Hot Topic: Ethan Hawke

ethan hawke

Photo: Eric Charbonneau

It's that time of year again when horror films take over the box office, forcing you to cozy up during those hauntingly flinch-worthy scenes–­and Ethan Hawke's new film, Sinister, is no exception. A genre first for the actor, Hawke plays a true crime novelist ­(think Truman Capote's In Cold Blood) who becomes enthralled by an unsolved murder and moves his adorable, trusting (but damned) family into the crime scene to disinter the scoop. As Hawke told, "Expect to be terrified." Read on to find out why Hawke loves Halloween, and get the official scoop on his next Before film.

Name: Ethan Hawke

Age: 41

Provence: New York and New Jersey (by way of Austin, Texas)

Relationship status: Married to Ryan Shawhughes-Hawke

On being a writer, playing a writer: "What's really hard about writing is being by yourself with your thoughts. There's something actually terrifying about that. And I think there's a long history of horror movies that play on that idea of leaving somebody alone with their imagination and watching them go mad from it."

On fears and demons: "I fear for my life every day, because I love being alive, and I don't want to die. Though I've fought many monsters in my day, never did I fear for my life from something like [the film's] Mr. Boogie."

On Halloween: "I've got memories of winning second prize at the costume contest. I was a vampire. I deserved to take first prize. But my parents were the judges. I'm still angry about that. [But] I like Halloween because girls dress up. That's why I like Halloween. Not for any other reason. I like anything they want to wear."

On being a heroic father: "Oh god, if I answer this question, they'll mock me. There's no right way to answer that. [My children's] simple existence has been heroic, but I feel that way about anybody."

On defending the title­ Before Midnight for the third Before installment: "What comes first, sunrise or sunset? Sunrise, right. Then, sunset. What comes after that? Midnight. There you go. That's how we got the title. We just finished shooting a couple of weeks ago. People turn into pumpkins at midnight. It's very unusual."