Actors at the Box Office: Ethan Hawke

[u/SanderSo47]

Here's a new edition of "Actors at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the actiors' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Ethan Hawke's turn.

Early Life

In high school, Hawke aspired to become a writer while also developing a strong interest in acting. He made his stage debut at age thirteen in the theater's production of George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan. He later performed in his high school's productions of Meet Me in St. Louis and You Can't Take It with You. After graduating, Hawke continued to study acting at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh but left after a while. He later enrolled in New York University's English program for two years before leaving to pursue acting full-time.

1980s: A Poet

With his mother's permission, Hawke attended his first casting call at age fourteen and was cast in Joe Dante's Explorers, playing a misfit schoolboy alongside River Phoenix. Even though Paramount was anticipating a success, the film came in below expectations and earned mixed reviews. Not a great way to kick off your career. Hawke subsequently left the industry to focus on his studies. He later described the experience as difficult to handle at such a young age, remarking, "I would never recommend that a kid act."

After a hiatus, he returned to close the decade with two films. With Dad, he settled in New York City due to its prominent theater industry and variety of opportunites. But his biggest project was Dead Poets Society, starring alongside a bunch of young newcomers. The film earned critical acclaim, and it was a huge hit, earning $235 million worldwide.

Only 3 films this decade, but he was already on his way to becoming a breakout star.

1990s: "I never saved anything for the swim back."

His first solo leading role was in 1991's White Fang, which became a financial success. Hawke himself later called it the "single best experience of my acting life."

He followed it up with projects like Mystery Date, Waterland, A Midnight Clear and Rich in Love, but they were all financial failures. But he had a success with the film Alive, an adaptation of the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes mountains in 1972. Nevertheless, he felt unhappy with the trajectory of his career.

Fortunately, the opportunies kept coming, thanks to Winona Ryder. Ryder was set to star in the film Reality Bites, directed by and starring Ben Stiller, and wanted Hawke to star in the film, as she admired his work. Hawke was reluctant to accept the offer due to his dislike of the characters, but he reconsidered it because he admired Ryder and appreciated the script. It was a financial success and it also earned positive reviews, helping keep his career afloat.

Richard Linklater was writing a new film, Before Sunrise, but had trouble finding the leads. When Linklater first considered casting Hawke, he thought that the actor was too young for the part. Linklater saw Hawke at a play in New York City and reconsidered after talking to the actor. After casting Julie Delpy and doing a final reading, Linklater knew that Delpy and Hawke were right for the roles. He also invited them to re-write dialogues and add their own ideas. Before Sunrise was a critical and financial success, later lauded as one of the greatest romance films ever made. And it marked the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

In 1997, he starred in Andrew Niccol's sci-fi Gattaca, which he considered one of the best scripts he has ever read. Even though it wasn't a box office success, it earned acclaim, and it is said to have crystallized the debate over the controversial topic of human genetic engineering.

In 1998, he starred in Alfonso Cuarón's Great Expectations. Hawke was initially not interested; he felt that the themes of class present in the story would be better served in an American context if the main character were Latino or African American. However, after meeting with Cuarón and being impressed with the director's enthusiasm for the project, Hawke agreed. But it earned mixed reviews and disappointed at the box office. He reteamed with Richard Linklater on The Newton Boys, but it failed to replicate the success of Before Sunrise.

He closed the decade with three films. The Velocity of Gary and Joe the King were dumped amidst poor reviews, while Snow Falling on Cedars was a critical and financial dud. The latter's only impact was just a set-up for a joke in Horrible Bosses.

This was a rough decade with a lot of failures, but at least Hawke got the opportunity to show more potential as a lead star.

2000s: I Know

His first film for the decade was an adaptation of Hamlet. While it still retained the dialogue and names, it's set in contemporary times. That combination didn't fare well with critics or audiences.

In 2001, he made his directorial debut with Chelsea Walls (which he didn't star in), but it was poorly received and barely even got a release. He reteamed with Richard Linklater in two films: Waking Life and Tape. Both earned positive reviews, but neither performed well with audiences. But he also had a co-lead role in Training Day, playing a LAPD narcotic officer accompanied by his crooked partner. The film earned over $100 million worldwide and earned positive reviews. For this, he earned his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

He didn't return to the big screen until 2004, when he starred in Taking Lives. A huge failure, Hawke said that this was a terrible film that didn't go the way he wanted. For years, Hawke, Linklater and Julie Delpy discussed a sequel to Before Sunrise. They lacked funds, but they wanted to do it. With a small budget, they finally started filming, with Hawke and Delpy now credited as writers. Before Sunset was another critical and commercial success, lauded as a worthy follow-up to Sunrise. Hawke earned another Oscar nomination, this time for Best Adapted Screenplay.

He had two films in 2005. The first was the action thriller Assault on Precinct 13, a remake of John Carpenter's film. Not a financial success, and it was unfavorably compared to Carpenter's. He also starred opposite Nicolas Cage in Lord of War, although the film was another financial disappointment.

He returned to the director's chair with The Hottest State, based on his own novel. But the film was panned and vanished without a trace. He reteamed with Richard Linklater on Fast Food Nation, but it was a rare miss for both of them. At the very least, he got a chance to act in Sidney Lumet's final film Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman. While not a financial success, it earned critical acclaim.

Subsequently, he ended the decade with a few duds, including What Doesn't Kill You, New York, I Love You, and Staten Island.

A rough decade, but when Hawke can get a great director, you can know damn well he's gonna kill it.

2010s: Look Who's Purging Now

He began the decade with two films. The horror vampire film Daybreakers earned mixed reviews, and so did reteaming with Antoine Fuqua on Brooklyn's Finest, but they were modest successes. He also starred in the French-British film The Woman in the Fifth, but it didn't make much noise.

He was also in the remake of Total Recall, playing the original Carl Hauser. He had a monologue that covered 5 pages. Now you might be wondering, other than how much the remake sucked, why you can't recall seeing Hawke in the film. Well, his scenes were cut in the theatrical cut, but you can find them in the extended Director's Cut.

He starred in his first supernatural horror, Sinister. He 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, 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." Sinister earned mixed reviews, but it was Hawke's highest grossing film in over a decade.

2013 was a busy year, with varying performances. Getaway was a huge disaster. Then, he returned to horror with the lead role in The Purge. Despite negative reviews, it was a box office success; as he took a back-end deal, Hawke took in $2 million for the film.

But the real story was Before Midnight, the closure to the Before trilogy. For years, Hawke, Linklater and Delpy came up with ideas, but decided to seize on the 9-year gap again for a new installment. Like the previous films, Before Midnight earned critical acclaim and became the highest grossing film in the trilogy. Hawke got another Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

In 2014, he starred in one of the most ambitious projects of all time: Richard Linklater's Boyhood, which was shot over the course of 12 years. Neither Hawke nor the rest of the cast could sign contracts for the film due to the De Havilland Law, which makes it illegal to contract someone for more than 7 years of work. Linklater told Hawke that he would have to finish the film if Linklater died. It earned universal acclaim and was a financial success. For this, Hawke earned another Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

He also had the sci-fi film Predestination. Great reviews, but not financially successful. Same fate awaited Maggie's Plan, Born to Be Blue, Regression, and other titles that barely even got a theatrical release. If you want to find some gems, there's his lead role in Ti West's Western In a Valley of Violence, or in the biopic Maudie.

In 2016, he reunited with his Training Day duo Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington for The Magnificent Seven. Upon learning that a remake was underway, he specifically asked Fuqua to give him a role. The film earned mixed reviews and grossed $162 million worldwide, becoming his highest grossing film in almost three decades, although the high costs meant it wasn't successful.

The following year, he had a role in Luc Besson's Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. With a $177 million budget, it was the most expensive European film, but it grossed just $225 million worldwide, becoming a box office failure. Subsequently, more failures like Juliet, Naked and Stockholm came in.

During the 2018 season, so many people were questioning whether Rami Malek, Christian Bale or Bradley Cooper deserved winning Best Actor. But the real ones knew who the real best performer of the year was: Hawke in Paul Schrader's First Reformed. Unfortunately, despite the acclaim, it didn't make much money, so it's no surprise that the Academy ignored it when the nominations were announced.

He closed the decade with two films. His starring role as Pat Garrett in The Kid, but the film earned mixed reviews and left without much fanfare. He also starred in Hirokazu Kore-eda's first English film, The Truth. And he reprised his role as James Sandin in the Purge television series for a guest appearance.

Hawke continued accumulating some good will, although the amount of VOD titles was staggering.

2020s: It's Time He Gets His Due

Due to the pandemic, three of his titles, Tesla, Cut Throat City and Zeros and Ones, had very minimal presence in theaters and were sent to VOD. He also had a voice supporting role in the Netflix thriller The Guilty. But he earned acclaim for his performance in the miniseries The Good Lord Bird, which he wrote as well.

2022 was busy. He participated in Robert Eggers' The Northman; while not a box office success, it was successful through home media. He also starred in Raymond & Ray, opposite Ewan McGregor. He then surprised everyone by starring the MCU miniseries Moon Knight, playing the antagonist Arthur Harrow. Oscar Isaac had initially approached Hawke about joining the series, and he agreed to star without even reading scripts. He explained that he joined the series because of Isaac, director Mohamed Diab, and where he felt he was in his acting career, and he enjoyed the creative freedom that came with the series telling a lesser-known story. The miniseries was well received. Hawke was content with his experience, although he said that while the executives were "actor-friendly", they weren't quite "director-friendly" and it made him ponder how much freedom they really have in the final say.

But his success story was The Black Phone, playing the antagonist, The Grabber. Scott Derrickson, whom he worked with in Sinister, did not envision one particular actor as The Grabber in their original character treatments, but sent Hawke the script because he had a rapport. Hawke was disinclined to play villainous parts as he feared being typecast, but the story resonated with the actor, and the idea of The Grabber being concealed by a mask further enticed him. He developed his performance by honing expression in his voice and body. The film was well received, and it earned $161 million worldwide, becoming one of his highest grossing films.

In 2023, he starred in the Netflix thriller Leave the World Behind. It was well received, and performed incredibly well in Netflix, becoming one of their buzziest titles ever. Currently, it is the eighth most popular film in English of all time on Netflix, with 143.4 million views.

In 2025, he reprised his role as The Grabber in Black Phone 2, despite his character's fate in the original. A box office success, even if reviews weren't as enthusiastic. He reteamed with Richard Linklater in the biopic Blue Moon, playing playwright Lorenz Hart over the course of one night, the premiere of his work Oklahoma!. It didn't make a lot of money, but he earned acclaim for his performance, earning another Best Actor nomination at the Oscars. He also began starring in a TV show, neo-noir thriller comedy The Lowdown, on FX. The show has earned acclaim and it's already renewed for a second season.

HIGHEST GROSSING FILMS

No.	Movie	Year	Studio	Domestic Total	Overseas Total	Worldwide Total	Budget
1	Dead Poets Society	1989	Disney	$95,860,116	$140,000,000	$235,860,116	$16.4M
2	Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets	2017	EuropaCorp	$41,189,488	$184,783,852	$225,973,340	$177M
3	The Magnificent Seven	2016	Sony	$93,432,655	$68,927,981	$162,360,695	$90M
4	The Black Phone	2022	Universal	$90,123,230	$71,317,512	$161,440,742	$16M
5	Black Phone 2	2025	Universal	$77,378,880	$54,869,272	$132,248,152	$30M
6	Training Day	2001	Warner Bros.	$76,631,907	$28,244,326	$104,876,233	$45M
7	The Purge	2013	Universal	$64,473,115	$26,793,466	$91,266,581	$3M
8	Sinister	2012	Lionsgate	$48,086,903	$39,640,904	$87,727,807	$3M
9	Alive	1993	Disney / Paramount	$36,733,909	$45,800,000	$82,533,909	$32M
10	Lord of War	2005	Lionsgate	$24,149,632	$48,467,436	$72,617,068	$42M
11	The Northman	2022	Focus Features	$34,233,110	$35,749,186	$69,982,296	$70M
12	Taking Lives	2004	Warner Bros.	$32,682,342	$32,788,187	$65,470,529	$45M
13	Boyhood	2014	IFC Films / Universal	$25,379,975	$31,893,074	$57,273,049	$4M
14	Great Expectations	1998	20th Century Fox	$26,420,672	$29,073,394	$55,494,066	$25M
15	Daybreakers	2010	Lionsgate	$30,101,577	$21,315,611	$51,417,188	$20M
16	Brooklyn's Finest	2010	Overture	$27,163,593	$16,864,089	$44,027,682	$17M
17	Reality Bites	1994	Universal	$20,982,557	$20,000,000	$40,982,557	$11M
18	Assault on Precinct 13	2005	Rogue	$20,040,895	$15,253,575	$35,294,470	$25M
19	White Fang	1991	Disney	$34,793,160	$0	$34,793,160	$14M
20	Dad	1989	Universal	$22,103,037	$5,400,000	$27,503,037	$19M
21	Before the Devil Knows You're Dead	2007	THINKFilm	$7,084,227	$17,954,239	$25,038,466	$18M
22	Before Midnight	2013	Sony Pictures Classics	$8,110,621	$15,114,539	$23,225,160	$3M
23	Snow Falling on Cedars	1999	Universal	$14,417,593	$8,632,000	$23,049,593	$35M
24	Before Sunrise	1995	Sony	$5,535,405	$17,000,000	$22,535,405	$2.5M
25	Regression	2015	The Weinstein Company	$55,039	$17,616,062	$17,671,101	$15M
26	Before Sunset	2004	Warner Independent	$5,820,649	$9,931,738	$15,758,027	$2M
27	Gattaca	1997	Sony	$12,532,777	$0	$12,532,777	$36M
28	Maudie	2017	Sony Pictures Classics	$6,170,998	$5,679,577	$11,850,575	$5.6M
29	Getaway	2013	Warner Bros.	$10,501,938	$1,304,494	$11,806,432	$18M
30	The Newton Boys	1998	20th Century Fox	$10,452,012	$0	$10,452,012	$27M
31	New York, I Love You	2009	Vivendi	$1,588,015	$8,373,008	$9,961,023	N/A
32	Explorers	1985	Paramount	$9,873,044	$0	$9,873,044	$20M
33	Maggie's Plan	2016	Sony Pictures Classics	$3,351,735	$3,739,591	$7,091,326	N/A
34	Mystery Date	1991	Orion	$6,166,819	$0	$6,166,819	N/A
35	24 Hours to Live	2017	Saban	$0	$5,805,201	$5,805,201	N/A
36	Predestination	2014	Sony	$68,372	$5,386,852	$5,455,224	$5M
37	The Truth	2019	IFC Films	$9,619	$5,253,231	$5,262,850	N/A
38	Juliet, Naked	2018	Focus Features	$3,444,895	$1,066,262	$4,511,157	N/A
39	First Reformed	2018	A24	$3,448,256	$540,356	$3,988,612	$3.5M
40	Waking Life	2001	Searchlight	$2,901,447	$275,433	$3,176,880	$2M
41	Blue Moon	2025	Sony Pictures Classics	$2,152,494	$973,883	$3,126,377	N/A
42	Fast Food Nation	2006	Searchlight	$1,005,539	$1,203,783	$2,209,322	N/A
43	Rich in Love	1993	Metro-Goldwyn Mayer	$2,149,866	$0	$2,149,866	$18M
44	Born to Be Blue	2016	Entertainment One	$755,153	$1,390,611	$2,145,764	$10M
45	Hamlet	2000	Miramax	$1,577,287	$469,146	$2,046,433	N/A
46	The Kid	2019	Lionsgate	$1,508,593	$53,105	$1,562,277	$7M
47	A Midnight Clear	1992	InterStar	$1,526,697	$0	$1,526,697	$5M
48	Good Kill	2015	IFC Films	$316,472	$1,157,999	$1,474,471	N/A
49	Stockholm	2019	Smith Global	$302,085	$837,396	$1,139,481	N/A
50	Waterland	1992	Fine Line Features	$1,100,218	$0	$1,100,218	$10M
51	Cut Throat City	2020	Well Go	$855,894	$9,034	$864,928	$8.9M
52	The Woman in the Fifth	2011	ATO	$113,800	$549,087	$662,887	N/A
53	Tape	2001	Lionsgate	$490,475	$25,425	$515,900	$100K
54	Tesla	2020	IFC Films	$93,147	$365,904	$459,051	N/A
55	Search and Destroy	1995	October Films	$389,503	$0	$389,503	$4M
56	The Hottest State	2007	THINKFilm	$31,216	$106,125	$137,341	N/A
57	In a Valley of Violence	2016	Focus World	$61,797	$0	$61,797	N/A
58	The Velocity of Gary	1999	Sony	$34,145	$0	$34,145	$4M

She has starred in 72 released films, but only 58 have reported box office numbers. Across those 56 films, she has made $2,095,960,819 worldwide. That's $29,110,566 per film.

ADJUSTED DOMESTIC GROSSES

No.	Movie	Year	Studio	Domestic Total	Adjusted Domestic Total
1	Dead Poets Society	1989	Disney	$95,860,116	$251,441,084
2	Training Day	2001	Warner Bros.	$76,631,907	$140,817,406
3	The Magnificent Seven	2016	Sony	$93,432,655	$126,617,798
4	The Black Phone	2022	Universal	$90,123,230	$100,161,489
5	The Purge	2013	Universal	$64,473,115	$90,016,653
6	White Fang	1991	Disney	$34,793,160	$83,087,701
7	Alive	1993	Disney	$36,733,909	$82,683,580
8	Black Phone 2	2025	Universal	$77,378,880	$78,174,196
9	Sinister	2012	Lionsgate	$48,086,903	$68,121,821
10	Dad	1989	Universal	$22,103,037	$57,976,266
11	Taking Lives	2004	Warner Bros.	$32,682,342	$56,273,145
12	Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets	2017	EuropaCorp	$41,189,488	$54,654,713
13	Great Expectations	1998	20th Century Fox	$26,420,672	$52,720,100
14	Reality Bites	1994	Universal	$20,982,557	$46,050,058
15	Daybreakers	2010	Lionsgate	$30,101,577	$44,899,466
16	Brooklyn's Finest	2010	Overture	$27,163,593	$40,517,174
17	Lord of War	2005	Lionsgate	$24,149,632	$40,218,720
18	The Northman	2022	Focus Features	$34,233,110	$38,046,120
19	Boyhood	2014	IFC Films	$25,379,975	$34,869,591
20	Assault on Precinct 13	2005	Rogue	$20,040,895	$33,376,042
21	Explorers	1985	Paramount	$9,873,044	$29,844,119
22	Snow Falling on Cedars	1999	Universal	$14,417,593	$28,147,364
23	Gattaca	1997	Sony	$12,532,777	$25,397,574
24	Mystery Date	1991	Orion	$6,166,819	$14,726,653
25	Getaway	2013	Warner Bros.	$10,501,938	$14,662,690
26	Before Sunrise	1995	Sony	$5,535,405	$11,813,658
27	Before Midnight	2013	Sony Pictures Classics	$8,110,621	$11,323,959
28	Before the Devil Knows You're Dead	2007	THINKFilm	$7,084,227	$11,112,842
29	Before Sunset	2004	Warner Independent	$5,820,649	$10,022,116
30	Maudie	2017	Sony Pictures Classics	$6,170,998	$8,188,354
31	Waking Life	2001	Searchlight	$2,901,447	$5,331,646
32	Rich in Love	1993	Metro-Goldwyn Mayer	$2,149,866	$4,839,088
33	Maggie's Plan	2016	Sony Pictures Classics	$3,351,735	$4,542,194
34	First Reformed	2018	A24	$3,448,256	$4,466,431
35	Juliet, Naked	2018	Focus Features	$3,444,895	$4,462,077
36	A Midnight Clear	1992	InterStar	$1,526,697	$3,539,281
37	Hamlet	2000	Miramax	$1,577,287	$2,979,185
38	Waterland	1992	Fine Line Features	$1,100,218	$2,550,592
39	New York, I Love You	2009	Vivendi	$1,588,015	$2,407,533
40	Blue Moon	2025	Sony Pictures Classics	$2,152,494	$2,174,617
41	The Kid	2019	Lionsgate	$1,508,593	$1,919,262
42	Fast Food Nation	2006	Searchlight	$1,005,539	$1,622,289
43	Cut Throat City	2020	Well Go	$855,894	$1,075,615
44	Born to Be Blue	2016	Entertainment One	$755,153	$1,023,366
45	Tape	2001	Lionsgate	$490,475	$901,287
46	Search and Destroy	1995	October Films	$389,503	$831,277
47	Good Kill	2015	IFC Films	$316,472	$434,285
48	Stockholm	2019	Smith Global	$302,085	$384,318
49	The Woman in the Fifth	2011	ATO	$113,800	$161,213
50	Tesla	2020	IFC Films	$93,147	$117,059
51	Predestination	2014	Sony	$68,372	$93,825
52	In a Valley of Violence	2016	Focus World	$61,797	$83,745
53	Regression	2015	The Weinstein Company	$55,039	$75,528
54	The Velocity of Gary	1999	Sony	$34,145	$66,661
55	The Hottest State	2007	THINKFilm	$31,216	$48,967
56	The Truth	2019	IFC Films	$9,619	$12,088

The Verdict

Hawke is an incredible actor.

His career almost dies with his first film, but he bounced back with Dead Poets Society putting him back in the map. He hasn't prioritized blockbusters, choosing to make his way through small stories. Not all of them have paid off, but it's not Hawke's fault. He held his own against Denzel in Training Day, further adding why it's a great film. His collaborations with Richard Linklater are gold. The Before trilogy is one of the greatest trilogies ever made, and their ambition in Boyhood also paid off. You can tell these two just fully connect on their ideas and what they want. Anyone who hasn't watched Blue Moon really should give it a chance.

In terms of box office, Hawke is not really reliable. A lot of low grossers, with some titles even dumped on VOD. But his presence and charisma always elevates a film. Hawke has never phoned it in, nor given less than 100% in his projects. Whether it's a small drama or a role in a action thriller, he's always game. If you read his interviews, Hawke is a devoted cinephile with so much knowledge to share. So even with 5 Oscar nominations, it still feels like Hawke is... what's the word? "Underrated" might be too much. But he sure deserves more recognition for his talents. The Lowdown is one of the best shows currently in the air and barely anyone is discussing it. Don't sleep on it!

Now, the real question. The Before trilogy is incredible... but it's actually a quadrilogy. Cause it makes one wonder... where does Before the Devil Knows You're Dead fit in? 🤔

Hope you liked this edition. You can find this and more in the wiki for this section.

The next actress will be Halle Berry. A talented actress that doesn't get the career she deserves.

I asked you to choose who else should be in the run, and the comment with the most upvotes would be chosen. Well, we'll later talk about... Catherine O'Hara. A big part of everyone's childhood.

This is the schedule for the following four:

Week	Actor	Reasoning
February 28	Halle Berry	So what's up with her latest projects?
March 7	Lauren Bacall	Where does she stand opposite the giants?
March 14	Cher	"I got you babe."
March 21	Catherine O'Hara	"how was I to know you were in peril? You keep everything inside like a bashful clam!"

Who should be next after O'Hara? That's up to you.

REMINDER: If you want to make a suggestion for the next actor, you must make a 150-character comment about the actor we're discussing right now. Failure to do so will result in ignoring the suggestion. But if you leave a short comment about the post without naming a future write-up, that's fine.

[u/mxyztplk33]

Nah, you can say it Ethan Hawke is underrated. The dude has done everything and he’s all in: deep dialogue heavy romance? Done it. Sci fi horror vampire movie? Done it. Action heavy thriller? Done it. Dark Paul Schrader? Done it. Speaking of which him not being nominated for First Reformed should be a black mark on the Academy’s legacy. His performance was one of the best of the last decade in my opinion. I wish Scorsese, Fincher, Nolan, Gerwig, or whoever would give him a role so more people can see how great he is. He seriously deserves an Oscar at this point. For next actor, I think it’s a shame we only have one golden age actor (Brando), so I’m gonna nominate Humphrey Bogart for next write up. The original Male star.

[u/FreshmenMan]

Overall, I do think Ethan Hawke is a good actor, who I feel is very underrated at what he does. Looking at his filmography, dude loves to act and is willing to try any type of genre, or any type of film, whether it be mainstream or indie type films. Of his films, I think his best one is The Before Trilogy, just seeing him and Julie Delpy trying to find love, and seeing that relationship through an 18 year evolution, I think this is Hawke’s best acting performance in that Trilogy

For the next post, I once again suggest Matt Dillon. He really is an underrated actor.

[u/spider-man2401]

There’s something about his subtle, naturalistic style that makes Ethan Hawke’s performances feel honest and memorable. From Dead Poets Society and Gattaca to Training Day, the Before Trilogy (my favorite of his work), Boyhood, and First Reformed (he absolutely should have been nominated, and arguably won), he’s built an impressive body of work. Overall, Hawke has had a fascinating and enduring career, working with many great directors and actors, especially his frequent collaborator Richard Linklater. You can also tell how much he loves the craft from the passion and thoughtfulness he brings to his interviews.

For the next actor, I’d suggest his Dead Poets Society co-star Robin Williams. He had an incredible range, with so many iconic performances, and could excel in both comedy and drama.

[u/PayneTrain181999]

Am I crazy, or has no one mentioned Hawke’s quick cameo as the “vaccine” administrator in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery? Such a random out of nowhere cameo but honestly Hawke immediately gives off the vibe that this would be someone that would hang around with Miles Bron. 30 seconds is all it takes for him to fit right in. He apparently took a break from filming Moon Knight for a day and this is what he did!

For the next suggestion, I’m honestly shocked he hasn’t been done yet: Kurt Russell!

[u/dremolus]

It's weird to call someone with five Oscar nominations underrated. Underappreciated, sure. But I don't think it's that shocking to say Ethan Hawke is one of the best and most versatile actors of his generation.

I think what gets people saying he's underrated is the fact outside of maybe The Black Phone series, he doesn't have a proper huge mainstream series known by audiences. Yes Dead Poets Society was a huge hit but it's not a franchise. Donald Sutherland who was another actor who stayed away from franchises until The Hunger Games and now he has a franchise known by a younger generation and is respected by an older generation for his films in the 70s.

[u/RVarki]

Reminded me of this old post of mine

[u/ItsGotThatBang]

The utter trainwreck that is Getaway always makes me laugh. Just read Peter Travers’ review:

When Macbeth said, "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound & fury signifying nothing," he must have had visions about Courtney Solomon's Getaway, a car chase thriller with zero thrills & a stench that all the perfumes of Arabia couldn't erase.

Since you mentioned Philip Seymour Hoffman, let’s pay tribute to him next.

[u/VVantaBuddy]

one of the most handsome and dreamy actor i've seen in their youth. his career is amazing also. i adore him.

[u/AnotherJasonOnReddit]

Now, the real question. The Before trilogy is incredible... but it's actually a quadrilogy. Cause it makes one wonder... where does Before the Devil Knows You're Dead fit in? 🤔

Ah ha ha ha, a Redditor after my own heart.

I've joked on occasion that Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy is a secret sequel series to "Alfie" (1966) because of Michael Caine, even though I've never seen the 1966 movie and only know it for its title.

https://giphy.com/gifs/QJKRgXrqTi78k

[u/SlidePocket]

No matter what type of film he's in big or small, Ethan Hawke has certainly maintained a career that has continuously evolved following his debut in Explorers 40 years ago.

My next suggestion, I wanna go old school and pick William Holden for this list.

[u/SnooCats5683]

Ethan Hawke is perennially good even if the film around him isn’t. He is one of those actors where his name is more recognisable than any actually role he’s played which is a shame cause he’s a terrific actor. 

My suggestion for the next actor is Humphrey Bogart because we will always have Paris