On April 12, as Ethan Hawke appeared on The Tonight Show , the actor caught up with Jimmy Fallon and discussed his most recent Broadway show: this past winter’s True West at Roundabout Theatre Company.
Turns out, playwright Sam Shepard himself had wanted Hawke to take on the play.
“He definitely wanted True West to be revived on Broadway before he passed; he knew he wasn't feeling well. I got the call to meet this director that he wanted to direct it,” Hawke said. “From the time I got the call to schedule the meeting—about six days later—Sam passed right before the meeting happened. So when I met the director, Sam had been gone for about two days, and it felt like kind of a calling that I was supposed to do this.”
READ: Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano On Their Epic Onstage Battle as True West’s Clashing Brothers
Hawke never had previous interest in doing the play. True West is the reason he became an actor, but “I never wanted to do it myself, because I didn't know if I could handle those ghosts,” he said, referring to greats like Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Malkovich, who previously played the show's Lee.
Now that he's completed the run, and with Fallon pointing out that the Tony Awards are approaching, Hawke shared his awards show philosophy: "Prizes welcome!”
