‘Blue Moon’: Ethan Hawke, Andrew Scott, & Richard Linklater On Their Broadway Break-Up Movie, More ‘Before’ Films, ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ & More [The Discourse Podcast]

Everyone knows the musical legends Rodgers and Hammerstein and the legacy that comes with their golden-age collaborations — sweeping melodies, moral clarity, and Broadway optimism. But before that era of polish and uplift, there was Rodgers and Hart: the more restless, melancholic partnership that helped define the sound of early American musical theater in the 1920s and ’30s. Their songs — “My Funny Valentine,” “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” “Blue Moon” — were witty, romantic, and bruised, shaped as much by Richard Rodgers’ precision as by Lorenz Hart’s tortured genius. One found order in melody; the other found chaos in rhyme.

The applause once roared for Rodgers, standing in the glow of a new Broadway triumph, while Hart slipped quietly into the night — a genius eclipsed by his own despair. Fame and failure had shared the same stage, divided only by a curtain call. That’s the haunting pulse of filmmaker Richard Linklater’s latest drama “Blue Moon,” starring Ethan Hawke and Andrew Scott. It’s a story about creative partners colliding at the peak of one’s success and the edge of the other’s undoing. Over one fateful Broadway night, a composer basks in the light of his greatest hit while his lyricist drowns in the shadows just beyond the spotlight. It’s a breakup told in music, memory, and smoke — the final verse in a love story between art and ruin.

On this episode of The Discourse, host Mike DeAngelo pairs conversations with Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater, as well as Andrew Scott, weaving their perspectives together on collaboration, rehearsal, and the human math of loving someone you can’t fix.

READ MORE: ‘Blue Moon’ Review: Another Precious Pearl In Richard Linklater’s Chronicles Of The Human Condition [Berlin]

Nine collaborations deep, Hawke and Linklater’s shorthand remains less code than continuum. Hawke said, “The changes are pretty invisible to me. It feels like one long collaboration, one long conversation.” Linklater added, “I met Ethan in 1992. We went out later that night and were at a bar, where we talked all night. We’re still talking. That’s what it feels like.” Scott, reflecting on their dynamic, noted that the film itself “is about two people who’ve been through so much together that their chemistry almost becomes a language.”

“Blue Moon” has been a long-gestating passion project for Linklater and Hawke, waiting for the right moment to bring Lorenz Hart’s story to life. The duo spent years doing table reads, often joined by writer Robert Kaplow, with scenes cut and reworked until the rhythm felt right. “We called it coats of paint. Just one more coat of paint, one more coat of paint,” Linklater said. Hawke connected that process to Rodgers and Hart’s own creative tension. Scott observed, “You can feel that same rhythm in the movie. These men have built something beautiful together, but they’ve reached the point where they can’t build it the same way anymore.”

For Hawke, reverence came first. “From an artist’s standpoint, Lorenz Hart is maybe the greatest lyricist of the 20th century. His life was a bit of a mess, and shorter than it had to be, but art waits for you. And it’s 82 years since he passed, and we’re still talking about him,” he said. Scott’s view of Rodgers balances admiration with weariness: “It’s not about playing fame. It’s about a man whose friend is in trouble, who’s exhausted by loving someone so brilliant and so self-destructive.”

Linklater calls the film a breakup story, and both actors agreed. Hawke described it as “a little howl into the night of an artist who’s being left behind.” Scott added, “They have enormous chemistry, but it arrives at a time when Rodgers needs to spread out. His ex is at the wedding. That’s the tension.”

The film’s real-time structure heightens that intimacy. Hawke pointed to lessons from ‘Before Sunset’ and ‘Tape,’ two earlier real-time experiments. “We learned a lot about the dangers and possible problems of doing real-time,” he said.

Scott brought that same mindset to his own performance. “It would be implausible that Rodgers could sit and talk uninterrupted on opening night. The conversation has to be broken by people drifting in — investors, strangers, the mayor of Cincinnati, even former lovers. That’s the rhythm of the night.”

Asked whether the long monologues felt theatrical, Hawke credited Linklater’s actor-centric process. “Rick invites you into his process so the blocking and emotions feel inevitable,” he said. Scott echoed the sentiment, surprised by the amount of preparation: “So much of it was rehearsed and refined. That’s rare in film, and it gives the performances their live-wire quality.”

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Their dynamic deepened once Hawke stepped into Hart’s skin. “It’s such a bold move, he looks so completely different,” Scott said. “It changed the energy between us; the physical difference became part of the story. They’re orbiting each other – admiration, frustration, and love all tangled together.” Hawke said he found that balance “thrilling,” comparing Hart’s restless mind to “being near someone whose brain doesn’t function in an ordinary way.”

Linklater admitted that Jesse and Celine from the ‘Before’ trilogy are never far away. “Do I think of revisiting? It’d be hard not to. We missed our nine-year deadline.” Hawke added, “My theory is those three really do function as a trilogy. If we were to revisit it, it would have a new beginning to it,” he said.

Before wrapping, Scott teased the whirlwind of juggling this film with “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” “It was genuinely extraordinary. I adore each and every one of those actors,” he said. “We were actually filming both movies at the same time, which was completely different energy-wise. It was wonderful but wild. I think ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ is really complex and wonderful and about something in a very real way. The audience reactions have been incredible, and it’s gone down like a storm with both critics and fans, and that’s the dream.”

“Blue Moon” opens in theaters nationwide on October 24. Listen to the complete conversations with Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater, and Andrew Scott below:

The Playlist Presents: Ethan Hawke, Andrew Scott & Richard Linklater’s Film & TV Recommendation Playlist:

• “The Lowdown” (Richard’s Pick)
• “One Battle After Another” (Ethan’s Pick)
• “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (Ethan’s Pick)
• “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Ethan’s Pick)
• “Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story” (Andrew’s Pick)
• “Unknown Number: The High School Catfish” (Andrew’s Pick)

The Discourse is part of The Playlist Podcast Network, which includes Deep Focus, Bingeworthy, and more. We can be heard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and most places where podcasts are found. You can stream the podcast via the embed within the article.. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we greatly appreciate it. Thank you for listening.

Mike DeAngelo

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