Ethan Hawke : Why has he never made it to A list?

So he has been in loads of decent movies and his performances are always rock solid, yet he still isn't really considered one of the big names in Hollywood, why is this?

He has been in some great movies like Alive, Gattaca and Sinister with really good believable performances yet seems to get limited credit. Just wondered what everybody else thought, I 2000 just watched him in The Purge and thought I have seen him in loads of good movies and hes always good, but really the average Joe hasn't even heard of him...

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He gets to do the movies he wants. I am sure he makes a decent living. Seems like the kind of guy who would not like A list attention.

seems to me like someone who's just in it to make a living, hard to explain otherwise some of his movie choices when he's got such a good rep as being a decent actor.

I really like Ethan Hawke; but he hasn't give enough impressive performances to be an A list actor. He is more like Robert Duvall, while always giving decent performances and decent films, he just is not that big Hollywood star. He is not eccentric like the big names on that list. But put Hawke in a romance, horror, drama, comedy, thriller... any kind of film you'd like, he'd do the job well.

I'm not sure giving enough impressive performances is the right theory to A list status.
If that was the case, then somebody like Robert Duvall should be on the A+ list!
The 'Hollywood star' is created by many different forces other than an individual's 'talent' alone.
Being a so called 'star' is what propels some actors; others just want to do the work and lay as low as the trappings of the industry will allow. I think actors like Ethan Hawke and Robert Duvall fall squarely into this category. And I think that's cool.

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I'm not sure giving enough impressive performances is the right theory to A list status.
If that was the case, then somebody like Robert Duvall should be on the A+ list!
The 'Hollywood star' is created by many different forces other than an individual's 'talent' alone.
Being a so called 'star' is what propels some actors; others just want to do the work and lay as low as the trappings of the industry will allow. I think actors like Ethan Hawke and Robert Duvall fall squarely into this category. And I think that's cool.

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Totally agreed with you.

Yeah, I think the simple answer is that he simply never WANTED to be a big star. He's the kind of actor (my favourite kind) who is happy to take on roles that challenge and interest him, not those that may interest the movie-going public.

And as such, he has had a very good, very long, and very diverese career.




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he's pretty much there. love his recent roles. follow clooney's advice: stay in the shadows. be a ninja.

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Being a A list actor isnt that easy. There arent enough roles for big budget movies, like the ones DiCaprio and Brad Pitt does. So, its not that easy to live your entire life making great movies. There arent enough slots. Yet, if you manage to keep making movies, you are still better than some people who have to go for TV. Because when you cant find more roles in movies you end up going for TV series, and then it becomes really hard to go back to the movie scene again.

So, even though he doesnt make a lot of great movies, he still keeps doing movies instead of television, which gives him much more money and publicity.

I Wouldnt be surprised though if Hawke was on a cable or premium show some day though. Now that stuff like True Detective and The Knick are out there...

Wouldn't you consider being nominated for an Academy Award as making it to the A-list?

Look at the dates of the posts in this thread. He hadn't been nominated for an Academy Award when some of the posts were created.

This board looks like it started in 2013, meaning at that time he had already been nominated for 2 Oscars. Of course they were a while ago, so it's easy to forget. Since then, he's been nominated for 2 more. I think that's pretty impressive. I wonder if he will ever actually win one?

He is not leading man material too me. I don't think he can carry a movie without the support of really good actors.Most of all, he has a weak chin and I hate that in a man.

Where is his chin weak?
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I don't know but he is an actor who chooses the movies he likes to do only

He could've easily chosen big movies and got the "A-List status" if he pursued it when he came to fame in the mid 90s but he simply didnt cause he didnt want that. Sure he appears in a major picture now and then but he focuses on indies cause that's where his heart is. Lots of other actors like that ( Sam Rockwell, Michael Pitt, Willem Dafoe etc ), its not that they're not talented, it's just the smaller projects and working with the directors they like is what attracts them most.

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I agree with you, and I like the comparison someone made earlier to Robert Duvall. Ethan's a good actor who gets better (turns in more believable performances) with age. Much better that than the other way around!

He's been around for a long time - remember "Stand By Me"? I recall times where he could have really gone for the whole A-list, brass ring, Hollywood BS thing. He got a lot of publicity during Reality Bites, Great Expectations, and a few other films, and he never ran with it. Guess it just doesn't interest him.

He's an intelligent guy who has other interests besides acting. He keeps working steadily and has a nice career. Good for him!

Also Dead Poets Society, Training Day, Lord of War and Before Trilogy. Hawke is having himself a pretty good career. He was lacking charisma before but with age, he seems to overcome that problem. I think he is one of the better stars in Hollywood and with a few more quality movies, he will be considered among the big names.

I do consider him A-list. Maybe not A+, maybe even more like A-, but definitely A. He's just not a pubilicity hound, and doesn't need all that attention. In fact, when he's gotten attention, it hasn't been for the right reasons, lol. I think he just likes to fly under the radar. He's even been nominated for an Oscar, so he's no slouch. To the public he might not be A-list, but to biz people he probably is.

I h 16d0 ave been wondering the same thing and after looking at his body of works I got the impression that he certainly would have been given the shot had he wanted to so the choice must be his. He doesn't have personal or money problems AFAIK and he is working regularly so it's just his career and life choice.

I read in a book about independent film that Hawke steadfastly avoided doing blockbusters and focused on doing movies and projects that seemed interesting or challenging to him. He said something about not wanting to be a brand, like Pepsi or Coke, or sell himself to questionable enterprises. If you look at his filmography, it's solid: no big budget junk, no crappy franchises. Not everything was necessarily successful, but not from a lack of trying. Admittedly, not every actor can afford to pick and choose, but he has that privilege and he has done well with it. He can be proud of his filmography. I say good for him.

Its really quite simple. He doesn't pit out enough, nuff said.

Alive,Sinister and Gattaca are far from great.Try the Beyond Sunrise/Sunset,Training Day or Boyhood.

Most of the memorable movies he's in, other people gave better performances (Training Day - Denzel, Gattaca - Jude Law... ) The movies where he HAS been great are probably not high-profile enough... The art of being a star is being able to give great performances in unabashedly commercial films, and most of his best work has been in indie/low budget fare...

Not to say that his big boost won't happen, ever - I just understand why it hasn't happened, yet...




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It's odd to me that people wouldn't think he's an A-lister. I guess it depends on what you think makes an A-lister. Ethan Hawke is a household name where I'm from (UK) and he's also a rock solid actor with decades of quality work under his belt, Oscar nominations etc. He's not splashed all over the gossip rags like people such as Brad Pitt and George Clooney, but then when you think people like Lindsay Lohan are also fodder for that type of publicity, it doesn't really say much for what being 'in the public eye' means for an actor in terms of what 'list' they are on!

If being an A-lister means someone who's very well-respected in the industry and outside it, with a reputation for quality work and a decent body of work behind them, and a very familiar name with the public due to their good performances in a variety of high profile works, then I think Ethan Hawke certainly is on that list.

Box-office. Whether your films draw people into the cinema, and thus make money. Whether your name alone can get a project made or seen. That's what determines what list you're on. Very few people will see a movie JUST for Ethan Hawke; they might for Clooney or Pitt. Doesn't mean he isn't a great actor, but maybe he's not fortunate enough to be that bit more good looking, or maybe he doesn't play the right games - talent and respect have little to do with exposure.

I suppose it depends on the household - but my Mum wouldn't know who Hawke is, however, she knows who Pitt and Clooney are... Hawke is a name you know if you like movies; Pitt and Clooney are names you'd probably recognise whether you were a fan of movies or not - and that's the difference between the A-list, and the rest.




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"Your mother puts licens 16d0 e plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

Okay, that does make a lot of sense, thanks!

No problem! 




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"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

Well said, Jeopardy. Ethan is definitely A list.

Just because he's not all over the gossip sites and mags doesnt mean he isn't well known. There is a difference between being a celebrity and an actual star. Kim Kardashian is a celebrity and everyone unfortunately knows who she is but she's still not A list.

Ethan is definitely a household name IMO. I don't know anyone who doesn't know who he is or hasn't seen a movie he's been in. Nominated for Oscars. Still doing movies like 20+ years later. I don't really see how he would be B list.

To the poster that said he still hasn't done TV, I don't think that would make someone not A list. TV is very respected these days because the content is downright phenomenal. TV actors aren't viewed as beneath film actors anymore if they're on a good show.

I thought he was an A Lister.

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I don't know about "A-list," but he's certainly on the the list of credible and respected actors. 4 Oscar nominations - 2 for acting, 2 for writing. Many actors would love his career.

What makes you think he's not A list? I definitely consider him A list.

Any actor with 4 Oscar nominations is A list in my book. I love watching his movies and consider him right up there with Denzel Washington.

X

Agree with OP, he's not actually an A Lister. But I always enjoy watching Ethan Hawke.

Maybe its his very average looks.

Definitely not an A Lister, due to average looks and lack of charisma. He's not a leading man who opens movies as the sole star - that's what it takes to be A List.

I never saw this dude as an lister. Just an average actor who made some not most decent movies.

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