Fame a disease? Ethan Hawke says it’s “like being put in a zoo”

In a recent sit-down with GQ’s Zach Baron for the magazine’s One More Question series, Ethan Hawke was asked about the bleak line “Fame is Black Death” from his novel The Hottest State. He wouldn’t say whether the line was his personal belief or a character’s, but he didn’t hesitate to describe what celebrity can do to a person.

“I wouldn't be the first person to say that there's an aspect of celebrity that is like a disease and you can handle little bits of it. It's a form of isolation and a form. It's like being put in a zoo, right? And zoo animals go nuts, and so do human beings.”

Hawke also acknowledged the upside — the money, the attention — while pointing out a quieter strain: not knowing who’s being genuine. He said the trick is learning how to live with it and use it well, adding that he aims to channel whatever fame he has into making good films.

Happy in the middle

Asked if younger people sometimes don’t recognize him, Hawke said yes — and laughed about a stranger at an airport who seemed surprised he was still working. He added that he actually prefers where he’s landed on the fame scale.

“I have a certain level of fame that is very pleasing to me, if I'm allowed to say that, which is that I'm getting to work with really talented people, and I really can go to the grocery store. And there's a certain level of fame above me, where life gets really uncomfortable.”