"They don't sell"— Ethan Hawke claims there is no demand for "offensive art" while discussing the risks of filmmaking

Ethan Hawke the American actor, and Richard Linklater, the American director addressed the role of risk-taking in art at the Berlin Film Festival press conference for their new film, Blue Moon, on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. Hawke expressed concerns that "offensive art" is becoming increasingly rare in the industry due to financial priorities.

Ethan Hawke's statements tie into Blue Moon, which explores the theme of offensive art through the story of Lorenz Hart (played by Hawke), a lyricist partner of Richard Rodgers, who struggles with alcoholism and depression. In the film, Hart criticizes Oklahoma! for being inoffensive and having an overly cheerful ending, mirroring Hawke's concerns about modern filmmaking.

"Audiences have to care. They don't sell. You guys, the community, has to make it important. For offensive art to have a place in our conversation, it has to be cared about," Ethan Hawke said.

Ethan Hawke stated that prioritizing money above all else results in generic material designed to appeal to the broadest audience, which is then presented as the best. He explained that this is a collective process and emphasized that if people want offensive art, they must actively demand it, as it is not being made due to a perceived lack of profitability.

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Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater discuss Blue Moon

The film is set on the opening night of Oklahoma!, Rodgers' first musical with Oscar Hammerstein II. Ethan Hawke's character criticizes the show for being inoffensive and having an overly cheerful ending. Richard Linklater expanded on the topic, stating:

"Offensive times conjure up offensive art maybe. But movies particularly have always been escapism, and in our movie, he's accusing Oklahoma! of being escapist in the middle of the horrors of WWII. So I don't know, I think most human psyches want to escape a bit. There's probably less offensive art now than there has been in the past."

Blue Moon marks Ethan Hawke and Linklater's first film together in over a decade, since 2014's Boyhood. Alongside Hawke, the film stars Andrew Scott as Rodgers, Margaret Qualley as Elizabeth Weiland, and Bobby Cannavale as a bartender named Eddie. The duo has collaborated on nine films, including the Before trilogy, The Newton Boys, and Fast Food Nation.

At a Venice Film Festival talk last year, Ethan Hawke recounted how Linklater had envisioned Blue Moon over a decade ago but believed Hawke was "still too attractive" for the role at the time.

"He's like, 'Cool, we're going to make it, but we need to wait a while.' Why do we need to wait a while? He said, 'You're still too attractive. We gotta wait till you're a little less attractive,'" Ethan Hawke recalled, as stated by Variety on February 18, 2025.

During the press conference, Linklater also spoke about the artistic freedom that comes with lower-budget filmmaking.

"I don't think I've compromised at all over the years. We have no pressure. We do whatever we want. This was a small-budget movie. There's no test screenings or anything like that," he said.

He emphasized that Hollywood often forces compromises on filmmakers, but his independent approach has allowed him to maintain his creative vision.

Blue Moon will have its official premiere at the Berlin Film Festival on Tuesday, February 18. The festival, which runs from February 13-23, is known for highlighting bold and artistic films. The film was financed by Sony Pictures Classics and Renovo Media Group, continuing Linklater's long-standing relationship with Sony, which distributed his past films Slacker, Suburbia, and Before Midnight.