': Ethan Hawke on the Fast Life and Mysterious Death of Chet Baker|last=Queenan|first=Joe|date=July 20, 2016|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=July 13, 2017|archive-date=August 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805100402/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/20/ethan-hawke-chet-baker-born-to-be-blue-interview|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Alex|last=Godfrey|title=Ethan Hawke: 'Mining Your Life Is the Only Way to Stumble on Anything Real'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/29/ethan-hawke-boyhood-before-midnight|access-date=December 5, 2014|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=November 29, 2014|archive-date=December 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141204200736/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/29/ethan-hawke-boyhood-before-midnight|url-status=live}}</ref> He also starred in [[Rebecca Miller]]'s romantic comedy ''[[Maggie's Plan]]'' as an anthropologist and aspiring novelist, alongside [[Greta Gerwig]] and [[Julianne Moore]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/maggies-plan-as-smart-and-funny-as-vintage-woody-allen/|title=''Maggie's Plan'': As Smart and Funny as Vintage Woody Allen|last=Roeper|first=Richard|date=May 26, 2016|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|access-date=July 7, 2017|archive-date=August 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830200744/http://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/maggies-plan-as-smart-and-funny-as-vintage-woody-allen/|url-status=live}}</ref> That same year, he appeared in the coming-of-age drama ''[[Ten Thousand Saints]]'' and the psychological thriller ''[[Regression (film)|Regression]]'' opposite [[Emma Watson]].<ref name="c419">{{cite web | last=Genzlinger | first=Neil | url-access=limited | title=Review: ''Ten Thousand Saints'', a Coming of Age in the East Village, Circa 1980s | website=[[The New York Times]] | date=August 13, 2015 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/14/movies/review-ten-thousand-saints-a-coming-of-age-in-the-east-village-circa-1980s.html | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref><ref name="m964">{{cite web | last=Abele | first=Robert | title=Review: Emma Watson and Ethan Hawke Are Misused in Questionable Hypnosis Tale ''Regression'' | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | url-access=subscription | date=February 5, 2016 | url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-regression-review-20160206-story.html | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> In November 2015, Hawke published his third book, ''[[Rules for a Knight]]'', written as a letter from a father to his four children reflecting on moral values and personal integrity.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/ethan-hawke-explains-his-thing-for-knights|title=Ethan Hawke Explains His Thing for Knights|last=Lach|first=Eric|date=November 9, 2015|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|access-date=July 8, 2017|archive-date=June 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610015059/http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/ethan-hawke-explains-his-thing-for-knights|url-status=live}}</ref> In [[Ti West]]'s western ''[[In a Valley of Violence]]'', he played a drifter who seeks revenge in a small frontier town ruled by a ruthless [[marshal]]—a performance that critics praised.<ref name="Variety">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/sxsw-film-review-in-a-valley-of-violence-1201728824/|title=SXSW Film Review: ''In a Valley of Violence''|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Andrew|last=Barker|date=March 12, 2016|accessdate=March 13, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/a-valley-violence-sxsw-review-874942|title=''In a Valley of Violence'': SXSW Review|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|first=John|last=DeFore|date=March 12, 2016|accessdate=March 13, 2016}}</ref>

In 2016, Hawke took on two unpleasant roles in succession, first playing the abusive father of a promising young baseball player in ''[[The Phenom (film)|The Phenom]]'',<ref name="g317">{{cite web | last=Scheck | first=Frank | title=''The Phenom'': Film Review | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=June 22, 2016 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/phenom-film-review-905536/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> and then the stern husband of [[Maud Lewis]]—portrayed by [[Sally Hawkins]]—in [[Maudie (film)|''Maudie'']]. While some critics commended his surprising range, others argued that Hawke was "miscast" as a harsh figure.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/18/the-phenom-review-baseball-ethan-hawke|title=''The Phenom'' Review: Baseball Movie Throws a Curveball|last=Smith|first=Nigel M.|date=April 18, 2016|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=July 7, 2017|archive-date=June 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619050453/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/18/the-phenom-review-baseball-ethan-hawke|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/maudie-sally-hawkins-delights-as-a-hard-luck-pauper-who-loves-life/|title=''Maudie'': Sally Hawkins Delights as a Hard-Luck Pauper Who Loves Life|last=Roeper|first=Richard|date=June 22, 2017|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|access-date=July 7, 2017|archive-date=July 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704203649/http://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/maudie-sally-hawkins-delights-as-a-hard-luck-pauper-who-loves-life/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/maudie-review-sally-hawkins-ethan-hawke/|title=''Maudie'' Review: Sally Hawkins Saves an Otherwise Missed Opportunity|author-link=Claudia Puig|last=Puig|first=Claudia|work=[[TheWrap]]|access-date=July 7, 2017|date=June 15, 2017|archive-date=July 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711093426/http://www.thewrap.com/maudie-review-sally-hawkins-ethan-hawke/|url-status=live}}</ref> He reunited with ''Training Day'' director Antoine Fuqua and actor Denzel Washington for ''[[The Magnificent Seven (2016 film)|The Magnificent Seven]]'' (2016), a remake of the [[The Magnificent Seven|1960 western film of the same name]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/awards-and-festivals/tiff/how-ethan-hawke-survived-hollywood/article31725063/|title=How Ethan Hawke Survived Hollywood|last=Hertz|first=Barry|date=September 6, 2016|work=[[The Globe and Mail]]|access-date=July 7, 2017|archive-date=September 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907023951/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/awards-and-festivals/tiff/how-ethan-hawke-survived-hollywood/article31725063/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the film, Hawke played a former [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] [[sharpshooter]] struggling with [[PTSD]] from the [[American Civil War]].<ref name="o395">{{cite web | last=Lee | first=Ashley | title=''Magnificent Seven'' Trailer: Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington Introduce the Reboot’s Misfits | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=July 18, 2016 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/magnificent-seven-trailer-chris-pratt-911877/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref><ref name="z575">{{cite web | last=Hicks | first=Tony | title=Review: ''Magnificent Seven'' Hits Its Target | website=[[East Bay Times]] | date=September 20, 2016 | url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/09/20/review-magnificent-seven-hits-its-target/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> In the US, the film grossed $34.7 million in its opening weekend, topping the box office.<ref name="o988">{{cite web | last=McClintock | first=Pamela | title=Weekend Box Office: ''Magnificent Seven'' Gallops to No. 1 with $35M | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=September 25, 2016 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/weekend-box-office-magnificent-seven-gallops-35m-932339/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> Also in 2016, Hawke narrated the interactive short film ''Invasion!'', which earned him and his co-creators a [[Daytime Emmy Award]] for Outstanding Interactive – Original Daytime Content,<ref>{{cite web | title=''Invasion!'' | publisher=[[Tribeca Festival]] | url=https://tribecafilm.com/films/invasion-2021 | access-date=November 10, 2025}}</ref><ref name="x771">{{cite web | last=Andreeva | first=Nellie | title=Amazon & Netflix Lead Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Winners- Full List | website=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]] | date=April 29, 2017 | url=https://deadline.com/2017/04/44th-daytime-creative-arts-emmy-awards-winner-full-list-amazon-netflix-trollhunters-1202079612/ | access-date=October 22, 2025}}</ref> and released his fourth book, ''Indeh: A Story of the Apache Wars'', which chronicles the [[Apache Wars|conflicts between the Apache and the US]].<ref name="o876">{{cite web | last=Nance | first=Kevin | title=Ethan Hawke on ''Indeh'' and the Pull of Apache Stories | website=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=May 19, 2016 | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2016/05/19/ethan-hawke-on-indeh-and-the-pull-of-apache-stories/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref>

Hawke starred in [[Paul Schrader]]'s drama ''[[First Reformed]]'' (2017) as a former military [[chaplain]] tormented by the death of his son, whom he had encouraged to join the [[armed forces]], while grappling with the looming threat of [[climate change]].<ref name="j948">{{cite web | last=Collins | first=K. Austin | title=Review: In the Masterful ''First Reformed'', Ethan Hawke Gives Us a God-Fearing Travis Bickle | website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] | date=May 18, 2018 | url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/05/first-reformed-review | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref><ref name="d167">{{cite web | last=Chang | first=Justin | title=Review: The Bracing ''First Reformed,'' Starring a Superb Ethan Hawke, Resurrects Paul Schrader's Career | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | url-access=subscription | date=May 17, 2018 | url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-first-reformed-review-20180517-htmlstory.html | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> Critics, including [[Slate (magazine)|''Slate'']]{{'}}s K. Austin Collins, praised his performance, calling it "extraordinarily well-tuned" and stating that "every ounce of likability, vulnerability, angry cynicism and ineptitude [in his career] seems to be summed up here".<ref name="p088">{{cite web | last=Collins | first=K. Austin | title=''First Reformed'' Was the Role Ethan Hawke’s Entire Career Has Been Leading Up To | website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] | date=January 3, 2019 | url=https://slate.com/culture/2019/01/first-reformed-ethan-hawke-performance-slate-movie-club.html | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> Hawke had two films premiere at the [[2018 Sundance Film Festival]].<ref name="k584">{{cite web | last=Lee | first=Benjamin | title=Sundance 2018: #MeToo Movement Set to Colour First Post-Weinstein Festival | website=[[The Guardian]] | date=January 18, 2018 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/18/sundance-2018-me-too-post-weinstein-lineup | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref><ref name="f585">{{cite web | title=''Blaze'': Film Review | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=January 21, 2018 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/blaze-review-1076789/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> In ''[[Juliet, Naked (film)|Juliet, Naked]]'', a romantic comedy adapted from [[Nick Hornby]]'s 2009 [[Juliet, Naked|novel of the same name]], he played an obscure rock musician whose eponymous album drives the plot.<ref name="t746">{{cite web | last=Gleiberman | first=Owen | title=Film Review: ''Juliet, Naked'' | website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=January 20, 2018 | url=https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/juliette-naked-review-ethan-hawke-sundance-1202670715/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> ''[[Blaze (2018 film)|Blaze]]'', his third direction, is a biographical film about the little-known country musician [[Blaze Foley]] and was selected for the festival's main competition.<ref name="b831">{{cite web | last=Fleishman | first=Jeffrey | title=Ethan Hawke Lets Us in His Editing Room and Reveals What Philip Seymour Hoffman Taught Him | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | url-access=subscription | date=June 8, 2017 | url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-ethan-hawke-profile-20170608-story.html | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref>

=== 2019–present: Mainstream popularity ===
Hawke returned to Broadway in the revival of Shepard's ''[[True West (play)|True West]]'', which began previews in December 2018, opened in January 2019, and closed two months later.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadway.com/shows/true-west-broadway/|title=True West Paul Dano and Ethan Hawke Star in Sam Shepard's Pulitzer-Nominated Drama|year=2018|publisher=[[Broadway.com]]|access-date=March 14, 2019|archive-date=December 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223171921/https://www.broadway.com/shows/true-west-broadway/|url-status=live}}</ref> Critics disparaged the lack of synergy between him and co-star [[Paul Dano]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Hoefler|first=Robert|date=January 24, 2019|title=''True West'' Broadway Review: Ethan Hawke Soars, Paul Dano Flits in Sam Shepard Drama|url=https://www.thewrap.com/true-west-broadway-review-ethan-hawke-paul-dano-sam-shepard/|work=[[TheWrap]]|access-date=December 15, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Soloski|first=Alexis|date=January 25, 2019|title=''True West'' Review – Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano Go South in Mediocre Drama|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jan/24/true-west-review-ethan-hawke-and-paul-dano-go-south-in-mediocre-drama|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=December 15, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Stasio|first=Marilyn|author-link=Marilyn Stasio|title=Broadway Review: ''True West'' with Ethan Hawke, Paul Dano|url=https://variety.com/2019/legit/reviews/true-west-review-ethan-hawke-paul-dano-1203116259/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=December 15, 2025}}</ref> In 2019, Hawke appeared in Vincent D'Onofrio's feature film directorial debut, ''[[The Kid (2019 film)|The Kid]]'', in which he portrayed a [[sheriff]] hunting the outlaw [[Billy the Kid]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Hipes|first=Patrick|date=February 21, 2019|title=''The Kid'' Trailer: Ethan Hawke Vs. Dane DeHaan in Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wild West Tale|url=https://deadline.com/2019/02/the-kid-trailer-ethan-hawke-dane-dehaan-chris-pratt-video-1202562053/|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=December 14, 2025}}</ref> In a review for ''[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]'', [[Bilge Ebiri]] said that his "melancholy stoicism" in the role "fail[ed] to convey much of an inner life".<ref>{{cite web | last=Ebiri | first=Bilge | author-link=Bilge Ebiri | title=''The Kid'' Is an Old West Adventure Refashioned As a Grotesque Nightmare | website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]] | date=March 8, 2019 | url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/03/the-kid-movie-review.html | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> Hawke then produced and starred in ''[[Adopt a Highway (film)|Adopt a Highway]]'' (2019), which received mixed reviews that nonetheless appreciated his performance.<ref>{{cite web|title=''Adopt a Highway''|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/adopt_a_highway|publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=December 14, 2025}}</ref> He portrayed a failed actor in [[Hirokazu Kore-eda]]'s first English-language film, ''[[The Truth (2019 film)|The Truth]]'' (2019), which opened the [[76th Venice International Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Tartaglione|first=Nancy|date=December 15, 2025|title=Venice Film Festival to Open with Hirokazu Kore-eda’s ''The Truth''|url=https://deadline.com/2019/07/venice-film-festival-2019-opening-film-the-truth-hirokazu-kore-eda-1202648334/|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=December 15, 2025}}</ref> ''Entertainment Weekly'' described Hawke as "brilliantly cast",<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Sollosi|first=Mary|title=Catherine Deneuve Is As Magnifique As Ever in ''The Truth'': Review|url=https://ew.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-truth-review-catherine-deneuve-hirokazu-kore-eda/|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=December 14, 2025}}</ref> while [[Alonso Duralde]] said that he had managed to play an "untalented, struggling" actor "without delving into condescension".<ref>{{cite news|last=Duralde|first=Alonso|author-link=Alonso Duralde|date=August 28, 2019|title=''The Truth'' Film Review: Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche Grapple with Honesty and Each Other|url=https://www.thewrap.com/the-truth-film-review-catherine-deneuve-hirokazu-kore-eda/|work=[[TheWrap]]|access-date=December 14, 2025}}</ref>

In 2020, Hawke portrayed inventor and engineer [[Nikola Tesla]] in the biopic [[Tesla (2020 film)|''Tesla'']].<ref name="h308">{{cite web | last=Davids | first=Brian | title='What Would David Bowie Do?': How Ethan Hawke and Michael Almereyda Shed Light on Nikola Tesla | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=August 18, 2020 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/what-would-david-bowie-do-how-ethan-hawke-and-michael-almereyda-shed-light-on-nikola-tesla-4047360/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> For the role, he drew inspiration from both Tesla's own writings and singer [[David Bowie]], who had played Tesla in [[The Prestige (film)|''The Prestige'']] (2006).<ref name="h308" /> [[Amy Nicholson]] and [[Richard Roeper]] observed that Hawke's version of Tesla diverged from other common popular portrayals.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Nicholson|first=Amy|author-link=Amy Nicholson|date=January 28, 2020|title=''Tesla'': Film Review|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/tesla-review-1203483172/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=December 14, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Roeper|first=Richard|author-link=Richard Roeper|title=''Tesla'': Jolts of Creative Whimsy Electrify a Delightfully Oddball Biopic|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2020/8/19/21372251/tesla-review-ethan-hawke-nikola-movie-kyle-maclachlan-jim-gaffigan|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|url-access=subscription|access-date=December 14, 2025}}</ref> Hawke then appeared in the heist thriller film ''[[Cut Throat City]]'' (2020).<ref>{{cite news|last=N'Duka|first=Amanda|date=December 4, 2018|title=Ethan Hawke Joins Terrence Howard, Wesley Snipes in the RZA-Directed Heist Thriller ''Cut Throat City''|url=https://deadline.com/2018/12/ethan-hawke-terrence-howard-wesley-snipes-rza-cut-throat-city-1202513681/|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref> He and author [[Mark Richard]] adapted [[James McBride (writer)|James McBride]]'s 2013 novel ''[[The Good Lord Bird]]'' into a [[The Good Lord Bird (miniseries)|2020 miniseries of the same name]] produced by Blum, with Hawke starring as [[abolitionist]] [[John Brown (abolitionist)|John Brown]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Lang|first=Brent|date=June 12, 2018|title=Ethan Hawke, Jason Blum Adapting ''The Good Lord Bird'' for TV (Exclusive)|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/ethan-hawke-jason-blum-adapting-the-good-lord-bird-for-tv-exclusive-1202841171/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=December 15, 2025}}</ref> Hawke had developed an interest in the American Civil War and its contemporary ramifications while filming ''The Magnificent Seven'' and learning about the [[Modern display of the Confederate battle flag#Removal from the South Carolina State Capitol|legal battles about the display of the Confederate flag in South Carolina]].<ref name="p098" /> He consulted McBride and began developing ''The Good Lord Bird'' in 2016.<ref name="p098" /> For his work on the series, Hawke received nominations for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film|Golden Globe]] and [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie|Screen Actors Guild Award]] for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film,<ref>{{cite web | last1=Mauch | first1=Ally | last2=Rice | first2=Nicholas | title=Two of Mark Ruffalo's Three Kids Make a Virtual Appearance as He Accepts His Golden Globe Win | website=[[People (magazine)|People]] | date=February 28, 2021 | url=https://people.com/tv/golden-globes-2021-best-actor-miniseries-or-tv-film-mark-ruffalo/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards|url=https://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/27th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards|publisher=[[Screen Actors Guild]]|access-date=July 30, 2022|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204165327/https://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/27th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as a [[Writers Guild of America Award]] nomination for [[Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Long Form – Adapted|Television: Long Form – Adapted]] along his co-writers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hipes|first=Patrick|date=February 3, 2021|title=WGA Awards TV Nominations: ''Better Call Saul'', ''Ted Lasso'' & ''The Great'' Lead Way|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/wga-awards-tv-nominations-2021-list-new-media-news-radio-promotional-writing-1234686681/|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=July 31, 2022|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319214228/https://deadline.com/2021/02/wga-awards-tv-nominations-2021-list-new-media-news-radio-promotional-writing-1234686681/|url-status=live}}</ref> 

Hawke collaborated again with Blum, Cargill, and Derrickson on the supernatural horror film ''[[The Black Phone]]'' (2021), portraying a masked [[serial killer]] of children.<ref name="theblackphone1">{{cite magazine|last=Lawrence|first=Derek|date=January 24, 2022|title=Ethan Hawke Is Finally Ready to Embrace His Inner Villain|url=https://ew.com/movies/ethan-hawke-interview-northman-black-phone-moon-knight/|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=December 13, 2025}}</ref><ref name="theblackphone2">{{cite magazine|last=Davids|first=Brian|date=June 27, 2022|title=''The Black Phone'' Writer C. Robert Cargill Discusses The Grabber's Backstory and the Emotional Last-Minute Rewrite|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/the-black-phone-movie-ending-grabber-1235172593/|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=December 13, 2025}}</ref> Up to that point, Hawke had avoided playing villains for fear of being [[typecast]] by audiences.<ref name="theblackphone2" /> However, he accepted the role because he was intrigued by the idea of wearing a mask for most of the film's runtime, comparing it to the masked performers of [[Theatre of ancient Greece|Ancient Greek theater]].<ref name="theblackphone1" /> Hawke said it allowed him to focus on physicality and voice acting, instead of facial expressions.<ref name="theblackphone1" /> ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' praised him for a "frightening and fascinating physical performance" and a critic for the Roger Ebert website said that he effectively conveyed the character's "personality reversal" through his voice, body language, and eyes.<ref name="t657">{{cite web | last=Travis | first=Ben | title=''The Black Phone'' | website=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] | date=June 21, 2022 | url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-black-phone/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Robinson|first=Peyton|date=June 23, 2022|title=''The Black Phone''|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-black-phone-movie-review-2022|publisher=[[RogerEbert.com]]|access-date=December 13, 2025}}</ref> ''The Black Phone'' was commercially successful, grossing $161.4 million.<ref name="q027">{{cite web | title=''The Black Phone'' | publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] | url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3849487105/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> Released in February 2021, Hawke's third novel and fifth book, titled ''A Bright Ray of Darkness'', drew direct inspiration from his real-life experiences.<ref>{{cite web | last=Perez | first=Lexy | title=Ethan Hawke Narrates Audiobook for His New Novel, ''A Bright Ray of Darkness'' (Exclusive) | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=February 2, 2021 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/ethan-hawke-narrates-a-bright-ray-of-darkness-exclusive-4124838/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Garcia-Navarro|first=Lulu|date=January 31, 2021|title=Actor and Author Ethan Hawke: Writing 'Forces You to Think Through Things'|url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/962050163|publisher=[[NPR]]|access-date=December 13, 2025}}</ref> Hawke also starred in the thriller films ''[[The Guilty (2021 film)|The Guilty]]'' and ''[[Zeros and Ones]]'' that year; his performances in both were praised.<ref>{{cite web|title=''Zeros and Ones''|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zeros_and_ones|publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref><ref name="r765">{{cite web | last=Catsoulis | first=Jeannette | title=''The Guilty'' Review: Dial R for Redemption | url-access=limited | website=[[The New York Times]] | date=September 30, 2021 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/movies/the-guilty-review.html | access-date=December 16, 2025}}</ref> 

Hawke traveled to Ireland to film [[Robert Eggers]]'s [[Viking]] epic ''[[The Northman]]'' (2022) as part of its [[ensemble cast]].<ref>{{cite web | last=Grater | first=Tom | title=''The Northman'' Begins Filming In Ireland; Bjork Joins Cast Of Robert Eggers Viking Pic | website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] | date=August 20, 2020 | url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/the-northman-filming-ireland-bjork-robert-eggers-viking-1203018626/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> [[Owen Gleiberman]] appreciated the quality of "squalid humanity" brought by Hawke in his portrayal of King [[Aurvandill]] and [[Justin Chang]] wished that he had been given more screen time.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|author-link=Owen Gleiberman|date=April 24, 2022|title=Is ''The Northman'' a Failed Art Film, or Is It Robert Eggers' Stolidly Successful Blockbuster Audition? (Column)|url=https://variety.com/2022/film/columns/the-northman-failure-blockbuster-robert-eggers-1235239546/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Chang|first=Justin|author-link=Justin Chang|date=April 20, 2022|title=Robert Eggers’ Mighty Viking Epic ''The Northman'' Puts the Art Before the Norse|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-04-20/the-northman-review-alexander-skarsgard-nicole-kidman|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref> He next starred in the [[comedy-drama]] film ''[[Raymond & Ray]]'' (2022), portraying along with [[Ewan McGregor]] two half-brothers.<ref name="r&r">{{cite web|last=Tallerico|first=Brian|date=October 21, 2022|title=''Raymond and Ray''|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/raymond-and-ray-movie-review-2022|publisher=[[RogerEbert.com]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref> The film received mixed reviews, but Hawke and McGregor's performances were praised;<ref>{{cite web|title=''Raymond & Ray''|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/raymond_and_ray|publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref> a critic from the Roger Ebert website said that "only Hawke [had] the rough edges" that were needed for the film.<ref name="r&r" /> He played the antagonist [[Arthur Harrow]] in the superhero miniseries ''[[Moon Knight (miniseries)|Moon Knight]]'' (2022), produced by [[Marvel Studios]].<ref name="moonknight">{{cite news|last=Kelly|first=Stephen|date=March 29, 2022|title=''Moon Knight'' Review: This Marvel Show Has No Reason to Exist|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220328-moon-knight-review-this-marvel-show-has-no-reason-to-exist|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref> Although Hawke had previously criticized [[superhero film]]s,<ref name="moonknight" /> he accepted the role in order to create an original superpowered character and collaborate with co-star [[Oscar Isaac]], who had initially offered him the part.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Jackson|first=Angelique|date=March 30, 2022|title=Ethan Hawke on His Disturbing ''Moon Knight'' Introduction Scene: 'That Sprang Out of My Imagination'|url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/features/ethan-hawke-marvel-moon-knight-arthur-harrow-glass-crunching-1235212968/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref> His portrayal of Harrow was inspired by psychiatrist [[Carl Jung]] and cult leader [[David Koresh]].<ref name="theblackphone1" /> ''Entertainment Weekly'' called him "unsettlingly charismatic" in the role,<ref>{{cite web | last=Coggan | first=Devan | title=Ethan Hawke Opens Up about His 'Soft and Gentle' ''Moon Knight'' Villain | website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | date=April 6, 2022 | url=https://ew.com/tv/ethan-hawke-moon-knight-charismatic-villain-arthur-harrow/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> while ''Variety'' said that Hawke and Isaac had managed to bring novelty to the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=D'Addario|first=Daniel|date=March 29, 2022|title=Oscar Isaac's ''Moon Knight'' Is a Refreshing Change of Course for Marvel: TV Review|url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/reviews/moon-knight-oscar-isaac-marvel-disney-plus-1235217473/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref>

Hawke starred in the 2023 [[Apocalyptic film|apocalyptic]] psychological thriller film ''[[Leave the World Behind (film)|Leave the World Behind]]'', portraying along with [[Julia Roberts]] a married couple living in Brooklyn.<ref name="ltwb">{{cite news|last=James|first=Caryn|author-link=Caryn James|date=November 22, 2023|title=''Leave the World Behind'' Review: Julia Roberts Stars in a 'Timely' and 'Chilling' Thriller|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20231122-leave-the-world-behind-review-julia-roberts-stars-in-a-timely-and-chilling-thriller|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref> James described the pair as "convincing" in their roles, adding that Hawke "easily [slid] into his character".<ref name="ltwb" /> He then portrayed a gay [[gunslinger]] and sheriff in [[Pedro Almodóvar]]'s Western [[melodrama]] short film ''[[Strange Way of Life]]'' (2023), which premiered at the [[76th Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="swol">{{cite magazine|last=Rooney|first=David|title=''Strange Way of Life'' Review: Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal Heat up the Desert in Pedro Almodóvar’s Intoxicating Queer Western|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/strange-way-of-life-review-ethan-hawke-pedro-pascal-pedro-almodovar-queer-western-1235494118/|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref> Critics appreciated the chemistry between Hawke and co-star [[Pedro Pascal]].<ref name="swol" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Aguilar|first=Carlos|author-link=Carlos Aguilar (writer)|date=October 6, 2023|title=In ''Strange Way of Life'', a Master Director Peeks Behind the Myth of the Old West|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-10-06/strange-way-of-life-review-pedro-pascal-ethan-hawke-pedro-almodovar|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=December 15, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Ehrlich|first=David|date=May 17, 2023|title=''Strange Way of Life'' Review: Pedro Almodóvar's Gay Western Short Leaves You Wanting More|url=https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/strange-way-of-life-review-pedro-almodovars-gay-western-1234864478/|work=[[IndieWire]]|access-date=December 15, 2025}}</ref> Meanwhile, he directed three biographical works: the six-part documentary ''[[The Last Movie Stars]]'' (2022) about actors [[Paul Newman]] and [[Joanne Woodward]];<ref name="newman bio">{{Cite web |last=Olsen |first=Mark |date=July 22, 2022 |title=Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward Were Movie Stars for 50 Years. A New Doc Explains How |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-07-22/paul-newman-joanne-woodward-ethan-hawke-the-last-movie-stars-hbo-max |access-date=August 1, 2022 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url-access=subscription|archive-date=August 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220801025022/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-07-22/paul-newman-joanne-woodward-ethan-hawke-the-last-movie-stars-hbo-max |url-status=live }}</ref> the film ''[[Wildcat (2023 film)|Wildcat]]'' (2023) about author [[Flannery O'Connor]], starring Hawke's daughter [[Maya Hawke|Maya]];<ref name="wildcat"/> and the documentary film ''[[Highway 99: A Double Album]]'' (2025) about [[Country music|country]] singer [[Merle Haggard]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Willman|first=Chris|date=August 30, 2025|title=''Highway 99: A Double Album'' Review: Ethan Hawke Goes to the Tender, Conflicted Heart of Merle Haggard in the Rich Documentary He’s Deserved|url=https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/highway-99-telluride-film-review-merle-haggard-1236502028/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref> ''Wildcat'' premiered at the [[50th Telluride Film Festival]] to mixed reviews.<ref name="wildcat" />

[[File:Ethan Hawke Blue Moon-28 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|alt=A Caucasian male with gray hair, wearing a two-piece dark gray suit with a gray and white shirt.|Hawke at the [[New York Film Festival]] for the premiere of ''[[Blue Moon (2025 film)|Blue Moon]]'' in 2025]]

Hawke and Linklater's ninth film together was ''[[Blue Moon (2025 film)|Blue Moon]]'' (2025),<ref name="bluemoon1">{{cite news|last=Hailu|first=Selome|date=December 11, 2025|title=Sydney Sweeney Tells Ethan Hawke 'I Wish You Were My Dad' as They Swap Stories on ''Euphoria'', Acting as Teens and More|url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/sydney-sweeney-ethan-hawke-euphoria-teen-acting-1236603849/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref> a biopic in which Hawke starred as lyricist [[Lorenz Hart]] reflecting on himself on the opening night of the musical ''[[Oklahoma!]]''.<ref name="bluemoon2">{{cite magazine|last=Roxborough|first=Scott|date=February 19, 2025|title=Ethan Hawke on Shedding Hair and Height to Play Lorenz Hart in ''Blue Moon''|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ethan-hawke-lorenz-hart-richard-linklater-blue-moon-1236140948/|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> Linklater had shared the draft with Hawke over a decade earlier,<ref name="bluemoon1" /> but chose to delay the project until Hawke became old enough to portray a middle-aged Hart.<ref name="bluemoon2" /> Hawke shaved his head and used [[stagecraft]] devices that made him appear shorter for the role, undergoing a transformation that he said helped him better understand the character's feelings.<ref name="bluemoon2" /> The ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' praised his performance as one of the year's best,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/movies_tv/article/blue-moon-review-21108787.php|title=Texan Ethan Hawke Delivers a Knockout Performance in Richard Linklater's ''Blue Moon''|url-access=subscription|first=Cary|last=Darling|date=October 20, 2025|website=[[Houston Chronicle]]|access-date=October 22, 2025}}</ref> while [[NBC News]] described it as a career highlight.<ref name="w747">{{cite web | last=Gao | first=Max | title=In ''Blue Moon'', Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater Examine the Bittersweet End of an Artistic Partnership | publisher=[[NBC News]] | date=October 18, 2025 | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-pop-culture/blue-moon-ethan-hawke-richard-linklater-examine-bittersweet-end-artist-rcna237809 | access-date=October 22, 2025}}</ref> It earned him a nomination for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Lang|first1=Brent|last2=Moreau|first2=Jordan|date=December 8, 2025|title=Golden Globes 2026 Nominations: ''One Battle After Another'' Tops Films with Nine Nods, ''White Lotus'' Leads TV with Six|url=https://variety.com/2025/film/awards/golden-globes-2026-nominations-one-battle-after-another-1236601172/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=December 11, 2025}}</ref>

Later that year, Hawke reprised his role from ''The Black Phone'' in its sequel, ''[[Black Phone 2]]'',<ref name="k757">{{cite web | last=McCluskey | first=Megan | title=Breaking Down the Ending of ''Black Phone 2'' | website=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date=October 18, 2025 | url=https://time.com/7326523/black-phone-2-ending-explained/ | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> which grossed $132 million.<ref>{{cite web|title=''Black Phone 2''|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tttt29644189/|publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=December 15, 2025}}</ref> [[Frank Scheck]] said that Hawke "deliver[ed] one for the ages",<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Scheck|first=Frank|author-link=Frank Scheck|date=October 16, 2025|title=''Black Phone 2'' Review: Ethan Hawke Returns for More Virtuoso Demonic Tormenting in an Effective Horror Sequel|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/black-phone-2-review-ethan-hawke-1236401733/|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref> while ''The New York Times'' remarked that his performance "create[d] a more cohesive picture than the original".<ref>{{cite web | last=Yu | first=Brandon | title=''Black Phone 2'' Review: Ethan Hawke Is Back Behind the Mask | website=[[The New York Times]] |url-access=limited| date=October 16, 2025 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/movies/black-phone-2-review.html | access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref> He then portrayed an investigative journalist in the crime drama series ''[[The Lowdown (American TV series)|The Lowdown]]'' (2025).<ref name="thelowdown">{{cite magazine|last=Berman|first=Judy|date=September 23, 2025|title=FX's ''The Lowdown'' Is One of the Year's Best Crime Dramas|url=https://time.com/7319033/the-lowdown-review-fx/|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=December 11, 2025}}</ref> Critics identified the role as one in a series of Hawke's portrayals of self-righteous heroic characters driven to extremes that included his performances in ''First Reformed'' and ''The Good Lord Bird''; ''[[The New Republic]]'' added that Hawke had been able to reiterate the [[archetype]] in a "striking variety of ways" across different genres.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Maciak|first=Philip|date=October 1, 2025|title=Ethan Hawke's Brilliantly Exasperating Quest for Truth|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/201110/lowdown-tv-fx-review-ethan-hawke-quest-truth|magazine=[[The New Republic]]|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref><ref name="thelowdown" /><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Kang|first=Inkoo|date=September 22, 2025|title=''The Lowdown'' Is a Noir for Our Era|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/09/29/the-lowdown-tv-review-fx|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|url-access=subscription|access-date=December 12, 2025}}</ref>

== Screen persona and reception ==
{{multiple image
| total_width = 290
| align  = left
| image1 = RobertdeNiro26.JPG
| alt1 = Black and white of a middle aged man
| image2 = Denzel Washington in the White House, December 1999 (2).jpg
| alt2 = A middle aged man smiling
| footer = Hawke has cited [[Robert De Niro]] and [[Denzel Washington]] as influences on his acting.
}}

Hawke was named by ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'' as the greatest actor of his generation in 2022.<ref name="e892">{{cite web | last=Taylor | first=Charles | title=Ethan Hawke Is the Greatest Actor of His Generation: Here's Why | website=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] | date=December 23, 2022 | url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a42308299/ethan-hawke-acting-career/ | access-date=October 22, 2025}}</ref> His four-decade acting career's longevity has been praised, with ''Entertainment Weekly'' attributing it to his strategy of acting in different genres.<ref name="m375">{{cite web | last=Bierly | first=Mandi | title=Ethan Hawke explains why he did ''Getaway'', talks career longevity | website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | date=August 30, 2013 | url=https://ew.com/article/2013/08/30/ethan-hawke-getaway/ | access-date=December 16, 2025}}</ref><ref name="n195">{{cite web | last=Chapman | first=Wilson | title=Ethan Hawke's 10 Best Performances, from ''Dead Poets Society'' to 'Reservation Dogs' | publisher=[[IndieWire]] | date=September 24, 2025 | url=https://www.indiewire.com/lists/best-ethan-hawke-movies/ | access-date=December 16, 2025}}</ref> Hawke describes acting as a "shamanistic process", where "you give over to it, much like singing a song",<ref name="a861">{{cite web | last=Lindsay | first=Benjamin | title=Ethan Hawke Reveals the 'Shamanistic Process' of His Performances | website=[[Backstage (magazine)|Backstage]] | date=September 5, 2018 | url=https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/ethan-hawke-reveals-shamanistic-process-performances-65108/ | access-date=October 24, 2025}}</ref> and compares portraying characters to music, stating that "you have to get inside your character's song".<ref name="p098"/> Hawke is known for preferring the artistic aspects of being an actor rather than seeking commercial success or fame as a [[film star]].<ref name="x448">{{cite web | last=Evans | first=Suzy | title=Ethan Hawke Returns to His Acting Roots in ''Before Midnight'' | website=[[Backstage (magazine)|Backstage]] | date=May 30, 2013 | url=https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/ethan-hawke-returns-acting-roots-midnight-19027/ | access-date=October 22, 2025}}</ref> 

Film historian [[Jeanine Basinger]] described Hawke as an actor who combines the elements of a traditional film star and a [[character actor]].<ref name="garybettinson">{{cite interview| date=2014|location=[[Lancaster University]]| title=Screen Acting and the New Hollywood: An Interview with Ethan Hawke (Part 1) | interviewer=Gary Bettinson | first=Ethan|last=Hawke|url=https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/73072/1/Bettinson_Ethan_Hawke_interview.pdf | access-date=December 15, 2025}}</ref>{{rp|2}} Scholar Gary Bettinson noted that Hawke has consistently acted in concept-driven rather than spectacle-based genre cinema, with early critics highlighting the complexity of his multifaceted screen persona.<ref name="garybettinson"/>{{rp|1}} According to ''The New Yorker'' theater critic [[John Lahr]], the skills that acting demands—"empathy, imagination, charm, [and] surrender"—are features he developed through his experiences with his mother.<ref name="p098"/> Hawke often tries to tell stories when writing, directing, acting, and producing, a practice Lahr said set him apart from his contemporaries.<ref name="p098"/> Hawke has describied his screen technique as "third-person acting", which allows him "to truly become the characters he's playing".<ref name="u357">{{cite web | last=Bergeson | first=Samantha | title=Ethan Hawke Praises Method Acting with a Caveat: 'It's Crazy' If You Don’t Act Like a 'Grown-Up' on Set | website=[[IndieWire]] | date=November 2, 2022 | url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/ethan-hawke-method-acting-can-be-crazy-1234778337/ | access-date=October 22, 2025}}</ref><ref name="c436"/>

{{quote box|bgcolor=#CCDDFF|align=right|width=25%|quote="I never self-identified as a 'movie star'. I was allergic to that. Having a trademark by my name and making a million dollars—that wasn't part of my dream."|source= — Hawke in a 2025 ''[[GQ]]'' interview<ref name="t545"/>}}

Known for his versatility across a wide range of roles, Hawke prefers collaborating with filmmakers who can "stoke his creativity", often starring in [[independent film|independent]] and [[art film]]s as well as Hollywood [[Blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbusters]].<ref name="p098"/><ref name="c436">{{cite web | last=Brown | first=Jeffrey | title=Ethan Hawke Doesn't Want to Make Movies That Waste Your Time | publisher=[[PBS News]] | date=November 6, 2019 | url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/ethan-hawke-doesnt-want-to-make-movies-that-waste-your-time | access-date=October 22, 2025}}</ref><ref name="t545">{{cite web | last1=Frank | first1=Alex | title=How Ethan Hawke Found the Sweet Spot | website=[[GQ]] | date=September 1, 2025 | url=https://www.gq.com/story/ethan-hawke-gq-hype | access-date=October 22, 2025}}</ref> ''[[IndieWire]]'' observed that each director Hawke has collaborated with has elicited a distinct aspect of his screen persona, which made him "one of the most versatile actors of his generation".<ref name="u576">{{cite web | last=Ehrlich | first=David | title=Ethan Hawke's 13 Best Performances | website=[[IndieWire]] | date=August 20, 2018 | url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/ethan-hawke-best-movie-performances-1201996329/ | access-date=December 16, 2025}}</ref> A ''[[GQ]]'' writer noted Hawke's "uncanny" ability to embody the main moments in a man's life—from high school in ''Dead Poets Society'', through first love in ''Before Sunrise'' and fatherhood in ''Boyhood'', and into middle age in ''First Reformed'' and ''Juliet, Naked''.<ref name="h179">{{cite web | last1=Baron | first1=Zach | title=Ethan Hawke Q&A: From 'Reality Bites' to 'First Reformed' | website=[[GQ]] | date=August 6, 2018 | url=https://www.gq.com/story/ethan-hawke-profile-2018 | access-date=December 16, 2025}}</ref> Hawke explained that the eclecticism and diversity in his roles stems from his early life; for his mother, he would pretend to portray figures like an "artistic, literary,{{nbsp}}[and] conscientious political thinker".<ref name="p098"/>

Hawke has cited both [[Robert De Niro]] and [[Denzel Washington]] as major influences, particularly from a collaboration with the former on ''[[Great Expectations (1998 film)|Great Expectations]]'' (1998), during which he admired De Niro's work ethic: "He's not waiting for someone to give him permission to do the kind of work he wants [...] he's just coming in and doing that kind of work". He observed the same during the filming of ''[[Training Day]]'' (2001) with Washington,<ref name="a861"/> who Hawke later referred to as the "greatest actor of our generation".<ref name="s593">{{cite web | last=Thomas | first=Carly | title=Ethan Hawke Shares Denzel Washington's Advice on Winning an Oscar | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=April 27, 2024 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ethan-hawke-denzel-washingtons-advice-winning-oscar-1235883959/ | access-date=October 22, 2025}}</ref> Hawke has credited several directors as key influences, including [[Peter Weir]], who showed him "what filmmaking could be", as well as [[Paul Schrader]] and [[Martin Scorsese]], whom he credits with shaping his "adult relationship with film" and motivating him to continue acting.<ref name="l432">{{cite web | last=Bergeson | first=Samantha | title=Ethan Hawke Credits Paul Schrader and Martin Scorsese for Inspiring Him to Not Quit Hollywood | website=[[IndieWire]] | date=October 19, 2022 | url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/ethan-hawke-paul-schrader-inspired-not-quit-acting-1234774124/ | access-date=October 22, 2025}}</ref> Hawke described actor and director [[Austin Pendleton]] as the "only acting teacher [he's] ever had".<ref name="x448">{{cite web | last=Evans | first=Suzy | title=Ethan Hawke Returns to His Acting Roots in ''Before Midnight'' | website=[[Backstage (magazine)|Backstage]] | date=May 30, 2013 | url=https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/ethan-hawke-returns-acting-roots-midnight-19027/ | access-date=October 22, 2025}}</ref> He has received critical acclaim for his creative partnership with director Richard Linklater, with whom he has collaborated on nine films.<ref name="q691">{{cite web | last=McGowan | first=Andrew | title=Ethan Hawke on Working with Taylor Swift, Making Nine Richard Linklater Films and a 'Scary' Screen Test With Denzel Washington | website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=November 6, 2025 | url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/ethan-hawke-taylor-swift-richard-linklater-denzel-washington-1236570541/ | access-date=November 12, 2025}}</ref>

Early in his career, Hawke was widely portrayed as a heartthrob within the film industry, a perception fueled by his blue eyes, chiseled jaw, [[goatee]], and tousled hair.<ref name="t545"/><ref name="p585">{{cite web | last=Ahsan | first=Sadaf | title=Ethan Hawke Gets to Work | website=[[Sharp (magazine)|Sharp]] | date=October 18, 2022 | url=https://sharpmagazine.com/2022/10/18/ethan-hawke-profile-cover-story/ | access-date=December 16, 2025}}</ref> His portrayal of a disillusioned musician in ''Reality Bites'' (1994) led to him being deemed the [[poster boy]] of [[Generation X]], embodying the era's post-college angst, uncertainty, and creative searching. Though initially irked by the label, he later embraced it.<ref name="z388">{{cite web | last=Bernstein | first=Joseph | title=Ethan Hawke Makes Peace With Being a Poster Boy for Gen X | website=[[The New York Times]] | url-access=limited | date=September 21, 2023 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/21/style/ethan-hawke-gen-x.html | access-date=December 16, 2025}}</ref><ref name="p716">{{cite web | last1=McArdle | first1=Tommy | last2=Telling | first2=Gillian | title=Ethan Hawke Hated Being the Gen X Poster Boy After ''Reality Bites'' Came Out: 'Now I Love It' (Exclusive) | website=[[People (magazine)|People]] | date=May 5, 2024 | url=https://people.com/ethan-hawke-says-he-hated-gen-x-label-after-reality-bites-exclusive-8640557 | access-date=December 16, 2025}}</ref> ''The New Yorker'' observed that his early public persona resembled that of a "shy, baby-faced teenager", and that he later came to be seen as a "rough-edged, raucous actor" with a "full-blown{{nbsp}}[and] happy maturity".<ref name="p098"/>

== Personal life and other ventures ==
[[File:Ethan Hawke Festival de Venise (Mostra) (cropped).png|thumb|right|upright=0.8|Hawke and Shawhughes attending the [[66th Venice International Film Festival]] in 2009|alt=Hawke, wearing a suit and tie, next to his wife, wearing a green dress]]
On May 1, 1998, Hawke married actress [[Uma Thurman]], whom he met on the set of ''Gattaca'' in 1996.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,283132,00.html|title=Monitor|last1=Cheng|first1=Kipp|last2=Chang|first2=Suna|date=May 15, 1998|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=March 28, 2011|archive-date=October 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021025450/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,283132,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Rohrer|first=Trish Deitch|date=June 2000|title=The Great Dane|magazine=[[Los Angeles Magazine]]|volume=45|issue=6|page=80|issn=1522-9149|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W18EAAAAMBAJ|access-date=June 17, 2013|archive-date=June 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628160122/http://books.google.com/books?id=W18EAAAAMBAJ|url-status=live |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> They have two children, [[Maya Hawke|Maya]] (born 1998) and [[Levon Hawke|Levon]] (born 2002), both of whom became actors.<ref name="s150">{{cite web | last=Stevens | first=Kaitlin | title=Ethan Hawke's 4 Kids: All About Maya, Levon, Clementine and Indiana | website=[[People (magazine)|People]]| date=September 29, 2022 | url=https://people.com/parents/all-about-ethan-hawke-kids/ | access-date=October 22, 2025 | archive-date=September 29, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929165702/https://people.com/parents/all-about-ethan-hawke-kids/ | url-status=live}}</ref> The couple separated in 2003 amidst allegations of infidelity and filed for divorce the following year, which was finalized in August 2005.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2003/10/02/ddish.DTL |title=Halle and Hubby Separate; Uma 'Holding Up' After Ethan Split; Will Smith Parties in London |date=October 2, 2003 |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |access-date=February 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031013132613/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fgate%2Farchive%2F2003%2F10%2F02%2Fddish.DTL |archive-date=October 13, 2003 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=VanHoose|first=Benjamin|date=November 21, 2025|title=Ethan Hawke Says He 'Vowed to My Kids' Not to Talk About Uma Thurman Divorce in Public|url=https://people.com/ethan-hawke-vow-kids-not-talk-uma-thurman-divorce-11854500|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|access-date=December 11, 2025|archive-date=December 11, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251211200940/https://people.com/ethan-hawke-vow-kids-not-talk-uma-thurman-divorce-11854500|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="people2005">{{cite news|url=https://people.com/celebrity/uma-calls-split-from-ethan-excruciating/|title=Uma Calls Split from Ethan 'Excruciating'|date=October 7, 2005|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|access-date=July 17, 2013|first=Stephen M.|last=Silverman|archive-date=March 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304134039/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1115532,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Hawke and Thurman were described as a [[supercouple]] of the 1990s, with their marriage and divorce becoming the subject of intense [[Tabloid journalism|tabloid]] scrutiny to the couple's displeasure.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hampson|first=Laura|date=May 5, 2021|title=The Ultimate '90s Power Couples You've Probably Forgotten About, But That Were Absolutely Iconic|url=https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/gallery/all-time-greatest-power-couples|magazine=[[Glamour UK]]|access-date=December 11, 2025|archive-date=June 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628055641/https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/gallery/all-time-greatest-power-couples|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Freeman|first=Hadley|date=November 20, 2025|title=Ethan Hawke: 'It Is Tremendously Difficult to Stay Married'|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/ethan-hawke-interview-d5hdcbf5p|work=[[The Times]]|url-access=subscription|access-date=December 11, 2025|archive-date=December 11, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251211103643/https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/ethan-hawke-interview-d5hdcbf5p|url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2008, Hawke married Ryan Shawhughes, a [[Columbia University]] graduate who had previously worked briefly as a nanny for his children with Thurman.<ref name="p730">{{cite web | last=Vozick-Levinson | first=Simon | title=Monitor | website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | date=July 18, 2008 | url=https://ew.com/article/2008/07/18/monitor-298/ | access-date=October 22, 2025 | archive-date=June 6, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606194533/https://ew.com/article/2008/07/18/monitor-298/ | url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=barton>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/may/16/ethan-hawke-cherry-orchard-old-vic-mendes|title=Desperately Seeking Ethan|last=Barton|first=Laura|date=May 16, 2009|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=July 13, 2009|archive-date=December 1, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131201153842/http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/may/16/ethan-hawke-cherry-orchard-old-vic-mendes|url-status=live}}</ref> He stated that their relationship began a year after his divorce and that his first marriage had ended for reasons unrelated to Shawhughes.<ref name=barton/> Together, they have two daughters.<ref name="s150"/>

An [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalian]], Hawke has said that faith played a larger role in his youth but that he failed to develop it further in adulthood.<ref name="wildcat">{{cite web | last=Graham | first=Jennifer | title=Ethan Hawke Talks to Russell Moore About ''Wildcat'' and Why He Sees Acting as a Form of Worship | website=[[Deseret News]] | date=May 6, 2024 | url=https://www.deseret.com/faith/2024/05/06/ethan-hawke-flannery-o-connor-catholic-faith-lupus-russell-moore/ | access-date=October 22, 2025 | archive-date=June 16, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616114302/https://www.deseret.com/faith/2024/05/06/ethan-hawke-flannery-o-connor-catholic-faith-lupus-russell-moore/ | url-status=live}}</ref> He is an advocate for gay rights and, in 2011, released a video with his wife supporting [[same-sex marriage in New York]].<ref name="HRC">{{cite web|url=http://www.hrc.org/videos/videos-ethan-and-ryan-hawke-for-hrcs-new-yorkers-for-marriage-equality|title=Ethan and Ryan Hawke for HRC's New Yorkers for Marriage Equality|publisher=[[Human Rights Campaign]]|date=March 11, 2011|access-date=September 9, 2011|archive-date=October 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005135349/http://www.hrc.org/videos/videos-ethan-and-ryan-hawke-for-hrcs-new-yorkers-for-marriage-equality|url-status=live}}</ref> He identifies as a [[feminist]] and has criticized the film industry for being "such a boys' club".<ref name="z352">{{cite web | last=Martinelli | first=Marissa | title=Julie Delpy Insisted on Being Paid As Much As Ethan Hawke for ''Before Midnight'' | website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] | date=October 3, 2019 | url=https://slate.com/culture/2019/10/julie-delpy-ethan-hawke-pay-gap-before-sunrise-sunset-midnight.html | access-date=October 22, 2025 | archive-date=December 11, 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251211201910/https://slate.com/culture/2019/10/julie-delpy-ethan-hawke-pay-gap-before-sunrise-sunset-midnight.html?pay=1765483525725&support_journalism=please | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2015/05/13/ethan-hawke-hollywood-boys-club/|title=Ethan Hawke Speaks out on the 'Boys Club' in Hollywood|last=Maas|first=Jennifer|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=May 13, 2015|access-date=July 13, 2017|archive-date=May 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519231347/http://ew.com/article/2015/05/13/ethan-hawke-hollywood-boys-club/|url-status=dead}}</ref> A staunch supporter of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], he has endorsed [[Bill Bradley]] in [[2000 United States presidential election|2000]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://observer.com/1999/09/27/can-dollar-bill-bradley-dunk-al-gore/|title=Can Dollar Bill Bradley Dunk Al Gore?|last=Leonard|first=Devin|date=September 26, 1999|work=[[The New York Observer]]|access-date=July 13, 2011|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817211120/https://observer.com/1999/09/can-dollar-bill-bradley-dunk-al-gore/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Barack Obama]] in [[2008 United States presidential election|2008]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-11-05-celebrityreax_N.htm|title=Celebrities, Including an Unexpected One, Celebrate Obama's Win|last=Blas|first=Lorena|date=November 5, 2008|work=[[USA Today]]|access-date=February 5, 2009|archive-date=January 6, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106030254/http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-11-05-celebrityreax_N.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Hillary Clinton]] in [[2016 United States presidential election|2016]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/dec/16/ethan-hawke-actor-most-life-lessons-optimism-marriage-romance|title=Ethan Hawke: 'The Most Romantic Thing I've Done Is Have Sex'|last=Evans-Harding|first=Natalie|date=December 16, 2017|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=December 18, 2017|archive-date=December 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217174008/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/dec/16/ethan-hawke-actor-most-life-lessons-optimism-marriage-romance|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Kamala Harris]] in [[2024 United States presidential election|2024]] for [[president of the United States]].<ref name="j726">{{cite web | last=Bogani | first=Giovanni | title=Ethan Hawke Talks U.S. Election: 'I Want to Be on the Bus That Kamala Is Driving' | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=September 30, 2024 | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ethan-hawke-voting-kamala-harris-1236017381/ | access-date=October 22, 2025  | archive-date=September 3, 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250903065344/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ethan-hawke-voting-kamala-harris-1236017381/ | url-status=live}}</ref> He has criticized [[Donald Trump]], the 45th and 47th president of the United States, for his [[Make America Great Again]] slogan and for threatening to put Clinton in jail.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hensch|first=Mark|date=October 24, 2016|title=Actor Ethan Hawke Slams Trump's 'Fascist Behavior'|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/302596-actor-ethan-hawke-slams-trumps-fascist-behavior/|access-date=February 4, 2023|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|archive-date=February 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204011324/https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/302596-actor-ethan-hawke-slams-trumps-fascist-behavior/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, Hawke advocated for the protection of [[St. Georges Bay (Nova Scotia)|St. Georges Bay, Nova Scotia]], in Canada against [[oil and gas exploration]]s, participating in an event organized by the local [[Mi'kmaq]] community and saying that the wishes of [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] people should be respected; he had owned property in the area since 2000.<ref>{{cite news|date=October 26, 2015|title=Ethan Hawke Helps Mi'kmaq Oppose Gulf of St. Lawrence Oil Exploration|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/ethan-hawke-gulf-of-st-lawrence-oil-and-gas-1.3288605|publisher=[[CBC News]]|access-date=December 11, 2025|archive-date=June 26, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250626180728/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/ethan-hawke-gulf-of-st-lawrence-oil-and-gas-1.3288605|url-status=live}}</ref>

Hawke began participating in charity work at the behest of his mother.<ref name="variety2010">{{cite magazine|last=Stewart|first=Anna|date=July 28, 2010|title=Ethan Hawke Does Right by Doe|url=https://variety.com/2010/scene/markets-festivals/ethan-hawke-does-right-by-doe-1118022238/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=December 11, 2025|archive-date=December 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202004707/https://variety.com/2010/scene/markets-festivals/ethan-hawke-does-right-by-doe-1118022238/|url-status=live}}</ref> She encouraged him to donate a portion of his salary from ''Dead Poets Society'' to [[the Doe Fund]], a non-profit.<ref name="variety2010" /> He attended their annual fundraising gala in October 2011 and ran the [[New York City Marathon]] alongside his wife in November 2015 in support of the non-profit.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=January 21, 2011|title=Ethan Hawke Doe Fund|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ethan-hawke-joins-total-recall-187116/attachment/ethan-hawke-2011-a-p/|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=December 11, 2025|archive-date=December 11, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251211202439/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ethan-hawke-joins-total-recall-187116/attachment/ethan-hawke-2011-a-p/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=October 7, 2015|title=Ethan Hawke to Run NYC Marathon with Wife for Charity|url=https://apnews.com/d1c913bbbec544ffb1058d62982ec423|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|access-date=December 11, 2025|archive-date=December 11, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251211202334/https://apnews.com/d1c913bbbec544ffb1058d62982ec423|url-status=live}}</ref> Hawke serves on the board of trustees of his mother's foundation, the Alex Fund.<ref>{{cite web|title=Board of Trustees|url=https://www.alexfund.org/about-us/board/|publisher=The Alex Fund|access-date=December 11, 2025|archive-date=May 19, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100519165921/https://www.alexfund.org/about-us/board/|url-status=live}}</ref> He served as co-chair of the Young Lions Committee, one of the [[New York Public Library]]'s (NYPL) major philanthropic boards, and co-founded the [[Young Lions Fiction Award]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://observer.com/2008/04/01/whos-who-in-charity-new-yorks-most-powerful-philanthropic-boards/|title=Who's Who in Charity: New York's Most Powerful Philanthropic Boards|last=Aleksander|first=Irina|date=April 1, 2008|work=[[The New York Observer]]|access-date=November 12, 2010|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817211119/https://observer.com/2008/04/whos-who-in-charity-new-yorks-most-powerful-philanthropic-boards/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/03/stranger-than-fiction.html |title=Disproving the Notion That Kids These Days Only Write in Tweets |last=Gaffney |first=Adrienne |date=March 17, 2009 |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |access-date=April 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228115604/http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/03/stranger-than-fiction.html |archive-date=February 28, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was named a Library Lion by the NYPL in November 2010 and joined the library's board of trustees in May 2016.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.nypl.org/press/press-release/2010/08/04/2010-library-lions-honorees-announced|title=2010 Library Lions Malcolm Gladwell, Ethan Hawke, Paul Leclerc, Steve Martin and Zadie Smith Fêted on Monday, November 1|date=August 4, 2010|access-date=April 10, 2012|publisher=[[New York Public Library]]|archive-date=June 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630102744/http://www.nypl.org/press/press-release/2010/08/04/2010-library-lions-honorees-announced|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=The New York Public Library Adds Ethan Hawke to Its Board of Trustees |url=https://www.nypl.org/press/press-release/may-12-2016/new-york-public-library-adds-ethan-hawke-its-board-trustees |publisher=[[New York Public Library]] |access-date=December 19, 2020 |date=May 12, 2016 |archive-date=June 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622081917/http://www.nypl.org/press/press-release/may-12-2016/new-york-public-library-adds-ethan-hawke-its-board-trustees |url-status=live }}</ref> Hawke joined the board of trustees of the [[Classical Theatre of Harlem]] in April 2023 and made fundraising videos for the [[American Library Association]] and the [[Coolidge Corner Theatre]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Tremayne-Pengelly|first=Alexander|date=April 3, 2023|title=Ethan Hawke Joins the Classical Theatre of Harlem as a Trustee|url=https://observer.com/2023/04/ethan-hawke-joins-board-of-harlem-theatre-company/|work=[[The New York Observer|Observer]]|access-date=December 11, 2025|archive-date=April 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403192809/https://observer.com/2023/04/ethan-hawke-joins-board-of-harlem-theatre-company/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ethan Hawke on Libraries: 'One of the Most Beautiful Institutions That Mankind Has Ever Created'|url=https://www.ala.org/advocacy/ethan-hawke-video-psa|publisher=[[American Library Association]]|access-date=December 11, 2025|archive-date=August 25, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250825092653/https://www.ala.org/advocacy/ethan-hawke-video-psa|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Gartsbeyn|first=Mark|date=December 23, 2020|title=Ethan Hawke in Fundraising Video: Coolidge Corner Theatre Event Was 'One of the Best Experiences of My Life'|url=https://www.boston.com/culture/movies/2020/12/23/ethan-hawke-coolidge-corner-theatre-fundraising-video/|magazine=[[Boston (magazine)|Boston]]|access-date=December 11, 2025|archive-date=July 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728102510/https://www.boston.com/culture/movies/2020/12/23/ethan-hawke-coolidge-corner-theatre-fundraising-video/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Publications==
* {{Cite book |last=Hawke |first=Ethan |year=1996 |title=The Hottest State: A Novel |edition=1st |location=Boston |publisher=[[Little, Brown and Company]] |isbn=978-0-316-54083-4 |oclc=34474927 |url=https://archive.org/details/hotteststate0000hawk |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hawke |first=Ethan |year=2002 |title=Ash Wednesday: A Novel |edition=1st |location=New York |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |isbn=978-0-375-41326-1 |oclc=48967928 |url=https://archive.org/details/ashwednesdaynove00hawk |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{Cite magazine |last=Hawke |first=Ethan |date=April 2009 |title=The Last Outlaw Poet |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=1076 |pages=50–61, 78–79 |issn=0035-791X |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/27113898/the_last_outlaw_poet
|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410055914/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/27113898/the_last_outlaw_poet |archive-date=April 10, 2009}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hawke |first=Ethan |year=2015 |title=Rules for a Knight |edition=1st |location=New York|publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] | isbn=978-0307962331 |url=https://archive.org/details/rulesforknightla0000hawk |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hawke |first=Ethan |year=2016 |title=Indeh: A Story of the Apache Wars |edition=1st |location=New York |publisher=[[Grand Central Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-401-31099-8|url=https://archive.org/details/indehstoryofapac0000hawk_z2g9 |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hawke |first=Ethan |year=2021 |title=A Bright Ray of Darkness: A Novel |edition=1st |location=New York |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |isbn= 978-1-785-15260-3 |oclc=34474927 |url=https://www.google.it/books/edition/A_Bright_Ray_of_Darkness/llz6zQEACAAJ |via=[[Google Books]]}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb name|160}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{iobdb name|498}}
* {{Rotten-tomatoes-person|ethan_hawke|Ethan Hawke}}

{{Ethan Hawke}}
{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Ethan Hawke|Awards for Ethan Hawke]]
|list =
{{AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Screenwriter}}
{{American Riviera Award}}
{{Astra Midseason Movie Award for Best Actor}}
{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor}}
{{ACCT Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor}}
{{Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor}}
{{Donostia Award}}
{{Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actor}}
{{Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Performance in a New Series}}
{{IFTA Award for Best International Actor}}
{{IndependentSpiritBestMaleLead}}
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Lead Performance}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor}}
{{Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor}}
{{San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor}}
{{San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Adapted Screenplay}}
{{San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor}}
{{Satellite Award Best Actor Television Miniseries or Film}}
{{Seattle Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor}}
{{St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor}}
{{TFCA Award for Best Actor}}
{{Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Outstanding Lead Performance}}
{{Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawke, Ethan}}
[[Category:Ethan Hawke]]
[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American male writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American novelists]]
[[Category:Activists from New York (state)]]
[[Category:American feminists]]
[[Category:American male child actors]]
[[Category:American male feminists]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male novelists]]
[[Category:American male screenwriters]]
[[Category:American male Shakespearean actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:American theatre directors]]
[[Category:Best Male Lead Independent Spirit Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actor Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners]]
[[Category:Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni]]
[[Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:Film directors from New Jersey]]
[[Category:Film directors from New York City]]
[[Category:Film directors from Texas]]
[[Category:Hun School of Princeton alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Austin, Texas]]
[[Category:Male actors from Mercer County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Male actors from New York City]]
[[Category:New York (state) Democrats]]
[[Category:New York University alumni]]
[[Category:Novelists from New Jersey]]
[[Category:Novelists from Texas]]
[[Category:Obie Award recipients]]
[[Category:People from West Windsor, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Texas]]
[[Category:Texas Democrats]]
[[Category:Thurman–Hawke family|Ethan Hawke]]
[[Category:West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South alumni]]
[[Category:Writers from Austin, Texas]]
[[Category:Writers from Manhattan]]
[[Category:Writers from Mercer County, New Jersey]]