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Image Courtesy: Vanity Fair
Ethan Hawke is no stranger to intense roles, but his latest transformation for 'Blue Moon' might be one of the most immersive of his career. Hawke reunites with director Richard Linklater to play the part of renowned Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart, who is renowned for his intricate lyrics, nuanced emotions, and personal hardships. In addition to telling Hart's tale, the movie intimately examines a crucial night in his life. Hawke changed both physically and emotionally to play Hart, to the extent that his own family hardly recognized him. Hawke acknowledges that the process wasn't always easy, but it was necessary.
A Transformation Beyond the Surface
Ethan Hawke realized that joining 'Blue Moon' would necessitate a total reinvention rather than merely putting himself in another person's shoes. Directed by longtime partner Richard Linklater, the movie follows lyricist Lorenz Hart as he struggles with loneliness, rejection, and his waning working relationship with composer Richard Rodgers on the evening of the Oklahoma! Premiere.
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Image Courtesy: Variety
Hawke undertook drastic physical transformations to play Hart, including shaving his head, getting a combover, and—most surprisingly—using contact lenses to alter his blue eyes to brown ones. In order to create a figure whose presence on television is plagued by fragility, he also modified his movement, voice, and posture to make himself appear shorter and more fragile.
The most unexpected alteration, Hawke admitted, was in the eyes. He claimed that switching to brown lenses significantly changed his face and the way his co-stars reacted to him almost instantly. Hawke believed that the eyes had the most emotional influence, even though the height, hair, voice, and body language were all pieces of the picture. "My wife didn't like it. And I didn't like that," he admitted, acknowledging the personal cost of becoming someone so different.
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Image Courtesy: People
The Creative Journey
Hawke and Linklater have worked together for decades, and they have subtly revisited the 'Blue Moon' objective over time. Hawke actually read the script for the first time about 12 years ago, but Linklater told him he was "too attractive" to portray Hart at the time. They went over the assignment again and again until Hawke felt old enough to handle it. Hawke called the filming "the hardest I've ever worked in my life," referring to the pressure of delivering scene after scene with emotional openness in a single cramped area.
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Image Courtesy: The Hollywood Reporter
In addition to Hawke's more subdued physical changes, the production used stagecraft techniques including camera angles and set design to give the impression that Hart was diminutive (Hart was thought to be under five feet tall). The film leans heavily on dialogue and psychological tension, with much of 'Blue Moon' unfolding in real time inside the bar Sardi's, imbuing the narrative with theatrical intensity.
On 17th October, 'Blue Moon' will debut in a few cinemas before going nationwide on 24th October. Hawke may be giving one of his most audacious performances to date, one that necessitates risk, vulnerability, and complete surrender to the character's inner world, as seen by his dedication to the part and his physical and psychological metamorphosis.
