Ethan Hawke gained fame after starring in 1989’s Dead Poets Society and continued to make waves on the screen until the early 2000s. He still appeared in several projects after the turn of the century, but as time went by, he was overshadowed by the popularity of his colleagues.
Then came the fame of his daughter, Maya Hawke. She is best known for her role as Robin Buckley in Netflix’s Stranger Things. Most young viewers today know who she is, but when they see her father, they have no idea who he is and his contributions to cinema.
Ethan Hawke On Being Recognized As “Maya Hawke’s Dad” By Younger Generation
While speaking on The View via YouTube, actor Ethan Hawke was asked what it is like being only referred to as “Maya Hawke’s dad”. In response, he shared a true encounter.
We’re going to the movies last night. We’re walking. We’re talking. And some guy comes up, he says, ‘Excuse me, excuse me,’ and I’m like, ‘Not now, not now. I’m with my daughter.’ He’s like, ‘No, not you. Maya, I’d love to take a picture with you.’
That one definitely did sting, and for Hawke, it’s a testament that the modern generation knows his daughter more because she’s been on popular shows and films. The guy probably didn’t think he was an actor, or if he did, he didn’t care at all because he doesn’t watch his movies.
This is one thing that Hawke addressed in an interview with MovieMaker. He admitted being unable to understand why young people today don’t watch movies anymore – and by movies, he meant the old, classic ones.
There’s so much excellence in the past, so many of these thoughts of what we’re all going through emotionally and what we’re looking for… Cinema is a young art form, but it’s 100 years old now, and there’s a lot of great work…
Some of Hawke’s best projects apart from Dead Poets Society include 1995’s Before Sunrise, 2001’s Training Day, and 2014’s Boyhood. He has done around 70 movies in his career, and yet the younger fans have no clue about them.
Ethan Hawke On Movies Losing Artistry And Becoming About Money
It is safe to say that the reason why the modern generation of film enthusiasts aren’t familiar with Hawke is because of the type of movies he makes. The 53-year-old Texas native is very picky with the roles he engages with, and most of the time, he avoids blockbusters and popular franchises.
Speaking with IndieWire, Hawke said that movies nowadays have become “an art form that’s been completely eaten by business.” He also laments how “everything in our world is a competition, and arts are supposed to be one place where competition doesn’t exist because it’s about expression.”
It’s sad to see how underrated Hawke has become despite the quality of his movies. The fame of his daughter is also outshining his own that he’s been unfortunately reduced to “Maya Hawke’s dad”.
