Ethan Hawke on Sinister and His Career’s Unexpected Revival

There’s something rather irresistible about Ethan Hawke these days. Whether he’s railing against artificial intelligence on stage or taking on roles that defy easy categorisation, he’s become a figure audiences can’t help but root for. Early on, he sidestepped the obvious route of Hollywood heartthrob, yet still managed to anchor one of the most memorable screen romances in Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise. The nineties and early noughties saw him gamble on a contemporary Great Expectations, a modern Hamlet, and the Oscar-winning thriller Training Day alongside Denzel Washington.

Yet, it’s the more recent chapters of his working life that have proved genuinely unpredictable. He’s dipped into horror, dabbled in mumblecore, tackled biopics, and even stepped behind the camera. At this point, Hawke seems game for just about anything, and viewers are all the better for it. This isn’t merely a narrative imposed from the outside; Hawke himself is acutely aware of this phase, and he’s making the most of it. According to him, the real shift began in 2012 with Sinister.

Finding New Ground in Genre

Directed by Scott Derrickson, Sinister cast Hawke as a writer who stumbles upon a cache of disturbing home videos in his new house. While the film itself may not have been a critical darling, it marked a significant turning point for Hawke. After years of forging his own path, he found himself ready to embrace the conventions of genre work. In his own words:

“I always say that’s the start of the second half of my career,”

he reflected in a 2025 interview.

“I felt reborn with that movie because it was going back to genre filmmaking.”

He recalled his earliest mentor, Joe Dante—best known for Gremlins—who directed him in 1985’s Explorers. Dante’s passion for horror left a lasting impression, showing Hawke the creative possibilities within the genre’s boundaries. Since then, Hawke has made a habit of returning to horror, even relishing the chance to play the villain on occasion.

Embracing the Dark Side

Take, for instance, his chilling turn in the 2021 Blumhouse production The Black Phone, where he portrayed a child-snatching murderer. The performance was so unsettling, it was easy to forget this was the same actor who once wandered Vienna’s streets in the Before trilogy. These days, Hawke has become something of a character actor, a rarity among his peers, many of whom still chase leading roles opposite ever-younger co-stars.

There’s a certain freedom in his choices now, a willingness to reinvent himself with each new project. Whether the films themselves are universally acclaimed or not seems almost beside the point; what matters is the opportunity they provide for Hawke to explore new facets of his craft.

Redefining a Career

It’s not every day you see an actor so comfortable with transformation, especially one who could have easily coasted on past glories. Hawke’s journey from romantic lead to genre chameleon has been anything but predictable. If horror and biopics continue to offer him fresh ground to cover, audiences can only hope he keeps saying yes.