Actor ‘Ethan Hawke’ downplays credibility of actors talking about politics

Actor Ethan Hawke took a lot of political questions from audiences at a film festival on Tuesday, but warned people shouldn’t put too much stock in the advice of “jet-lagged, drunken performers.”

At the press conference for his new historical drama “The Weight,” the Oscar-nominated actor took a question from the German news outlet. “Jung and Naive.” A journalist from a local publication asked him for his opinion on the role of artists’ use of their voices in the rise of “fascism” in Europe and America.

“Okay…” Hawke began, seeming a bit intimidated by the question.

“The last place in your spiritual council you’d probably want to seek advice from is a bunch of jet-lagged, drunk artists talking about their movies,” the actor said, drawing laughter from the audience. “That said, I love movies and I believe in the power of cinema to influence – they’re kind of, you know, we dream every night and those dreams kind of heal us and prepare us for the next day. In many ways, I feel like the whole festival as a collective, all of you, all of us here, are responsible for creating an international dream life.”

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Hawke later praised the film he was working on as a film in which a group of people with nothing in common put aside their differences to fight “corporate greed and malevolence.”

He later concluded: “I’m all for anything that fights against fascism.

Hawke took another question from the audience, who noted a recent open letter from many celebrities asking the festival to take a stand on the war in Gaza, asking, “What do you think about Palestinian voices, artists being criticized or silenced because of an ongoing genocide?” he asked.

Hawke stated that he had no information about the names of the people who signed the open letter and said, “I have no context for this question.”

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When asked about politics, actor Ethan Hawke stated that he had previously faced backlash for speaking out. (Variety via Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

“The last time I spoke publicly about this, I was really shocked at how much hostility it was met with and people saying, ‘Actors shouldn’t talk about politics’ or things like that. And I really think the answer is the opposite, which is that everyone should talk. We’re all citizens of the world and we all matter and we all have a say and not everyone can agree.”

He continued, ‘That’s one of the benefits of living in a free society. And yes, we have microphones thrown in our faces. But that’s not because we’re telling anyone what to do. We’re just citizens sharing our ideas. And you’re willing to do it as you wish. We’re not; some of the greatest minds on earth have tried to make the planet live in peace, and that seems very difficult for humanity.’

He then concluded: “I feel like your question has a slight agenda different from mine, but I respect you and the question.”

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Actor Ethan Hawke ultimately rejected the idea of ​​speaking directly about Gaza. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

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