Ethan Hawke on Reds
Artist Ethan Hawke dives deep into Warren Beatty's epic tale of love, art, and revolution as it unfolds in 1915 across Greenwich Village, Provincetown, Oregon, Finland, and Russia.
When we say “we chased down Ethan Hawke” for this episode, it is no exaggeration. Not because he plays hard to get, but because he is so incredibly busy at this stage in his career. But what a pay off he was. He chose REDS, a film that was an inspiration for him on so many levels and that has marked multiple milestones in his career and life. His boundless energy and unbridled passion were unleashed in ways political, romantic, and nostalgic. We could have talked to him for hours. - J.C.
As an 18-year-old on the verge of breakout success, Ethan Hawke encountered Warren Beatty's Reds for the first time. The epic love story and historical drama brings us writer/activist Jack Reed and journalist Louise Bryant in the midst of World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the birth of the socialist party in the U.S. The film interweaves documentary interviews with figures from the time together with imagined scenes from Reed and Bryant's story of love, writing, and revolution.
Ethan discusses film craft, creativity, authenticity, feminism, collaboration, and what makes Reds one of his all-time favorites. Plus, how to reconcile our political ideals with the facts of our emotional lives, and how Reds greeted callers to Ethan's answering machine in the '90s.
About the Film
Reds. A romantic epic and historical drama about political activist Jack Reed and journalist Louise Bryant, Reds is set amidst the 1917 Russian Revolution and birth of the American socialist movement. 1981.
Director: Warren Beatty
Writers: Warren Beatty, Trevor Griffiths
Principle Cast:
Warren Beatty (Jack Reed)
Diane Keaton (Louise Bryant)
Jack Nicholson (Eugene O’Neill)
Edward Hermann (Max Eastman)
Maureen Stapleton (Emma Goldman)
Music by Stephen Sondheim
Cinematography by Vittorio Storaro
Editing by Dede Allen, Craig McKay
Elaine May and Robert Towne contributed touch-up work on script
Awards
Academy Award for Best Director to Warren Beatty
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress to Maureen Stapleton
Academy Award for Best Cinematography to Vittorio Storaro