Ethan Hawke called out the wealthy figures he believes hold power over the entertainment industry. The 55-year-old Oscar-nominated actor, known for Blue Moon and Training Day, described them as “greedy b**tards.”
Ethan Hawke calls Hollywood’s power players “greedy” and predicts a wave of rebellion
In an October 13 interview with GQ, Hawke stressed that he believes a major counter-movement is taking shape. The actor said, “I believe in rebellion. And I think people are going to wake up and punch back, and there’s going to be massive movements in music and massive movements in live theater and massive movements of people getting together.”
“So don’t worry about the money and the greedy b**tards that think they control everybody; they always lose in the end. And they’re all going in the grave eventually. They think they’re winning, but they’re losing because their lives are worthless,” he added.
He also voiced his frustration with Hollywood’s financial demands, arguing that the projects closest to actors’ hearts often offer the lowest pay. The five-time Oscar nominee said, “There’s a direct correlation. I find that the more you love a project, the less you get paid. If you want to beat the algorithm, it’s very difficult to do that and be paid.”
Hawke’s criticism of Hollywood is not new. In a 2025 appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, he described celebrity as “a tiny drop of mercury.” He also compared it to poison for the brain. The actor warned that becoming a professional actor at a young age could be dangerous. Hawke, who gained widespread recognition for starring as Todd Anderson in the 1989 drama film Dead Poets Society, explained that the risks were “extremely insidious.” He added that people could find these dangers very difficult to recognize while experiencing them.
