Ethan Hawke on “Blue Moon,” and taking nothing for granted

Nearly a century ago, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart helped bring the “greats” into the Great American Songbook with songs like “My Funny Valentine,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” and “Blue Moon.”

But by the early 1940s, Hart's drinking had made him an unreliable partner. So Rodgers teamed up with Oscar Hammerstein II, and their first production, the landmark musical Oklahoma! opened at the St James's Theater on 31 March 1943.

The song was an immediate hit, and that evening there was a big party a few doors down at Sardi's, the legendary Broadway watering hole whose walls were covered in celebrity caricatures. Lorenz Hart showed up at Sardi's that evening, and what happened next is now a movie.

In Blue Moon, Ethan Hawke plays Hart, drowning his sorrows in a bar.

They recreated Sardi on a sound stage for the film, but Sunday Morning met Hawke on a real stage.

“I was definitely one of those young people who came and thought, 'When am I going to put my painting out there?' – he said. “I'm not above this. I’m a little bummed that I don’t have one yet!”

Perhaps his time will come. “My time is coming,” he said. “I have hope. I'm not done yet!

And this performance is proof of that: the real Lorenz Hart was less than five feet tall, so director and frequent Hawke collaborator Richard Linklater used camera tricks to make the 5-foot-9 actor look short. Hawke also shaved the top of his head for a real combo and learned a ton of dialogue.

“It's definitely the most text I've ever seen in a film,” Hawk said. “I remember calling my wife after the first day – I think I had more lines than in the previous five films.”

It was a challenge for an actor whose face usually says it all. Hawke played a student in the 1989 film Dead Poets Society and said he learned a lot from his co-star Robin Williams. “There's a scene where he talks about how to appreciate poetry and makes all the kids vomit it out – I didn't realize how much I was taught and how it supported me through negative criticism. It's like there are no rules to becoming a great actor.

I asked, “When you do a movie like this at such a young age, does it set you up? Or is it setting it up?”

“That’s a great question because it’s probably both,” he replied. “If you let it be the high point of your life, it will be if you put too much effort into it. You don’t want something at 18 to be the high point of your life.”

Between films, Hawke made his Broadway debut with what he says was far more confidence than skill. “It’s a strange thing when you’re young. I had no right to be sure of anything. I was a complete idiot. And I walked in here like I was, you know, John Barrymore.”

His performance in Chekhov's The Seagull (1992) was called “promising.” But it was clear that his best work was ahead.

Hawke received the first of four Oscar nominations for his role in the 2001 film Training Day, starring Denzel Washington. His speech still resonates today. Hawk said: “When my son Levon was about six years old, he asked me, 'Dad, what is Training Day?' I said, “Oh, this is the movie I did a few years ago. Why?” He said, “Because every time we walk down the street, when people pass you, they say, 'Training day!'

But there was a point after Training Day when, Hawke says, he handed over more roles than he took on—and the offers began to dry up. “When you’re young, you think it affects everyone. You don't understand this. This is a game for young peopleand such job offers have an expiration date.”

“When did it expire, when did this happen?” I asked.

“About the same time your beard starts to turn gray,” he replied.

The gray beard now works for him as a hard-nosed investigative reporter on the critically acclaimed FX series “The Details.” In the show you never know what will be around the next corner – just like in real life. As we were finishing up at Sardi's, owner Max Klimavichus suddenly appeared with a surprise for Hawk: “Ethan, I would like your permission to make you part of our collection,” he said.

He was a little taken aback, and to be honest, so were we. But after Ethan Hawke's career on screen and stage, this wasn't all that surprising.

“Wow!” – he said. “It finally happened. I got my portrait from Sardi. I've arrived! Things are getting better in this life!”

And now with his latest film, there is talk of more accolades to come.

How is he handling the Oscar buzz surrounding Blue Moon? Is he setting it up? He said, “There's obviously another part of you that says, 'Hey, I've dedicated my life to this job, and this is seen as a barometer.' And I'd be dishonest if I didn't say it would be amazing.

“It’s so corny, but it just popped into my head: I was 11 or something, I said to my mother, ‘What’s going to happen to my life? What will happen? And she – and I remember this so clearly – in the kitchen, like Doris Day. [sings] “When I was a little girl…” you know, it goes into “Que Sera, Sera.”

“You need some 'Que Sera, Sera.' I don't take any of this for granted. This, I think, is the correct answer. At least a little.”

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The story was produced by John D'Amelio. Editor: Ed Givnish.