Ethan Hawke says it’s ‘difficult’ for him to re-watch Before Sunrise: ‘Who I was then is so different from who I am now’
Actor says he put much of his real self into his character for the 1995 film
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Ethan Hawke has said he finds it “difficult” to watch his 1995 film Before Sunrise because of how much of his real self he put into the movie.
Before Sunrise was the first film in the Before trilogy, which spanned 27 years and also included 2004’s Before Sunset and 2013’s Before Midnight.
The Richard Linklater movies starred Hawke and Julie Delpy as musing romantics Jesse and Céline, two strangers who meet on a train and disembark in Vienna to spend the night together.
In a new interview with The Independent, Hawke said: “There’s a lot of myself and my reality in those movies. They’re as deeply connected to me as anything could be.
“I can’t look at Before Sunrise now without remembering, so vividly, that time period. Who I was then is so different from who I am now; it’s difficult for me to watch it and exorcise it from my actual life.”
Between the second and third instalment, Hawke split from his wife, the actor Uma Thurman. The breakdown of their relationship was something Linklater encouraged Hawke to put on screen.
“It was really nerve wracking to do,” said Hawke. “It was scary. Rick was really interested in blurring the line between character and actor in order to give the film a subconscious. We put a lot of ourselves into those movies.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Hawke discussed his new Marvel show Moon Knight, coping with failure, and “what a waste of time” it is to be jealous of other actors.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments