Ethan Hawke.Photo: Tommaso Boddi/WireImageEthan Hawkeis speaking candidly about how his personal life has affected his long and successful career over the years – a theme similarly found in his new six-part HBO Max docuseriesThe Last Movie Starsthat explores the love story ofPaul NewmanandJoanne Woodward.In an interview withIndieWirepublished Tuesday, Hawke, 51, was asked about hispublic 2005 divorcefromUma Thurman.When asked what helped him get through that time, Hawke pointed to his professional life rather than his personal: “The answer is always work.“TheMoon Knightactor said, “If you’re worried everybody has superficial interests, then you have to give them something substantive to talk about.““In the years after my divorce, I doubled down on the life of an actor. I didHurly Burly, I didThe Coast of Utopia, I didThe Bridge Projectand took Chekhov andShakespearearound the world for a year,” Hawke continued.He noted, “I just decided that no amount of bad press will turn me into a bad actor if I don’t let it.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman.DMIPhoto/FilmMagicOn not being taken seriously, especially given the media storm that was more focused on his personal life than his career, Hawke told IndieWire, “I always look back at the periods that I perceived as the hardest as being the ones with the most growth.““It seems funny, but there was a period right beforeTraining Daywhere I couldn’t get a f—ing job because I was the Gen-X poster boy and everyone thought they knew me,” he lamented.Hawke said hard work and perseverance are what help further your career after being boxed into a single category or role.“I’m sure if you talk toMatt Dillonor[Leonardo] DiCaprio— anybody who’s had young success — they’ll acknowledge that you hit these walls where people think they’ve figured you out and then they’re done with you,” he explained. “You have to be willing to be humble enough to keep getting up to the plate.“RELATED VIDEO: Ethan Hawke Reveals What Got Him Out of His Depression After His Divorce from Uma ThurmanThese are career lessons that Hawke is passing down to his daughter with Thurman,Maya Hawke, who is following in her famous parents' footsteps.“I’m always telling this to my daughter Maya: It’s not just aboutthisjob. It’s about this ability to express yourself. It’s like a spider web. There’sthisjob, there’sthatjob, andthatjob. You step back 15 years later andthere starts to be a career.“Hawke had kept his daughter away from acting when she was younger, wanting her to make the decision for herself over being in the spotlight, Maya, 24, previously toldThe Guardian.She shared, “They wanted to ensure I had a strong enough backbone, my own passion for it and work ethic. They didn’t want to cart me along every red carpet or have me do bit-parts in their movies.“Ethan (R) and Maya Hawke.Deciding that acting was her own passion, Maya joined the cast ofNetflix’sStranger Thingsduring the third season to play fan favorite Robin Buckley, which has made her dad “so proud.““I’m so proud of her,” Hawke said during his IndieWire interview when asked about her role on the show. “I think Maya does a great job on it and [the] show’s so fun. I have one episode left.“He also talked about his unique tie to the 2016 pilot, which sees Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) go missing in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, on Nov. 6, 1983, setting the scene for the rest of the series.“I feel strangely connected to that show because that whole episode with the first kidgetting sucked into the Upside Downhappens on what was my 13th birthday in 1983, which was the year I madeExplorers, so I’m in the universe,” Hawke said.The Last Movie Starsdebuts Thursday on HBO Max.
Ethan Hawke.Photo: Tommaso Boddi/WireImage
Ethan Hawkeis speaking candidly about how his personal life has affected his long and successful career over the years – a theme similarly found in his new six-part HBO Max docuseriesThe Last Movie Starsthat explores the love story ofPaul NewmanandJoanne Woodward.In an interview withIndieWirepublished Tuesday, Hawke, 51, was asked about hispublic 2005 divorcefromUma Thurman.When asked what helped him get through that time, Hawke pointed to his professional life rather than his personal: “The answer is always work.“TheMoon Knightactor said, “If you’re worried everybody has superficial interests, then you have to give them something substantive to talk about.““In the years after my divorce, I doubled down on the life of an actor. I didHurly Burly, I didThe Coast of Utopia, I didThe Bridge Projectand took Chekhov andShakespearearound the world for a year,” Hawke continued.He noted, “I just decided that no amount of bad press will turn me into a bad actor if I don’t let it.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman.DMIPhoto/FilmMagicOn not being taken seriously, especially given the media storm that was more focused on his personal life than his career, Hawke told IndieWire, “I always look back at the periods that I perceived as the hardest as being the ones with the most growth.““It seems funny, but there was a period right beforeTraining Daywhere I couldn’t get a f—ing job because I was the Gen-X poster boy and everyone thought they knew me,” he lamented.Hawke said hard work and perseverance are what help further your career after being boxed into a single category or role.“I’m sure if you talk toMatt Dillonor[Leonardo] DiCaprio— anybody who’s had young success — they’ll acknowledge that you hit these walls where people think they’ve figured you out and then they’re done with you,” he explained. “You have to be willing to be humble enough to keep getting up to the plate.“RELATED VIDEO: Ethan Hawke Reveals What Got Him Out of His Depression After His Divorce from Uma ThurmanThese are career lessons that Hawke is passing down to his daughter with Thurman,Maya Hawke, who is following in her famous parents' footsteps.“I’m always telling this to my daughter Maya: It’s not just aboutthisjob. It’s about this ability to express yourself. It’s like a spider web. There’sthisjob, there’sthatjob, andthatjob. You step back 15 years later andthere starts to be a career.“Hawke had kept his daughter away from acting when she was younger, wanting her to make the decision for herself over being in the spotlight, Maya, 24, previously toldThe Guardian.She shared, “They wanted to ensure I had a strong enough backbone, my own passion for it and work ethic. They didn’t want to cart me along every red carpet or have me do bit-parts in their movies.“Ethan (R) and Maya Hawke.Deciding that acting was her own passion, Maya joined the cast ofNetflix’sStranger Thingsduring the third season to play fan favorite Robin Buckley, which has made her dad “so proud.““I’m so proud of her,” Hawke said during his IndieWire interview when asked about her role on the show. “I think Maya does a great job on it and [the] show’s so fun. I have one episode left.“He also talked about his unique tie to the 2016 pilot, which sees Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) go missing in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, on Nov. 6, 1983, setting the scene for the rest of the series.“I feel strangely connected to that show because that whole episode with the first kidgetting sucked into the Upside Downhappens on what was my 13th birthday in 1983, which was the year I madeExplorers, so I’m in the universe,” Hawke said.The Last Movie Starsdebuts Thursday on HBO Max.
Ethan Hawkeis speaking candidly about how his personal life has affected his long and successful career over the years – a theme similarly found in his new six-part HBO Max docuseriesThe Last Movie Starsthat explores the love story ofPaul NewmanandJoanne Woodward.
In an interview withIndieWirepublished Tuesday, Hawke, 51, was asked about hispublic 2005 divorcefromUma Thurman.
When asked what helped him get through that time, Hawke pointed to his professional life rather than his personal: “The answer is always work.”
TheMoon Knightactor said, “If you’re worried everybody has superficial interests, then you have to give them something substantive to talk about.”
“In the years after my divorce, I doubled down on the life of an actor. I didHurly Burly, I didThe Coast of Utopia, I didThe Bridge Projectand took Chekhov andShakespearearound the world for a year,” Hawke continued.
He noted, “I just decided that no amount of bad press will turn me into a bad actor if I don’t let it.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman.DMIPhoto/FilmMagic
On not being taken seriously, especially given the media storm that was more focused on his personal life than his career, Hawke told IndieWire, “I always look back at the periods that I perceived as the hardest as being the ones with the most growth.”
“It seems funny, but there was a period right beforeTraining Daywhere I couldn’t get a f—ing job because I was the Gen-X poster boy and everyone thought they knew me,” he lamented.
Hawke said hard work and perseverance are what help further your career after being boxed into a single category or role.
“I’m sure if you talk toMatt Dillonor[Leonardo] DiCaprio— anybody who’s had young success — they’ll acknowledge that you hit these walls where people think they’ve figured you out and then they’re done with you,” he explained. “You have to be willing to be humble enough to keep getting up to the plate.”
RELATED VIDEO: Ethan Hawke Reveals What Got Him Out of His Depression After His Divorce from Uma Thurman
These are career lessons that Hawke is passing down to his daughter with Thurman,Maya Hawke, who is following in her famous parents' footsteps.
“I’m always telling this to my daughter Maya: It’s not just aboutthisjob. It’s about this ability to express yourself. It’s like a spider web. There’sthisjob, there’sthatjob, andthatjob. You step back 15 years later andthere starts to be a career.”
Hawke had kept his daughter away from acting when she was younger, wanting her to make the decision for herself over being in the spotlight, Maya, 24, previously toldThe Guardian.
She shared, “They wanted to ensure I had a strong enough backbone, my own passion for it and work ethic. They didn’t want to cart me along every red carpet or have me do bit-parts in their movies.”
Ethan (R) and Maya Hawke.
Deciding that acting was her own passion, Maya joined the cast ofNetflix’sStranger Thingsduring the third season to play fan favorite Robin Buckley, which has made her dad “so proud.”
“I’m so proud of her,” Hawke said during his IndieWire interview when asked about her role on the show. “I think Maya does a great job on it and [the] show’s so fun. I have one episode left.”
He also talked about his unique tie to the 2016 pilot, which sees Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) go missing in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, on Nov. 6, 1983, setting the scene for the rest of the series.
“I feel strangely connected to that show because that whole episode with the first kidgetting sucked into the Upside Downhappens on what was my 13th birthday in 1983, which was the year I madeExplorers, so I’m in the universe,” Hawke said.
The Last Movie Starsdebuts Thursday on HBO Max.
source: people.com
