A Life in Pictures: Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke, acclaimed actor and star of BAFTA-winning Dead Poets Society, and Before Sunrise, has spoken about “the buzz and thrill of acting”.

Hawke is recognised for his parts in hit films as diverse as Boyhood, Training Day and Reality Bites. He told the packed audience at a special Life in Pictures event on 18 December 2014, how looking back, his career now “makes sense”.

“Everything in hindsight makes so much sense,” he said.

“Like you know Dead Poets Society’s going to be a hit, you’re going to be an actor. You never know any of that in the moment.”

Hawke emphasised the importance of collaboration with stars like River Phoenix, Robin Williams and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, sadly sharing that “River’s not getting to have tributes like this.”

Hawke is one of the most charismatic and versatile actors of his generation. First appearing in Joe Dante’s sci-fi adventure Explorers in 1985, his breakout role came four years later opposite Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society, when he was 18.

In 1995, Hawke and Julie Delpy starred in Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, the start of one of cinema’s best-loved trilogies. Capturing a relationship revisited every eight years, Hawke’s character matures as the couple’s connection changes.

The way Hawke and Delpy resume their roles in each film allows audiences to embrace their relationship with fresh eyes as the actors age over time.

Throughout his work, Hawke has taken on a wide variety of roles and genres. These include the dystopian Gattaca, a modern-day Hamlet and crime thriller Training Day.

Upcoming projects include the time-travelling film Predestination and Born to be Blue – a biopic of jazz musician Chet Baker.

During the in-depth interview Hawke discussed his passion for literature and theatre as well as his views on censorship, social media and love in a thought-provoking journey through his career.

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