We know now that Academy Award-nominated actor Ethan Hawke has become a bit of a snob. Not in a horrible way (well, some might laugh at his recent comments about superhero films), but Hawke has taken his profile as a bankable star and transitioned into more independent, smaller-scale fare, such as the recent (and excellent) “First Reformed.” But apparently, according to Hawke, he’s always been one to snub his nose at blockbuster films and told a hilarious story about how he turned down one of the biggest summer films of all time.
In a recent interview on “Conan,” Hawke was asked if there’s a role that he regrets turning down. And laughing, he begins to tell the story about how he turned down the leading role in what would go on to be an iconic summer popcorn flick.
“Okay listen, ‘Reality Bites’ just came out and I’m the bee’s knees, right?” says the actor, setting the stage. He then begins to describe how he and a buddy decided to take a road trip from Austin, Texas to New York City. And along the way, he pulled out a script for the film “Independence Day,” which was being offered to him.
He continues, “I’m reading [the script] to my buddy in the car. I’m like, ‘Isn’t this a bad line? E.T. phone home. That’s stupid.’ You know what I mean? And I’m going through it to the point where I literally throw it out…onto the Texas highway.”
Feeling as though he ultimately made the right choice, a year later he joins some friends in the movie theater as they sit down to watch the Will Smith alien invasion classic.
“I walk into the theater. Obviously, it’s completely sold out,” Hawke recalls. “Will Smith says, ‘E.T. phone home’ [mimics a punch] and the place ROARS! They basically get a standing ovation in the middle of the movie. And I’m sitting there going [slouches in seat], ‘oh…my…god…’”
READ MORE: Juliette Binoche, Ethan Hawke & More Set For Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Latest Film ‘La Verite’
Obviously, hindsight and all, it’s easy to think about how Hawke turned down the chance to launch himself into the action star stratosphere. However, looking back, it’s difficult to imagine anyone but Smith playing the role. And as we know, the charisma that Smith showed in that film overshadowed everyone else and turned the young actor into the $20 million-per-film monster that would launch new blockbusters every summer.
But it’s funny to know that even mid-‘90s Ethan Hawke was a bit of a pretentious dick.