The upcoming film Blue Moon delves into the tragic final chapter of lyricist Lorenz Hart, pushing legendary collaborators Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke to new artistic frontiers after over three decades of working together.
For over 30 years, director Richard Linklater and actor Ethan Hawke have cultivated one of Hollywood’s most enduring creative partnerships. Their shared Texas roots and artistic sensibilities have led to eight films together, a testament to a collaboration built on mutual understanding and a willingness to explore cinematic boundaries. However, their latest venture, Blue Moon, presented a unique challenge that tested their bond and pushed both artists into uncharted territory, demanding a “vastly different dynamic,” as noted by AP News.
The Unconventional Director and the Actor’s Challenge
Linklater himself joked that the intensity of the production might have driven Hawke to “punch him” had their friendship not been so strong. This candid admission underscores the rigorous demands of portraying lyricist Lorenz Hart, a role Hawke had considered for over a decade. Linklater described his approach as uncharacteristically “nagging,” an unusual shift from his typical directorial style, which he explained was necessary because “what was incumbent on Ethan was pretty massive.”
Hawke corroborated this, acknowledging the truth in Linklater’s humor. He recognized that his long-time collaborator was channeling his inner Sidney Lumet, a director known for his tough yet brilliant approach to actors. “It was shocking to me. He didn’t want us to take the work for granted, or that we were friends,” Hawke recalled, adding that Linklater aimed to give him a genuine opportunity “to stop talking about it and do it.”
A Deconstruction of Ethan Hawke
The role of Lorenz Hart required a significant transformation from Ethan Hawke. Hart was a man of stark contrasts: physically small (reported to be 5-foot-2-inches), balding, and deeply self-conscious, yet possessing an enormous personality and wit. He was a songwriting genius, an alcoholic who made himself unemployable, and a homosexual in love with a woman, navigating an era that was rapidly leaving him behind. To embody this complex figure, Hawke underwent a physical metamorphosis, shaving his head for the balding look and utilizing old-school Hollywood tricks on a micro-budget to appear smaller than his 5-foot-10-inch stature.
This intense preparation took its toll. Hawke confessed to getting terribly sick during the initial days of rehearsal, a physical manifestation of the stress. He articulated that Blue Moon necessitated a “deconstruction, and disappearance of the movie star that is Ethan Hawke,” emphasizing that “the event of the movie is Lorenz Hart and everybody’s actually supporting this portrait.” This dedication echoes Hawke’s history of embracing challenging roles, even when uncertain, as seen with his initial skepticism towards “Before Sunrise” in 1994, a project he dove into nonetheless, cementing Linklater’s belief in him as a “kindred spirit” who runs “towards the impossible.”
A Night at Sardi’s: The End of an Era
Authored by Robert Kaplow, the film’s script transports audiences to the iconic Broadway restaurant Sardi’s in 1943, on the opening night of Oklahoma!. Here, Hart holds court with a bartender, awaiting the arrival of his former collaborator, Richard Rodgers. The setting is pivotal, representing a turning point in theatrical history and Hart’s personal life.
For over two decades, Rodgers and Hart formed one of the most prolific and successful songwriting duos in history, crafting hundreds of classic songs including “My Funny Valentine,” “Isn’t It Romantic?”, “The Lady is a Tramp,” and “Blue Moon.” Their partnership was legendary, but Blue Moon focuses on its painful dissolution. With “Oklahoma!”, Rodgers had found a new lyricist in Oscar Hammerstein II, a collaboration that would yield an unprecedented string of hits like “South Pacific,” “Carousel,” “The King and I,” and “The Sound of Music.” Tragically, Lorenz Hart would die just eight months after “Oklahoma!” opened, at the age of 48, marking the end of his era.
Hawke highlights the film’s poignant core: “The country is changing, and the jazz era is ending and a new era is beginning and one of these people is going to continue on to lead and the other is going to be completely left behind.” He particularly praised the screenplay’s ability to capture Hart’s inherent duality – “absurdly jealous and simultaneously very supportive and loving. He’s wickedly funny and suicidal. He’s a homosexual in love with a woman. The correlation of opposites, that is Larry Hart.” This intricate portrayal aims to resonate with fans of classic musical theatre and biopics alike.
The Poignancy of Artistic Careers
Linklater describes Blue Moon as “this little howl into the night of an artist being left behind. It’s to live through your own extinction.” He hopes the audience will respond to it “the way you would a beautiful Rodgers and Hart song. It’s lyrical, it’s beautiful in a way, but it leaves you kind of devastated.” This sentiment reflects the profound sacrifices inherent in pursuing a life in the arts, alongside the ever-present risk of being eclipsed by cultural shifts.
Ethan Hawke, with his decades-long career, can personally attest to these challenges, recalling three distinct moments where he felt “washed up.” He reflects on the “waves” of career uncertainty that artists must navigate, an experience that led him to contemplate his mentors from the 1980s theater scene, many of whom were closeted like Hart and viewed their craft as a “spiritual calling.” One such mentor, the late Richard Easton, profoundly influenced Hawke, telling him, “one lifetime is not enough” to learn what’s needed to be a truly great actor. Hawke found this attitude incredibly valuable, creating a “perpetual sense of learning” that proved essential for his demanding role in Blue Moon.
Interestingly, Blue Moon is one of two Linklater films about artists releasing this month. The other, Novelle Vague, focuses on the genesis of Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless” and the beginnings of a career. In contrast, Blue Moon explores its end. “There’s a poignancy to art careers,” Linklater observed, “I think we all think we’re just going to run the table and do this until the day we die. But things get in the way.”
Despite the “tough love” involved in making Blue Moon, the creative partnership between Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke remains strong. No arguments erupted, and Hawke successfully rose to the monumental challenge, delivering a performance that aims to be both devastating and lyrical, much like the timeless songs of Rodgers and Hart. This deep dive into the film’s production and themes was made possible by insights from AOL.com and interviews with the Associated Press.
