Ethan Hawke’s Career Transformation Began With a Chilling Horror Role

There’s something magnetic about Ethan Hawke in this stage of his life. Whether he’s passionately speaking out against artificial intelligence on stage or taking on unexpected roles, he’s become a true original in Hollywood. From the start, Hawke avoided the typical path of a young leading man, yet still managed to star in one of the most beloved screen romances ever—Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise. Throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s, he took chances with modern retellings of classics like Great Expectations and Hamlet, and delivered a standout performance alongside Denzel Washington in the Oscar- winning thriller Training Day.

But it ’s the recent chapters of his career that have been the most surprising. Hawke has dived into horror, indie dramas, biopics, and even stepped behind the camera as a director. He seems game for anything these days, and audiences are reaping the rewards. This isn’t just a story told by fans or critics—Hawke himself recognizes this period as a conscious reinvention. He traces the beginning of this new era back to 2012, with the release of Sinister.

Rediscovering Genre Filmmaking

Directed by Scott Derrickson, Sinister centers on a true-crime writer, played by Hawke, who stumbles upon disturbing home movies in his new house. While the film may not be hailed as a classic, it marked a major shift for Hawke. After years of forging his own path, he was ready to embrace the conventions of genre films. In a 2025 interview with ScreenDaily, he reflected,

“I always say that’s the start of the second half of my career. I felt reborn with that movie because it was going back to genre filmmaking.”

Hawke recalled his earliest mentor, Joe Dante—the director of Gremlins—who first cast him in 1985’s Explorers. Dante’s love for horror inspired Hawke to see the creative possibilities within the genre. Since then, Hawke has continued to explore these boundaries, often taking on roles that challenge expectations.

Embracing the Dark Side

Horror has become something of a specialty for Hawke. He’s even played the villain, most notably in the 2021 Blumhouse film The Black Phone, where he portrayed a child-snatching serial killer. His chilling performance was so convincing, it was hard to believe this was the same actor from the Before trilogy. Hawke’s willingness to transform himself for each new part sets him apart from many of his peers, who often stick to familiar leading roles opposite ever-younger co-stars.

Whether or not every horror film or biopic he chooses is a critical hit, one thing is clear: these projects give Hawke the freedom to reinvent himself again and again. And as long as he keeps finding new ways to surprise audiences, there’s no telling where his career will go next.