Ethan Hawke and Sydney Sweeney: Honest Confessions and Heartfelt Moments

When Sydney Sweeney, 28, and Ethan Hawke, 55, sat down together for an episode of Actors on Actors, the pair offered a refreshingly open exchange, revealing personal admissions and moments of genuine warmth. Their conversation ranged from professional admiration to deeply personal reflections, making for a rather compelling watch.

Stage Fright and Encouragement

During their discussion, Sweeney admitted to struggling with nerves when it comes to performing live. She confessed,

I have horrible stage fright. I have terrible stage fright. Because I didn’t grow up doing it.

Hawke, ever the supportive colleague, suggested her anxiety was simply down to lack of experience, remarking,

You know what that is? Inexperience. (Sweeney laughs) It really is. Yeah, if you don’t grow up doing it – if you did it five times, it would go away.

Sweeney agreed, musing that she might actually enjoy it if she gave it a proper go. Hawke praised her previous work and encouraged her to embrace the challenge, likening the thrill of live performance to the excitement of a fight. He assured her,

I’ll drag you out. [Sweeney: I’d love that.] You won’t watch. You’ll be there. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [Sweeney: Oh, man. I might be really nervous the first time, and then I’ll get better.] You will. Everybody’s really nervous. That’s the fun of it. It’s like fighting, in that way. When you’re on the other side of it, it’s so rewarding.

Reflections on Family and Regret

The conversation turned more personal as Hawke reflected on his daughter Maya’s upbringing. He spoke candidly about his regrets, saying,

With my oldest, it was without complication. I knew, when she was about 4, that she was gonna be an artist, and I knew that she was gonna be a very good one. That was her safe place. Water colouring, dancing, singing – all throughout her childhood.

He acknowledged the difficulties she faced, adding,

There were a lot of things about her childhood which were really, really hard and complicated, and things I regret for her. But anything that had to do with human communication, people understanding each other, was something she vibrated to.

Hawke recounted a story from Maya’s teenage years, highlighting her thoughtful nature:

‘Do you really think that’s the question?’ And I thought, ‘I love this girl.’ [Laughs] She says, ‘I don’t think that’s a very interesting question. I think there’s a lot more interesting questions than whether I’m happy or not. Am I happy? No. But I don’t aspire to be happy.’ You know, she was very- [Laughs]

He explained that he never worried about her career choice, stating,

And so, I never worried about her going into the arts because I knew that was gonna save her life. I completely support it. But what I’m trying to say is no support was required. There was no decision. It was gonna happen with or without my blessing. You know? And she happens to be really good at it. And so, what I can do is I can help her handle the vicissitudes of the profession.

Journeys, Setbacks, and Aspirations

Hawke also discussed his long-standing involvement with the film Blue Moon, describing the process as anything but straightforward. He recalled receiving the script over a decade ago and immediately feeling drawn to the role.

I was like, ‘This is ice hot.’ I don’t know exactly what, but you know, sometimes you read something like, you talked about when you first read ‘Christy’. You know, I knew 20 pages in that I gotta play this guy. And I also, if you start reading a lot of scripts, I also knew there was no way the quality of writing was gonna be this high. The first 20 pages and not finish.

Despite his enthusiasm, director Richard Linklater insisted Hawke needed to wait until he was older. The two spent years revisiting the material, with Hawke sharing,

So, when I got to the end, I called Rick. I was like, ‘We gotta make this movie.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna make it, but not yet.’ I’m like, ‘Wait, let’s make it. Let’s make it now.’ He goes, ‘No, no. You’re not ready.’ You know, he’s like, ‘You need to be older.’ You know? So, he said, ‘Let’s work on the material and let’s just keep dreaming about it.’

When the time finally came, Hawke admitted to feeling a surge of fear, but recognised the rarity of such opportunities.

But he started really laying it heavy on me, about the level of dedication that was gonna be required. And I’ve been doing this for a while. And I also knew that opportunities like this, you can spend years hunting for an opportunity to play.

In a lighter moment, Hawke revealed his childhood ambition to become a boxer after watching Rocky. He recounted,

I saw Rocky, and I decided I wanted to be a boxer. So, I took boxing classes, and I got one fight. And I didn’t like boxing anymore. [Laughs]

He explained that his defensive tactics were less effective than he’d hoped, saying,

What was awful about a real fight was, I thought I was a pretty good defensive boxer. But the guy was punching my hands so hard that I was hitting myself. You know? (imitates a punch) (Sweeney laughs) And it was abs, and I dropped it. One fight. I did not like losing. I did not like getting beaten up.

Despite six months of training, Hawke decided boxing was not for him.

Unfiltered Admiration

Perhaps the most touching exchange came as their conversation drew to a close. Sweeney, clearly moved by their discussion, told Hawke,

Well, I’m incredibly honoured to sit here and have this conversation with you. This has been- I’ll never forget this. Thank you! Killed that. No, you’re incredible. So, I’m sitting here being like, ‘Man, I wish you were my dad.’ [Both laugh.]