When MTV News asked Ethan Hawke if he would “take the call” from Sinister and Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson, the actor seemed totally DTF (down to film). This and the winds of collected source whispers naturally led to Hawke joining the ranks of the rumored alongside Joaquin Phoenix, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jared Leto, approximately 18 other actors, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Obviously, Cumberbatch got the role, but apparently Hawke has an inclination that the interest was mutual, telling Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he has “a sneaky suspicion that Scott wanted me for that, too.”
So, why no marriage if both sides were ready to stand under the chuppah? That’s a mystery for a better detective than I, but according to MTV, Hawke went on to sound a bit apprehensive about the full breadth of obligations that go with a Marvel contract.
Hawke sees challenges with signing onto a Marvel movie, or any project of a similar scale — mainly, the commitments to multiple pictures and promotion tours.
“There’s a tremendous amount of salesmanship that’s now really important to a studio like that,” he said. “It’s a tremendous amount of time in your life where you’re working, and you’re not acting.”
This is valid, but as Hawke later acknowledged before re-asserting his willingness to sign up for a Marvel movie, working with The House of Ideas still has a lot of appeal. That’s evidenced by big name actors like Paul Rudd and Cumberbatch, and their willingness to commit themselves to Marvel. It’s also evidenced by Robert Redford and Michael Douglas’ willingness to join up in a more limited role. Which is, to me, ideal for someone like Hawke who may want to maintain a level of control over his calendar just in case Richard Linklater wants to start work on a 35 year film project about what growing old looks like.
Via Happy Sad Confused and MTV
