With several tantalizing pictures on the horizon, one of them the nervy Getaway that hits later this summer, Ethan Hawke is possibly more prominent on theater screens now than he’s ever been. In fact, this Friday, filmgoers looking for a sweet romance can see him in Before Midnight while thrillseekers can watch him face-off against home invaders in the dark sci-fi The Purge. No matter how you slice it, its a very good time to be an Ethan Hawke fan.
The Film Stage recently got a chance to sit down with Hawke and talk about The Purge, which follows the trials of one family over the course of the only night of the year when all crime is declared legal. Hawke, no stranger to cautionary universes of dark science fiction, having starred in the genetic engineering thriller Gattaca and the vampire horror Daybreakers, energizes the movie with his turn as beleaguered family-man, James Sandin.
The versatile actor talked about what it was like to re-team with Jason Blum, his desire to make a modern Western, and what he himself might do with twelve consequence-free hours in which to commit crime. We also got a chance to chat a little about Before Midnight and his long-running involvement with Linklater’s ambitious and untitled “12 Year Project.” Check out our conversation below.
The Film Stage: This is the second time you’ve done a thriller with Jason Blum, on the heels of last fall’s Sinister. What specifically drew you to The Purge?
Ethan Hawke: When we finished Sinister, Jason called me up and he knew I had worked with James on Assault on Precinct 13 and loved him. He told me ‘I have a script from James DeMonaco, do you want to read it?’ and I was inclined to like it already because I like James and I like Jason. I’m really interested in what Jason is doing right now with genre films; I think it’s exciting and he’s giving people complete freedom and a tiny budget, and if they do something interesting it gets a wide release. I mean, Sinister was a ball. We made it in the middle of the night in upstate New York over a couple of weeks and had a blast doing it, and then the movie came out all over the world.
What enticed you about this film’s premise?
One of my first mentors was Joe Dante, who directed me in Explorers; he came from Roger Corman and made movies like Pirannha, The Howling and Gremlins. So, I’ve always had a love of genre movies. But I like a specific kind of genre movie, and Daybreakers, Sinister, they definitely fit the model, which is that they function as scary, fun movies but they also function as allegory. The Purge plays into an old-school sci-fi idea that I love. It could almost be a Philip K. Dick short story.
You’ve been in other films that run off worlds powered by one, out-there concept; Daybreakers and Gattaca come to mind, specifically. What was it like for you as an actor to find a balance to this world so it feels plausible and compelling?
One of the things we did in Gattaca, we also did in The Purge, which is that we used the real world. People often have this idea of the future that it’s going to be so far removed from what we are doing right now. Whereas, look at the buildings around us; most of them weren’t built in the last ten years, y’know? I think that was the break-through idea, having the world look very much like it looks now. That does two things; one, it makes the movie radically cheaper and two, it makes you think the idea isn’t that far-fetched. You aren’t wondering ‘are they going to have transporter beams?’ or ‘are they going to have helicopters as personal vehicles?’ You just get into the more interesting ideas of the movie.
This character, James Sandin, is different from many of your other roles. This is a guy who’s laid back and complacent and basically content with himself, and then he’s faced with a situation that really challenges his worldview and threatens that comfort. What was it like bringing him to life?
It wasn’t just that I liked the concept of the movie, I also saw a really weird opportunity to create an interesting portrait. When you first meet James, he’s kind of superficial and full of himself, but he’s well meaning and loves his kids. He’s not any one thing. I ultimately saw him as a guy who wanted to be Tom Brady but is ultimately a superficial person, who over the course of the movie gets a wake-up. In a lot of ways, he’s the quiet bad guy. James Sandin is one of those ‘good’ people who is willing to do the wrong thing as long as it keeps paying his bills.
One of the most interesting ideas in the movie is that there are basically two kinds of people in that world; victims of the purge, and everybody else who is some level of complicit.
That’s my favorite aspect of the movie. It’s very subtle and strange, but it’s that idea of how many people are complicit, even in our world. I’m fascinated all the time by all the people who are against the war in Iraq, but who don’t do anything when their taxes are used to bomb Baghdad back to the Stone Age, me being one of those people. It’s fascinating where we decide to draw the line; when we choose to act and when we don’t.
If you live in the world of the Purge, what are you doing on that night?
I have no idea what I would do. [Laughs] I’d like to think I’d become an environmental terrorist for a day and blow up billionaire oil rigs and stuff.
The Purge reunites you with Lena Headey, who you starred with years ago in Waterland. What was it like working with her again?
Waterland is a cool movie, and she’s kind of great in it. I became aware of her then, and have always thought she was a really special actress. It’s fun to see her having her heyday now. Her performance is my favorite thing in The Purge; I just think she’s awesome in it.
One of the surprising performances in the film is Rhys Wakefield, whose character was more menacing than I was expecting.
I told him when we wrapped the film, I thought he had accomplished the impossible; he created an original bad guy. He’s absolutely terrifying. There’s something about his performance that embodies the whole social network generation and then turns it into something very dark and menacing. There’s a touch of Kubrick in there that I really enjoyed.
Having done Sinister and The Purge, do you have any plans to work with Jason again on genre fare? Is there anything out there catching your eye?
I just try to follow my gut on these things. I really enjoy what Jason is up to right now. I’m kind of pushing him now; I’d like to work with him some more on other genres. I’d like to see him do a Spaghetti Western. I want to see him attack all the milieus that can be successful on a low-budget movie.
I’d love to see you guys do a western too. I think that’s a genre that’s often neglected these days.
We’re gonna find something. You know, we’ve been kind of lucky. We’ve been old friends and we found two great scripts close together and we made them. I want to do another with him, and he does too, but we want to make sure it’s right. I want it to be a good western; like High Plains Drifter, but modern.
You could bring James DeMonaco along for that too. Based on The Purge and his earlier film with you, Little New York, I think he has a really interesting voice in genre work.
My hope for James is that he can become a big shot director and people revisit Little New York. I think that movie is so bizarre and original. I always feel like if that movie had come out in 1994, he would have won all kinds of awards for it. Instead it came out at a time when people weren’t interested in that kind of cinema. He has an odd voice, one that’s totally unique.
Let’s talk Before Midnight for a moment. What’s interesting to me, is seeing people who weren’t really there for the others tuning into this one as its own thing. What was it like for you returning to these characters, and being a part of this all over again?
You’re right. One thing I’m loving about it is that people who don’t even know the first two films are enjoying this one. That’s kind of a cool thing. After the first one, we didn’t think there would be anymore. But, we wanted the second to stand on its own and we wanted the third to stand on its own. It shouldn’t rely on the energy of the first two to be good. It’s interesting how age and time changes the characters. I’m as interested in the reactions to that movie as you are.
I was struck by how different yet mature the chemistry is between you and Julie Delpy when compared to the other films.
Our friendship is evolving, and our working chemistry is also evolving. The truth is, though, when we are in a room together those characters just pop out of us.
You’ve also spent the last twelve years working with Richard Linklater on a project that’s yet to be released. Will it finish this year? Is there a title associated with it yet?
It’s never really had a title. He calls it the “Twelve Year Project.” We’ve made a short film every year and we are doing the last chapter this year. It’s kind of an epic tale of childhood, if something can be described that way. I can’t wait for people to see it. It’s the most original thing I’ve ever been involved with. It’s like the time-lapse photography of a human being.
Before Midnight is now in limited release and The Purge opens on Friday, June 7th.