Ethan Hawke wants to shoot “with a French director and cast”

In the race for the Oscars with Blue Moon, the actor talks about his relationship with Richard Linklater and proclaims his love of France and French cinema.

Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater have teamed up again for Blue Moona biopic about the last days of American lyricist Lorenz Hart, behind the scenes of the triumphant premiere of a musical comedy signed by his former partner Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott), in 1943. Margaret Qualley and Bobby Cannavale complete the cast.

After its presentation at the Berlin Film Festival, the film earned Ethan Hawke a Golden Globe nomination and, according to Varietyhe could even create a surprise at the 2026 Oscars against Leonardo DiCaprio or Timothée Chalamet in the best actor category.

Blue Moon will not benefit from a cinema release in France, where it will be available directly on VOD this Monday, January 19.

“Blue Moon is closely linked to my relationship and work with Richard Linklater. It’s a big part of my life“, confides the actor to our colleagues at French film.

“We have worked together for 30 years, our friendship is solid. We know each other so well. I was reminded of the amount of dialogue there is in Blue Moonand I always remember that there were just as many in Before Sunrise. Richard is one of the rare filmmakers who uses language as an essential tool for cinema, and I love words. On this level, we get along very well. The films we made together never felt like work to me, but rather like extensions of our friendship.“

During this interview, the actor explains that he tries not to worry about the race for the Oscars, and also returns to his close connection with France, revealing his dream of filming “in a French film with a French director and cast” after having already made several films in Paris, but with foreign filmmakers.

“When I was young, I wrote my first novel in a hotel room in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. I have a very romantic vision of France. In Paris, I did The woman of the 5th with Pawel Pawlikowski, and Before SunsetAnd The truth of Kore-eda. I am an American in the Hemingway way: Paris is a place to be if you want to feel free. I would really like to play in a French film with a French director and cast. I’m going to tell you a secret: a little after the release of Circle of Dead PoetsI went to Paris, and I went to the grave of François Truffaut. I wrote him a long letter asking for his blessing. I buried this letter under the grass, very close to the grave. At the time, there was no better person than Truffaut in cinema.“