Hawke has future 'Great Expectations'

Published: Thursday, January 29, 1998

Thursday, January 29, 1998

FILM: Actor

discusses career, new movie and parenthood

By Aimee Phan

Daily Bruin Staff

After being labeled the Generation X poster boy in such movies as "Reality Bites" and "Before Sunrise," Ethan Hawke's goateed, slacker presence seemed to have evaporated like most of the grunge scene did in the mid-'90s.

Except for publishing his first novel, "The Hottest State," Hawke stayed away from the public eye.

But in 1997, he catapulted back onto the scene with "Gattaca" and his publicized relationship with co-star, Uma Thurman. And with the release of his new movie "Great Expectations" and the news that he and Thurman are expecting their first child, it looks like Hawke isn't going to have much more free time.

Just before Hawke enters the press room at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills to talk about his new movie, a publicist warns the journalists to keep questions about the baby to a minimum.

But the actor, looking very un-grungy in a navy blue suit, is surprisingly frank and relaxed when talking about his impending fatherhood and the current state of his life.

"It's not necessarily a good time or bad time, but it's certainly a rich time in my life," Hawke says. "It's certainly a most exciting time in my life. I'm thrilled. I'm scared. I'm nervous. I'll have much more to say about it in a year. Right now, I just really want to make sure that (Uma's) healthy and stays healthy."

Hawke does express annoyance, however, at whoever leaked their news to the public, which has resulted in the typical tabloid frenzy over the normally private couple.

"This whole thing came out in the papers and we're not even 20 weeks yet," Hawke says. "Somebody in the doctor's office told somebody at the Daily News. Uma thought that once it came out in the papers, it would be better to say something, that it was true. You wouldn't want to deny it. It's still such a fragile time."

As for the increased media attention on the couple's relationship, Hawke brushes it off, saying there's much more important things to worry about.

"Who cares?" Hawke says. "We try not to think about it. We're not the only people who have a relationship where you've got to work and travel. You've just gotta try your best, that's all you can do."

The couple tries to stay out of the limelight by avoiding photo opportunities together so the tabloids will have a difficult time writing stories about them without any pictures.

"At the 'Gattaca' premiere, Uma insisted that we not go through the line together," Hawke says. "She doesn't want anybody to have any art of the two of us. Fuck 'em. They've never been nice to me, I'm not going to give them any art."

Perhaps Hawke's aloof attitude toward the press is due to his slow rise to stardom, which first began in 1990 with his debut in the critically acclaimed movie, "Dead Poets Society."

But while Hawke had time to get used to getting attention as an actor, his "Great Expectations" co-star, Gwyneth Paltrow, had no such luck. Paltrow burst into fame within a year, first as Brad Pitt's girlfriend and then as a bankable actress in "Emma."

"Her whole celebrity crash really happened while we were shooting the movie," Hawke says. "One thing that has been fortunate with my life is that 'Dead Poets Society' happened when I was 18 years old, and everything for me has come in increments.

"(It was) not like Gwyneth where in a period of one year where no one in the country knew who she was to everybody in the country knowing who she was."

Paltrow, who had known Hawke through mutual friends when they were living in New York, credits her co-star for helping to keep her sane while she was coming to terms with her new celebrity status.

"Ethan was so good to me," Paltrow says. "It was sort of a hard couple of weeks. He came into work and got me this big box of books of his favorite books and it was such a smart thing to do. It sort of takes you out of your own kind of narcissism, and it's like, 'Oh shut up, it is an adjustment and you'll get used to it.'"

While Paltrow and Hawke are undeniably high-profile celebrities, it is interesting to look at their filmographies and note that both have yet to star in a big-budget box office smash.

Hawke admits he's not very good at selecting films that America is clamoring to see.

"I don't know how long they'll let me keep doing this without being in a hit movie," Hawke laughs. "I keep hearing about how if you're not in a hit movie every day, it doesn't work out and I've never been in one since 'Dead Poets Society.' It sure doesn't seem to make a difference, I seem to be having a good time."

But although Hawke does have a penchant to choose more talky films that are rich in character and low in special effects and action, he does hope that moviegoers will recognize the quality in quieter movies.

"You always secretly hope that an audience will respond to it," Hawke says. "I thought ("Gattaca") was one of the most original (movies) to come out in a year, but people don't really agree with me. What are you gonna do? The funny thing is you work on a movie and you know it's different and not really commercial, but that's what you love about it."

Hawke's lack of concern with being in a movie that audiences will like can also applies to his decision to publish his first novel, "The Hottest State," and endure the expected potshots by critics for crossing the line from actor to writer. But Hawke takes the experience in stride and regards his first foray into the literary world as a success.

"If you're a young actor and you write a book, people are going to make fun of you," Hawke says. "To expect any other different reaction would have been foolish. I did it because I wanted to. I wanted to keep writing. I thought the only reason not to do it would be because people would make fun of me and I thought in general, that's a bad reason not to do anything."

In the future, Hawke hopes to balance his writing, acting and nurturing his new family.

"We're trying to (come up with a name). You can count with Uma that it'll be a really strange name."

FILM: Ethan Hawke stars in "Great Expectations" which opens tomorrow.