Ethan Hawke: ‘When We Prioritize Money at All Costs, What We Get Is Generic Art’

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At a press conference during the Berlin Film Festival on Tuesday, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater discussed the importance of taking creative risks with their latest movie “Blue Moon.” They noted that such risks tend to be lessened when financial concerns become the focus.

For offensive art to be part of our discussions, it needs to matter to us. It’s not the audience who sells; instead, it’s the community that should value it. When we put monetary gain above all else, we end up with unoriginal art that appeals to the largest number of people, and it’s labeled as the best. If you appreciate offensive art, show your support for it. Currently, creators don’t believe they can make a profit from it, so it doesn’t get produced.” (Hawke)

In the story “Blue Moon,” the concept of controversial or provocative art is portrayed as one of its central themes. This narrative focuses on the last days of Lorenz Hart, a past collaborator of Richard Rodgers, who battles alcoholism and depression. While Rodgers is starting the musical “Oklahoma” with his new partner, Oscar Hammerstein, Hart criticizes it for being bland and escapist.

Linklater commented, “Offensive periods might produce offensive works, perhaps. However, films have traditionally provided escapism, and in this film he’s criticizing ‘Oklahoma!’ for being an escape during the atrocities of WWII. I’m not sure, but it seems that most minds crave a bit of escape. There might be less offensive art today than there was in the past.

After more than a decade since their last collaboration in ‘Boyhood’ released in 2014, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater team up again in the movie titled ‘Blue Moon.’ In this film, Ethan plays Lorenz Hart, while Andrew Scott portrays Richard Rodgers. Margaret Qualley takes on the role of Elizabeth Weiland, and Bobby Cannavale stars as a bartender named Eddie.

Hawke and Linklater have collaborated on eight films throughout their careers, including “The Before Trilogy,” “The Newton Boys,” and “Fast Food Nation.” During a talk at the Venice Film Festival last year, Hawke spoke about their partnership and the origins of “Blue Moon.” According to Hawke, Linklater had wanted to make this movie twelve years ago but felt that the actor was still too good-looking at the time.

Hawke stated that the character replied, ‘Great, we’ll succeed, but we must hold off for some time.’ I asked why this was necessary, to which he responded, ‘You’re still too captivating. We should wait until you’re a bit less striking.’ This left me puzzled.” Hawke further explained, “He suggested, ‘Just have faith. Let’s simply store it away and revisit it every few years to check if we’re prepared yet.'”

In this version, I aimed to maintain the original context while making the language more natural and easy to read.

“Blue Moon” premieres at Berlin Film Festival on Tuesday night.

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2025-02-18 16:46