Nearly a hundred years ago, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart helped put the “great” in the Great American Songbook, with songs like “My Funny Valentine,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” and “Blue Moon.” 

But by the early 1940s, Hart’s heavy drinking made him an unreliable partner. So, Rodgers teamed up with Oscar Hammerstein II, and their first production, the landmark musical “Oklahoma!” opened at the St. James Theatre on March 31, 1943.

It was an immediate hit, and that night there was a big party a few doors down at Sardi’s, that legendary Broadway watering hole, with its walls hung with the caricatures of famous faces. Lorenz Hart showed up at Sardi’s that night, and what happened next is now a movie.

In “Blue Moon,” Ethan Hawke is Hart, drowning his sorrows at the bar. 

For the film, they re-created Sardi’s on a soundstage, but “Sunday Morning” met Hawke at the real thing.

“I was definitely the type of young person that would walk in and think, ‘When am I gonna get my painting up there?'” he said. “I’m not above that. I’m a little heartbroken that I don’t have one up yet!”

Perhaps his time will come. “My time’s coming,” he said. “I have hope. I’m not done yet!”

And this performance is proof: the real Lorenz Hart was less than five feet tall, so director and frequent Hawke collaborator Richard Linklater used camera tricks to make the 5’9″ actor look short. Hawke also shaved the top of his head to make a real combover, and he learned a mountain of dialogue.  

“It’s definitely the most text I’ve ever had in a movie,” Hawke said. “I remember calling my wife after the first day – I think I had more lines than I had in the previous five films.”

It was a challenge for an actor whose face usually says it all. In the 1989 film “Dead Poets Society,” Hawke played a student, and he says he learned a lot from co-star Robin Williams. “There’s a scene where he’s talking about how to grade poetry, and he has all the kids rip it out – I didn’t realize how much I was being taught, and how that sustained me through negative criticism. It’s like, there’s not any rules about being a great actor. Drop dead. So you don’t like it? Suck an egg. You don’t know what great acting is any more than I do.”

I asked, “When you’re in a movie like that so young, does it set you up? Or does it set you up?”

“It’s a great question, ’cause it’s possibly both,” he replied. “If you let it be the high-water mark of your life, it will be, you know, if you put too much on that. You don’t want anything at 18 to be the high-water mark of your life.”

Between movies, Hawke made his Broadway debut with, he says, a lot more confidence than skill. “That’s the weird thing about being young. I had no business being confident at anything. I was a total moron. And I walked in here like I was, you know, John Barrymore.”

His performance in Chekhov’s “The Seagull” (1992) was described as “promising.” But it was clear that his best work was ahead of him.

Hawke got the first of four Oscar nominations for his role in the 2001 film “Training Day” opposite Denzel Washington. His performance still resonates. Hawke said, “When my son was about six, Levon, he said to me, ‘Dad, what’s “Training Day?”‘ I said, ‘Oh, it’s the movie I did a few years ago. Why?’ He said, “’cause every time we walk down the street, when people pass you, they say, “Training Day”!'”

But after “Training Day,” there was a time when Hawke says he passed on more parts than he took – and the offers started drying up. “When you’re young, you think it’s everybody. You don’t realize that This is a young person’s game, and those kinds of job offers, there’s a shelf life on that.”

“When did your shelf life, when did that hit?” I asked.

“Around the same time gray starts appearing in your beard,” he replied.

The gray in the beard works for him now, as a hard-nosed investigative reporter in the critically-acclaimed FX series “The Lowdown.” In the series, you never know what’s around the next corner – just as in real life. As we were wrapping up at Sardi’s, owner Max Klimavicius suddenly showed up with a surprise for Hawke: “Ethan, I would like your permission to make you part of our collection,” he said.

He was a bit stunned, and to be honest, so were we. But after Ethan Hawke’s career on screen and stage, it wasn’t all that surprising.

“Wow!” he said. “It finally happened. I’ve got my portrait at Sardi’s. I’ve arrived! Things are looking up in this life!”

And now, with his latest film in mind, there’s talk of more accolades to come.

How does he handle the Oscar buzz surrounding “Blue Moon”? Does he tune it out? He said, “There’s the obvious other part of you that goes, like, ‘Hey, I dedicated my life to this job, and this is seen as a barometer.’ And I would be dishonest if I didn’t say that, like, that would be amazing.

“This is so corny, but it just flashed through my head: I was like 11 or something, I said to my mother, ‘What’s gonna happen with my life? What’s gonna happen?’ And she – and I remember it so vividly – in the kitchen, like Doris Day [sings] ‘When I was just a little girl…’ you know, it goes into ‘Que Sera, Sera.’

“You have to have a little ‘Que Sera, Sera.’ I don’t take any of it for granted. That’s, I guess, the right answer. Any little bit of it.”

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Watch an extended interview with Ethan Hawke

To watch a trailer for “Blue Moon” click on the video player below:

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Story produced by John D’Amelio. Editor: Ed Givnish. 

Chris Pratt spoke out in support of the new social media rules for children under sixteen, becoming the latest celebrity to weigh in after Oprah Winfrey praised the approach.

The actor called the move “smart” and said he hoped other countries would follow the example.

Pratt, known for Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, admitted that he usually did not like telling people what to do.

But the 46-year-old star believed protecting children online was very important, “But when it comes to kids, I think it’s important to protect them.

As much as I believe in liberty, I also believe that protecting kids from social media is really, really important,” he said.

The Electric State star also talked about how he runs his own household, as his four children, including a thirteen-year-old, do not have phones or use screens.

He said he wanted to keep them away from “passive algorithm-driven entertainment” and give them a better start in life.

“Data’s become the most valuable commodity in the world. Our attention is the new veins of gold and oil for the world,” the Moneyball star added.

Oprah Winfrey also praised the decision during her Sydney speaking tour, telling audiences the rules could “change the lives of an entire generation of kids” and highlighted research showing young children were using devices at alarming ages.

She quoted author Jonathan Haidt, saying 40% of American two-year-olds got iPads.

Winfrey called the move a way to protect children’s brains and mental health.

However, Chris’ comments, along with Oprah’s support, brought more attention to the debate about children and social media.

Dua Lipa marked the end of her Radical Optimism tour with the last show in Mexico City.

After setting the stage on fire on Friday, December 5, the Levitating hitmaker took to her official social media accounts the following day to officially wrap up her tour, consisting of over 80 concerts.

In an Instagram post on Saturday, December 6, the Grammy winner offered her online fans a glimpse from the unforgettable night.

“What a life. What a joy. Thank you Radical Optimism for the most fulfilling year and a half,” she wrote in the caption. “92 shows since last May ~ around the world with the very very best!!!!”

Throughout the tour, Lipa, who is engaged to Masters of the Air star Callum Turner, made stops in more than 60 cities across six continents before her final three non-consecutive nights in Mexico City.

“Thank you Mexico City for your love and energy and for having us for 3 nights,” she continued. “Grateful beyond belief.”

Her last gig of the world tour became even more special as she shared the stage with Mexican legends Maná, a pop rock band formed in 1981, during the second out of three shows.

On Tuesday, December 2, the pop band joined the New Rules singer, sending fans into a frenzy.

“Still digesting ~ might take me a sec… but for now thank you and I love you so much!!!!!,” the Break My Heart songstress added, before signing off with, “RADICAL OPTIMISM FOREVER!!! [star emojis].”

For the unversed, the 30-year-old Albanian pop star kicked off her Radical Optimism Tour in November 2024 in Asia.

And now, Lipa has brought her tour to a close with her final show on December 5 at GNP Seguros Stadium.