Ethan Hawke on parenthood: ‘It’s opening me up as an actor’
1,741 views · Published 8 October 2018 · 4:24 · Indexed 28 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · Entertainment
(3 Oct 2018) ETHAN HAWKE ON PARENTHOOD: 'IT'S OPENING ME UP AS AN ACTOR' For Ethan Hawke, the actor, director, writer and four-time Oscar nominee, his career advice for his actress daughter, Maya Thurman-Hawke, is simple: "If you can do anything else, you should," said Hawke. Hawke's guidance is borrowed from Rainer Maria Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet," where the author warns that the life of a poet, of a creative, is not a life of ease. "The pitfalls of this profession are very difficult and they tend to make a lot of people really unhappy. It's very difficult to pay your bills on your creativity," said Hawke. "But if you can't do anything else, then do it all the way. And Maya, this is what she's supposed to do. It's obvious to me." Thurman-Hawke has followed in her father's footsteps, but that is a decision Hawke says he had no control over. He added that anyone who had a 20-year old would know, "you're not really in charge of them." Thurman-Hawke made her professional acting debut as Joe in PBS' "Little Women" mini-series. Her father called her performance "super grownup, complex." After seeing his daughter's talent, Hawke says he realized there was nothing he could do to affect his daughter's decision of whether or not to act. "It's useless to even have an opinion," he said. Rather than deliberate on whether or not his daughter should choose the same strenuous career-path that he chose for himself, Hawke sees his role in his daughter's life as taking different form. "I can try to help her be happy. I can help her try to love herself and respect herself and make sure that she doesn't take any hassle from any nerds, you know?" said Hawke. "But she's also a pretty tough woman who can do that on her own, too." Hawke believes that, as a parent, letting go is essential. "The great thing about letting go is that they really do come back. They really, you know, they're really only interested in you if you let go," he said. This strategy is one that has apparently worked for him so far. Now that Thurman-Hawke is in Georgia shooting for the third season of "Stranger Things," he said he hears from her more often. "So, it's great. But that's the right time to talk, when they want to, not when you want to," said Hawke. Hawke, who's known for his role as a father in "Boyhood" says that his children have influenced his own performance as an actor. Hawke has two children from his first marriage with actress Uma Thurman, Maya and Levon Thurman-Hawke, and two children with his current wife Ryan Hawke, Clementine and Indiana. In one of Hawke's more recent performances, "First Reformed," he plays a priest who must grapple with the death of his son. "I can feel it," Hawke says of playing this role and imagining the pain of a father who's lost a son. "And it's opening me up as an actor, right?" said Hawke. "The more you love, the more vulnerable you are, but the more vulnerable you are, the more living you do." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/d13828140dbcecb26e8482b43247c91a
