'Hamlet' set slip-up: Ethan Hawke says he badmouthed the director
Ethan Hawke admits he trashed his Hamlet director—then got caught in a way that’ll make you wince.
While moderating a book talk for his friend and former co-star Kyle MacLachlan and MacLachlan’s new memoir, Fictional Selves, Ethan Hawke dipped back into their days on Hamlet (2000) and told a story he clearly hasn’t forgotten: he once trashed the movie ’s director, Michael Almereyda, into a live mic — with Almereyda listening on headphones a few feet away.
“I was just spitting venom about this guy, ‘He doesn’t know what he’s f****** doing,’” Hawke recalled.
Hawke said MacLachlan quietly motioned toward the director mid-rant. That’s when it clicked that the sound feed was hot — and the person he’d been unloading on could hear every word.
“I looked and I went, ‘What’s he (MacLachlan gesturing at the director) doing?’ I look out the window and the director has his headphones on,” Hawke said.
According to Hawke, Almereyda didn’t let the gaffe sour their working relationship. In fact, they later teamed up again on Tesla (2020), with Hawke starring as the inventor in Almereyda’s idiosyncratic biopic.
Marvel chapter
Hawke also reflected on his stint in the MCU, where he played glass-crunching cult leader Arthur Harrow on Moon Knight. He told The Hollywood Reporter he appreciated getting a page in that cinematic playbook.
“...Marvel has owned a chapter of cinema history, so I enjoyed being a part of it. They were really good to me,” he said.
Moon Knight premiered in 2022 on Disney+ and has not been officially renewed for another season.