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In a recent interview with IndieWire, Moon Knight star Ethan Hawke spoke about director Peter Weir's career as a director. While promoting his docuseries The Last Movie Stars, Hawke talked about the potential reason as to why Weir has not worked in the last decade after his 2010 film The Way Back.
Hawke, who appeared in Weir's 1989 film Dead Poets Society, said that stars like Johnny Depp and Russell Crowe could be responsible for the Australian filmmaker's 12-year-long hiatus from directorial projects.
The 51-year-old Texas native further revealed that he is doubtful as to whether Weir and he will collaborate on a future project since the former has been inactive in the industry for a long time. Weir and Hawke have only worked on one project together, that is the Oscar-winning film Dead Poets Society which gave Hawke his first big break in Hollywood.
This revelation comes amid the news of Weir being listed as an Honorary Oscar candidate by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is set to receive the recognition in November this year, which would make it his first Oscar after being nominated six times.
Peter Weir's legacy
Currently in his late 70s, Peter Lindsay Weir is an Australian director. The filmmaker is best known for renowned films like Dead Poets Society (1989), Green Card (1990), and The Truman Show (1998).
Peter Weir has only directed 30 projects since his foray into the industry in 1967. Weir has garnered over six Oscar nominations during his career, which spans four decades. As mentioned before, the retired director is set to receive his Honorary Oscar in November 2022.
Meanwhile, he has also been nominated for the Golden Globes four times. According to the British Film Institute, Weir is one of the cinema pioneers during the Australian New Wave.
What did Ethan Hawke say about Peter Weir?
During his interview with IndieWire's Eric Kohn, Ethan Hawke was asked why Peter Weir had not made a movie since the release of The Way Back in 2010. Hawke said:
"I think he lost interest in movies. He really enjoyed that work when he didn't have actors giving him a hard time. Russell Crowe and Johnny Depp broke him. He's someone so rare these days, a popular artist. He makes mainstream movies that are artistic."
Hawke's comment might have referred to some internal controversies which involved Russell Crowe and Johnny Depp, who either worked or were in talks to work with Weir.
Crowe starred in the Australian filmmaker's Oscar-winning 2003 project, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. While it is not known what exactly happened during the production of the film, Crowe's response from early 2021 insinuated that there is no bad blood between Weir and him. However, neither of them ever confirmed the controversy in the first place.
Last year, Crowe replied to a negative tweet about the film and mentioned:
"Peter Weirs film is brilliant. An exacting, detail oriented, epic tale of fidelity to Empire & service, regardless of the cost."
Meanwhile, Johnny Depp was supposed to star in Peter Weir's adaptation of Gregory David Roberts' Shantaram. However, in June 2006, it was reported that the Sydney native had left the project due to creative differences.
During his interview, The Black Phone star Ethan Hawke further remarked on the kind of actors Weir would possibly like to work with. He said:
"To have the budget to do "The Truman Show" or "Master and Commander," you need a Jim Carrey or Russell Crowe. I think Harrison Ford and Gerard Depardieu were his sorts of actors. They were director-friendly and didn't see themselves as important."
Internet reacts to Ethan Hawke's claims about director Peter Weir's departure from Hollywood
Following the reports of Hawke's statements, numerous individuals took to Twitter to point out how Johnny Depp was allegedly responsible for Weir's retirement. Meanwhile, fans of Weir chose to recognize and celebrate the legacy left behind by him instead of focusing on the negatives.
Contradictory comments also appeared on YouTube.
Those who refused to accept Ethan Hawke's statement reasoned that he did not elaborate on his remarks. Hawke did not clarify his comments as to how Johnny Depp and Russell Crowe 'broke' the Australian filmmaker.
Peter Weir seems to have completely retired from the industry as he has not been involved with any projects in any capacity since 2010.
