Ethan Hawke opens up about Philip Seymour Hoffman: ‘There was nothing tragic about him’

Ethan Hawke has spoken about the death of acting great Philip Seymour Hoffman, saying there was “nothing tragic” about him during his life.

Hoffman, the star of films such as The Master and the Oscar-winning Capote, died in 2014 of a drug overdose at the age of 46.

Hawke spoke to The Guardian alongside director Richard Linklater to promote their new film Blue Moon. In the interview, he was asked about three of his late acting contemporaries during his rise in the 1990s: Hoffman, Robin Williams, and River Phoenix, all of whom have been framed as tragic figures after their death.

“There was nothing tragic about those people,” Hawke said. “If they were sitting here on the couch, you’d see how utterly un-tragic they were.”

Hawke starred alongside Hoffman in the 2007 thriller Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, directed by Sidney Lumet.

“To understand Phil, you have to understand how many days he beat addiction,” Hawke continued. “Phil had a problem. He lost one day. But he won all the other days, for twentysomething-odd years.

“I don’t want to say that he had no agency in his death. But it was a difficult period and he was taking [his sobriety] seriously. He was on his way to a meeting [the day that he died]. And I know other talented people – less famous – who have been lost the same way.”

“Too much success or too much failure,” Linklater added. “You can react badly to both.”

In Blue Moon, Hawke plays acclaimed musical theatre composer Lorenz Hart, who struggled with alcoholism and died at the age of 48.

Linklater also spoke about his previous working relationships with people struggling with addiction.

“I’ve had my own artistic breakups,” said the director of School of Rock and Before Sunrise. “And it’s always for the same reason – addiction. It’s sad, it’s poignant. It’s the worst.

“But when you’re in a position of responsibility, you have to make a decision for the good of the ship. ‘We’ll send you to rehab, but you can’t stay here, you got to get out.’”

Before his death, Hoffman was renowned as one of the finest actors in Hollywood, and had enjoyed leading roles in films such as Synecdoche, New York, Doubt , and The Savages.

In 2024, The Independent named Hoffman as the greatest actor of the 21st century in a ranking of 60 best film actors.