Ethan Hawke was told by his Training Day co-star Denzel Washington that he ‘didn’t deserve’ an Academy Award for his role in the 2001 American crime thriller.
At the 74th Oscars, Hawke, now 55, received a nod in the Best Supporting Actor category.
Facing tough competition from the likes of Jon Voight, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Sir Ian McKellen, he eventually lost out to British actor Jim Broadbent for his role in Richard Eyre’s Iris.
The Texas native would later receive three more Academy Award nominations: in 2005 and 2014, both for Best Adapted Screenplay, and in 2015, again for Best Supporting Actor.
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Meanwhile, his Training Day co-star, Washington, now 70, received the Best Actor gong at the 2002 ceremony. It was his second Oscar win after scooping up the Best Supporting Actor award for Glory in 1990.
However, according to the Highest 2 Lowest alumnus, he didn’t think it was Hawke’s time to bag the gong for his effort.
Speaking about Washington’s words and his nomination experiences, the father-of-four told CBS Sunday Morning’s Tracy Smith: “I saw the whole thing as a victory lap.
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“I knew that if not for the great light of Denzel’s performance, nobody would have even noticed me. So I was amused. I was nominated against Ian McKellen for Gandalf. Greatest performance in cinema history. He didn’t win either.
“Another time I was nominated against Robert Duvall. One of my favourite actors and he didn't win either. You take this for what it is.”
He continued: “Denzel said something to me that I hope I am not paraphrasing. But the idea is that you don't want to win now; you’re too young.
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“It’ll kill your drive. You don’t deserve it yet. Earn it… By the time you get it, you want to earn it.”
The Black Phone star added that Washington told him that instead of using the prize to elevate his status, he should ‘use his status to elevate the prize’.
“Gotcha. I hear you loud and clear. So that keeps you working. Keeps you hungry.”
When asked if he is ‘tuning out’ the ‘Oscar buzz’ surrounding his new film Blue Moon, which sees Hawke starring as American lyricist Lorenz Hart, the actor responded coyly.
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“We live in a culture where it’s really hard to do anything now. You have to hold it in balance and be really grateful to be at this age, doing it this long, and have that conversation even exist," the Gattaca star said.
“The conversation existing is a victory in itself.”
He added that there is a part of him that wants to celebrate the years of ‘dedication’ that he’d poured into his craft and that there was ‘joy’ because he loved working on the movie.
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For his role in Blue Moon, Hawke has already received awards from film critics in Toronto, Los Angeles, and Boston.
He is also in the running to receive the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy award.
Topics: Oscars, Celebrity, Denzel Washington, Film and TV, Entertainment
Ella Scott