Ethan Hawke Opens up About a Tense Relationship With a Fellow Hollywood Star

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Ethan Hawke recently shared a story about how he used to see a close friend, Billy Crudup, as competition. While on The Tonight Show Wednesday, Hawke spotted a portrait of Crudup and revealed they weren’t always friendly. He explained that early in their careers, they were often up for the same acting roles. Hawke admitted that when you’re starting out, it’s easy to feel like everyone is your enemy because you haven’t yet realized there’s room for multiple people to succeed.

Ethan Hawke described frequently encountering David Crudup at auditions, which often left him feeling frustrated. He remembers having to wait and listen to Crudup perform before it was his turn, and admitted Crudup’s talent was intensely irritating simply because he was so good. The rivalry peaked when Hawke had to decline a role in a play to pursue a film opportunity, and Crudup took the part, achieving significant success with it.

Ethan Hawke once playfully said he wished he could undo his acting career, but he later came to deeply admire the skill of his fellow actors. The role that truly launched his career was in the 1995 Broadway production of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, which immediately made Billy Crudup a star.

Jimmy Fallon pointed out that Crudup recently received a portrait at the renowned New York restaurant Sardi’s, a gesture that brought the actor to tears. Hawke confirmed that Crudup is a genuinely talented actor and deserves all the recognition he’s received.

I’ve been really impressed with Ethan Hawke lately – it feels like he’s having a phenomenal year! He just got an Oscar nomination for his performance in Blue Moon, which is already his tenth film with Richard Linklater – that’s an incredible partnership. The movie centers around Lorenz Hart, a famous Broadway lyricist, and shows him during a really difficult night at Sardi’s. It’s a fantastic film, with Margaret Qualley and Andrew Scott also starring, and it’s been getting a lot of buzz during awards season. Luckily, you can stream it on Netflix right now.

Hawke is receiving a lot of attention for his performance in the survival drama, The Weight, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. The film features Hawke and Russell Crowe as inmates in 1930s Oregon who become involved in a risky gold-smuggling scheme to earn their release.

Later this year, Hawke will also start filming a period film about the transcendentalist movement of the 1800s, where he’ll play Ralph Emerson alongside Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac.

Billy Crudup is also incredibly busy, currently performing in the premiere of the play High Noon at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre. The play, based on the famous 1952 Western film, has been very popular and will continue running until March 7th.

Crudup continues to be well-loved for his role as Cory Ellison in The Morning Show, which just finished its fourth season. Though their early competition is a thing of the past, both Crudup and Jason Bateman are demonstrating that there’s room for success for both of them.

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2026-02-07 16:44