Ethan Hawke Talks Moon Knight, Says Oscar Isaac Gives An 'Absolutely Phenomenal' Performance

Ethan Hawke's last TV project was "The Good Lord Bird," a Western set in the pre-Civil War era. That's the American Civil War, not the MCU's "Civil War," though anyone who flunked History could be forgiven for making that mistake since Hawke has now joined the MCU and is out there comparing its movies and TV shows to Westerns.

A chance run-in with Oscar Isaac at a Brooklyn coffee shop led to Hawke being cast in "Moon Knight," Marvel's upcoming Disney+ series. In the past, Hawke had been somewhat critical of Marvel movies, making a distinction between a "great movie" and a "fine superhero movie" and saying of "Logan," one of his favorites: "It's not Bresson. It's not Bergman."

He's human, however, and since every working actor in Hollywood is bound by fate to eventually appear in a superhero film or television series, Hawke couldn't deny the siren's call of Marvel any longer. In a new interview with The Wrap, he likened joining the MCU to donning a cowboy hat:

"If you were an actor in the '50s, you know, they made Westerns. If you're an actor in the 2020s, you've got Marvel. And I'm really fortunate because we're dealing with a story that doesn't have a lot of ancillary baggage. If you play Spider-Man or Batman, they've got so much baggage and the audience have such expectations. It's like playing Hamlet — you can't play it in a vacuum. You're playing it in relationship to the other Hamlets. Whereas with 'Moon Knight,' people don't know much about it. It doesn't have a lot of baggage. Oscar (Isaac) is giving an absolutely phenomenal performance, and it feels exciting to be a part of it with him."

Who's your favorite Ethan Hawke villain? That's something of a trick question since, until recently, Hawke had a "no bad guy policy as an actor." This is something we mentioned when reporting on his involvement in "Raymond and Ray," an upcoming Apple TV+ series where he will play Ewan McGregor's brother. Hawke broke his "no bad guy" rule to reteam with "Sinister" director Scott Derrickson for "The Black Phone," and it would appear that he's breaking it again for "Moon Knight."

We don't know many details about Hawke's character in "Moon Knight," and it's possible that, as an actor, he might not view the character as a villain. However, in a recent appearance on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," Hawke revealed that his character is inspired by cult leader David Koresh.

He mentioned that Marvel had made him sign a lot of NDAs, and this is something he reiterated in his interview with The Wrap. When asked if he was playing a known character within the Marvel universe, Hawke replied:

"I've signed 10,000 NDAs and they give me a hard time anytime I say anything about it. They're very secretive about it. They like to create a lot of anticipation. But I understand why people love working for them. They're extremely active, friendly. They do good world-building and create space for actors. If you want to play, they want you to play."

"Moon Knight" hits Disney+ in 2022.