Ethan Hawke might be our most thoughtful actor. The soon-to-be 55-year-old is an impressive wordsmith, which makes sense considering he is an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and a best-selling author. Whether it’s explaining the beauty of art or sharing a touching tribute to Robert Redford, Hawke always seems to know what to say at the right time, one of his many gifts on a laundry list of traits.
Hawke has been a mainstay in movies and television since the mid-’80s, but he’s never played by the rules of the Hollywood machine. He’s one of the few actors who you genuinely believe take parts for the artistry first and the money second. That attitude has allowed Hawke to play a wide range of parts in nearly every genre.
Hawke currently stars on the FX series “The Lowdown,” and he returns to theaters as the Grabber in “Black Phone 2.” To honor Hawke, Tom’s Guide ranked the seven best performances of his movie career.
7. ‘Gattaca’
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Part of what makes Hawke such an eclectic actor is his versatility and bravery. Off the heels of becoming a heartthrob in “Reality Bites” and “Before Sunrise,” not every actor would sign up to star in “Gattaca,” a dystopian sci-fi from a first-time filmmaker. In a world that values eugenics, Vincent Freeman (Hawke) is considered genetically inferior (“in-valid”), having conceived naturally.
To achieve his dream of space travel, Vincent poses as a “valid” when he assumes the identity of Jerome Morrow (Jude Law), a gifted swimmer left paralyzed after a tragic accident. Hawke thrives as a determined dreamer who challenges the ideas of fate versus free will. The film is also where Hawke first met Uma Thurman, where their obvious on-screen chemistry led to a marriage.
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6. ‘Reality Bites’
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Audiences knew about Hawke in 1994 thanks to “Dead Poets Society,” “White Fang” and “Alive.” It wasn’t until “Reality Bites” that Hawke flashed his star potential. “Reality Bites,” a seminal movie for Generation X, follows a group of four recent college graduates who are staring down the barrel of their worst nightmare: adulthood.
Hawke plays Troy (Hawke), a cynical guitarist who refuses to sell out. Your age will influence your views on Troy. Younger kids will appreciate his rebelliousness, while older adults find him unlikable and immature. You should hate Troy, but Hawke’s charm makes it impossible to despise this slacker.
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5. ‘Dead Poets Society’
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The movie that taught us to seize the day. Peter Weir’s coming-of-age drama features a career-changing performance from Robin Williams as Mr. Keating, an unorthodox English teacher at a conservative boarding school. Hawke plays Todd Anderson, one of Keating’s most mild-mannered students.
Williams’s infectious energy, combined with Hawke’s seriousness, forms a riveting yin and yang relationship. The barbaric yawp scene flashed Hawke’s acting prowess, as the shy Todd comes out of his shell to deliver a riveting poem. Hawke has been acting for 40 years, but to some, he’s still the kid from “Dead Poets Society.” That’s not a bad thing, considering the film’s strong legacy 36 years later.
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4. ‘Boyhood’
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I would have loved to be in the room when Linklater pitched “Boyhood” to Hawke. “So, we’re going to film a movie a few days a year for 12 years” is what I imagine it sounded like. Hawke, a true “artiste,” is the right thespian to participate in this mainstream experimental movie. “Boyhood” examines the life of Mason Evans Jr. (Ellar Coltrane) from age six to 18 as he grows up with divorced parents in Texas.
Hawke plays Mason’s father, Mason Sr. Patricia Arquette deserved her Oscar for playing the resilient mother who battles constant abuse to give her children a better life. However, I never understood why Hawke didn’t receive the same amount of praise. He deserved an award for his portrayal of an absentee father who slowly transforms into the mature man his son always wanted him to be.
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3. ‘Training Day’
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For his greatest on-screen challenge, Hawke goes toe-to-toe with the great Denzel Washington in “Training Day.” LAPD officer Jake Hoyt (Hawke) takes his oath to protect and serve seriously. In hopes of becoming a detective, Jake must ride along with Detective Alonso Harris (Washington), a narcotics officer who will evaluate the rookie’s performance. Over the course of one day, Jake witnesses Alonso’s corrupt nature.
While Jake practices duty and honor, Alonso believes in strength and power, using the badge as his ultimate trump card in his corrupt schemes. Washington’s boisterous performance won him an Oscar, and the entire time, you’re rooting for Jake to gain the upper hand over Alonso. “Training Day” is less effective if Hawke’s stoicism doesn’t match Washington’s intensity.
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2. ‘First Reformed’
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This is the most electric performance on this list, and it still might be when Hawke eventually calls it quits. Hawke portrays a priest who experiences a crisis of faith in “First Reformed.” Ernst Toller (Hawke), a reverend at the First Reformed Church in upstate New York, grapples with his deteriorating physical health and tormented past.
Toller’s outlook on the world is turned upside down after meeting a radical activist (Philip Ettinger) and his pregnant wife (Amanda Seyfried). Ernst Toller is the latest jaded and lonely protagonist from writer-director Paul Schrader. Hawke perfectly captures the emotional weight of the character in a performance that should have garnered an Academy Award nomination. The final moment is a sequence that will stick with you for a long time.
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1. ‘Before’ Trilogy
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Picking one of the “Before” movies to make this list is a more daunting task than ranking Hawke’s best performance. Because Hawke plays the same character in all three films, I’m nominating Richard Linklater’s entire “Before” trilogy as one entry. In “Before Sunrise,” Jesse (Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) meet on a train and spend the night walking, talking, and falling in love in Vienna. The young lovers reunite in “Before Sunset” and confront their marriage in “Before Midnight.”
The trilogy takes viewers on a journey about young love (“Sunrise”), missed opportunities (“Sunset”), and the challenges of marriage (“Midnight”). Hawke and Delpy are so compatible that you would think they’ve been married in real life. You witness Hawke’s range as an actor over the course of three movies — he can play the young Casanova, the charming romantic, and the weathered husband. It’s the seminal work of Hawke’s career and will be mentioned in the first line of his Hall of Fame resume.
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