Hawke's next film role was in Michael Almereyda's 2000 film "Hamlet", in which he played the title character. The film transposed the famous William Shakespeare play to contemporary New York City, a technique Hawke felt made the play more "accessible and vital". "Salon" reviewer wrote: "Hawke certainly isn't the greatest Hamlet of living memory ... but his performance reinforces Hamlet's place as Shakespeare's greatest character. And in that sense, he more than holds his own in the long line of actors who've played the part." In 2001, Hawke appeared in two more Linklater movies: "Waking Life" and "Tape", both critically praised. In the animated "Waking Life", he shared a single scene with former co-star Delpy continuing conversations begun in "Before Sunrise". The real-time drama "Tape", based on a play by Stephen Belber, takes place entirely in a single motel room with three characters played by Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, and Uma Thurman. Hawke regarded "Tape" as his "first adult performance", a performance commended by Ebert for showing "both physical and verbal acting mastery".