Ethan Hawke Doesn’t Think Actors Should Talk About Politics (Kinda)

I’ve been a Broadway bartender for the better part of 17 years (Jebus) as I pursue creative endeavors, a family, and a good chicken parm sandwich. I used to be resentful of the job. I still am, but I used to be too (Thank you, Mitch Hedberg). Regardless, through the job, I’ve met my wife, some of my best friends, and gotten to work on some fulfilling projects on stages, screens, and pages. It has also allowed me to have many interactions with celebrities, and they don’t always go great!

In 2014, I was working at a show called It’s Only a Play. During a very busy intermission, I was asked for a Maker’s Mark on the rocks. When I told the person who requested it that it was $15, they looked me dead in the eyes, annoyed, and kept repeating the price to me several times, while saying, “Seriously?” The woman he was with was clearly uncomfortable, and, thankfully, they ended up walking away so I could continue serving the very long line. Most people would complain, still pay, and then not tip, so this interaction ended in a preferred manner.

Still, it really stuck in my craw. I was wearing a uniform with a stupid tie and a nametag that at least 50 other people in the building were wearing. The prices were not up to me. Is $15 a reasonable amount to pay for Maker’s Mark? Absolutely not! But that was not my fault, and I appreciate that the customer at least walked away. That said, it’s not like they couldn’t afford it. They had been gainfully employed for at least 12 years, and I knew that for a fact, because I had just seen them in Boyhood a week prior.

Anyway, in an unrelated story, Ethan Hawke was asked at the Berlin Film Festival whether or not people with big names should speak out about fascism, and he kind of said no. “Alright… the last place you probably want to look for advice in your spiritual counsel is a bunch of jet-lagged, drunk artists talking about their films,” he said, which apparently elicited laughs and applause according to Variety. Not a great answer, but also clearly a little tongue in cheek. He went on to say, essentially, that the artwork should do the talking for the artist, and I don’t disagree with that (to an extent).

“I believe in the power of cinema to affect… you know how every night we all dream and those dreams kind of heal us and get us ready for the next day? I feel like, collectively, the whole festival — all of you, all of us here — are responsible for creating an international dream life,” he explained. “What is it? What are our dreams? What are we talking about? What are we thinking about?” That makes sense to me, Ethan. It is very much an artist’s answer, but I get it.

He also didn’t stop there. The actor goes on to note that the film he’s promoting, The Weight, is about people coming together because they have nothing in common save for their want to fight back against greed and malevolence, and that is a timely message. Then, he drove things home, saying, “Anything that fights fascism, I’m all for it.” That’s about as straightforward as it gets. While his initial comment leaves a bit to be desired (and certainly dominated most headlines), I think he corrects his course by the end. It’s almost as if he realized he may have made a mistake and, I dunno, walked away instead of paying for something he complained was too expensive to someone with no control over that.

But I’m just spitballin’ here.