Ethan Hawke is one of the best talkers or best conversationalists out there. The man loves to talk, he loves to be interviewed, he loves to shoot the sh-t. Ethan was recently interviewed by Chris Wallace for Wallace’s Charlie Rose-esque Max series Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace. This one clip is making the rounds, where Ethan once again talks about how much he f–king loved working with Denzel Washington. They first worked together on Training Day, for which Ethan was nominated for an Oscar and Denzel won his second Oscar. Ethan basically said the same thing Tom Hanks said about working with Denzel, that it was like working with a next-level actor and one of the greatest actors of all time. Ethan also revealed what Denzel said to him at the 2002 Oscars when Ethan lost.
Ethan Hawke is revealing the advice his Training Day co-star Denzel Washington told him after he lost at the 2002 Academy Awards. The two legendary actors were both nominated that year for their roles in the 2001 film, including best actor and best supporting actor, respectively. While Washington won in his category, Jim Broadbent beat out Hawke for his performance in Iris.
During the actor’s recent appearance on Max’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, he revealed why Washington whispered in his ear during the ceremony that it’s actually better to lose the Oscar.
“You don’t want an award to improve your status. You want to improve the award’s status,” Hawke recalled, quoting his former co-star. “That’s the way he thinks, and that’s what I’m talking about playing with [baseball great] Babe Ruth.”
Earlier during the interview, the Leave the World Behind star compared working with Washington to what it would be like to play baseball with Ruth.
“I think when all is said and done, he’s the greatest actor of our generation,” he said. “The Academy Award has more power because Denzel has a couple. It didn’t elevate who he was.”
That being said, when Wallace asked Hawke if he would have rather just won the Oscar more than two decades ago, the actor admitted that he was just thankful to be nominated.
“No… I mean, yeah, I guess,” the Before Midnight star responded. “I was at the Oscars sitting next to Denzel Washington and nominated against Ian McKellen. I had already won. It was impossible for me not to see it any other way.”
I forgot that Jim Broadbent won that year! Broadbent had a great run in 2001 – he was in Moulin Rouge, Bridget Jones’s Diary AND Iris (which is what he won for). I understood why Broadbent won that year, and the advice Denzel gave Ethan was true – he didn’t need an Oscar to tell him he’s a good actor, or for his status. Anyway, Ethan has been giving Denzel his flowers for decades now. Ethan just loves Denzel so much – he also talks that way about River Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Photos courtesy of Thomas Dubois / RetnaUK / Avalon, Euan Cherry / Avalon, George Pimentel / Avalon.
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- Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke attends a photocall for The Magnificent Seven for the annual Toronto Film Festival (TIFF), in Toronto, Canada.,Image: 533547100, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Euan Cherry / Avalon
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- / 2001 DENZEL WASHINGTON & ETHAN HAWKE AT THE TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL IN TORONTO, CANANDA SEPTEMBER 7, 2001,Image: 544148989, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: George Pimentel / Avalon
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- Ethan Hawke and Denzel Washington Venice Film Festival September 2001 Credit All Uses © Retna Ltd.,Image: 553605335, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: © Thomas Dubois / RetnaUK / Avalon
I am Team Denzel all the way, he truly is one of the greatest actors of our generation, a thespian truly!!
I will never get tired of reading Ethan Hawke’s interviews, wouldn’t it be so lovely to sit around and pick his mind about his different acting experiences and costars, love the guy!
I find him the same in every role. He always does the long winded speech thing, when he pontificates. Dreary.
I don’t have a favourite actor of our generation. Actress of course is Meryl.
Has Denzil reached her heights? Not awards, but really stretching as an actor.
I’m open to actor suggestions because o can’t think of any I’d put on par to Meryl.
Are you sure? Training day was exceptional. He was a straight up manipulative villian. All his roles up to that point were somewhat good guy roles. I think Training day challenged him as an actor and left you feeling a certain type of way when you left the theater. I remember taking my dad to that movie that summer, and we were crazy subdued when the film was over. For that time, in that window, it was very powerful. It was a story about LA police corruption that was known but not really seen. That movie was effing dark.
@Kokiri Imo Meryl and Denzel are both phenomenal but incomparable. I watched his first movie Carbon Copy (1981) starring George Segal, when it finally aired on cable, being totally mesmerized by Denzel and became a huge fan.
Denzel’s tv and film history is very impressive (action, comedy, drama, thrillers) and he’s also done Broadway plays. He has many movies in which his performances received critical acclaim and nominations So its truly unbelievable that he’s only won 2 Oscars (best supporting for Glory, best actor for Training Day). He’s been nominated for Best Actor (movies) 8 times but only won once. He definitely should have won best actor for Malcolm X – I read the book and saw the movie and it remains my favorite Denzel movie. A great one I watched recently is Man on Fire. His Equalizer action/thriller movies/sequels are also very popular (Equalizer 3 was released in 2023). But he has many great movies to choose from as they span many genres.
Tom Hanks maybe? He definitely has range. Or Paul Giamati (sp?). But Denzel would certainly be in my top 5 for sure.
It sounds like Ethan is talking about an actor’s actor. The best actor according to other actors, based on how they interact with him, learn from him, etc. Can be different from the people’s choice, is how I’m reading it.
You should watch Glory…old movie, young Denzel…I am heartbroken each time…he is so moving on screen. Just a PHENOMENAL cast for that movie in general.
Denzel is spectacular to watch. One of those very grounded actors where it doesn’t seem like he’s trying at all.
Ethan Hawke seems incredibly charming and interesting (and more importantly *interested*) every time I read/watch an interview.
Ethan is such an actor’s actor. He truly loves the work of storytelling, which always comes through in his interviews.
I have a friend who worked on that Wildcats movie that he directed and she said Ethan was so cool and personal with the entire crew. She also said he is still a total hottie with big time rizz.
Also Denzel is the godfather elder that the whole industry reveres. If Austin Butler got his role in Elvis it’s partly because Denzel put in a good word.
I’ve loved Denzel since I saw him in “Glory,” which was kind of a breakout role for him.
I agree he’s among the greats of his generation. I don’t know about “the” greatest since I’m not really a believer in that. If I had to choose it would probably be Philip Seymour Hoffman, though he was a bit younger so I’m not sure whether he fits into the same generation.
Denzel elevates everything he’s in.
If a movie’s got Denzel, I will watch it – no matter what it is about. Or TV.
And I will be forever grateful to Ken B. for giving us Denzel as one of the two most handsome brothers in the history of cinema.
So thank you for your kind words, Ethan Hawke.
Hands down. He’s definitely one of the greatest to ever do it.
I really like Ethan Hawke too. I love when artists show admiration and respect for other actors. Listening to Denzel talk about Dakota Fanning made me love him more.
I totally agree, I think Denzel gives such layered, rich performances and he has such a presence. @Nanea nailed it, he elevates everything he’s in.
and is. Ethan really isn’t wrong with this assessment. My son had to do Denzel Washington for Black History Month Project, and going through all of his acting accolades and awards was so astounding. I grew up with all of these roles and projects and greatness, so I just took it as is, but reading up on it for a project really highlighted how next-level his acting skills are with his peers and colleagues. I couldn’t even explain it to my 6 yo so he could grasp how amazing his assigned person was.
I don’t agree. I think he’s good but I think Ethan Hawke is one of the greatest. 🙂
Denzel is great, no question. However, if we’re picking ONE to be the GOAT, it’s Meryl for me — all day, every day. I watched both Sophie’s Choice and Death Becomes Her over the weekend and it really drove home how she can do ANYTHING and do it well.
I just rewatched Training Day like a month ago, and Ethan is right.
Denzel’s performance is downright chilling and terrifying and charismatic and unnerving all at the same time. It’s a role that’s completely unlike anything else he’d done before or since.
Denzel and Ethan are both great actors I’ve come to appreciate lately. Ethan also sounds like a really chill, really respectful guy, must be fun working with him. I remember when Denzel said Chiwetel Ejiofor had come to replace him, after they worked together in American Gangster or Inside Man, can’t remember which one.
Without a doubt Chiwetel is the better actor, but Denzel is the better personality. Denzel comes from a different era, the era of the Movie Star, and he will always be remembered as one of the greatest Black American actors, but Chiwetel’s star kind of fizzled out. He’s not a blockbuster star like Tom Cruise, and he’s not a critics’ darling like Daniel Day Lewis, the latter being my preferred trajectory for his career, I say this as a fan. I wonder what would’ve been of his career if he hadn’t be robbed of his deserved Oscar. He needs a new agent or something. He won an Olivier for playing Othello, for goodness’ sake.