“I felt like I had been sabotaged”: After Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke Had Trouble Working With Denzel Washington After Actor Nearly Pushed Him to Quit

Working with some of the best in the business might not always be the most pleasant experience for an actor, and the same thing occurred for Ethan Hawke back in the early 2000s. By the time the 2000s arrived, Hawke was already an established star, thanks to his performance in critically acclaimed gems, including Dead Poets Society and Before Sunrise.

But it was Denzel Washington’s Training Day that skyrocketed Hawke’s career to the top, earning him his first Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor. However, the screen test for the movie didn’t go according to the Before Sunrise Star’s plans, as he almost lost the part due to Washington.

Ethan Hawke Was Pissed at Denzel Washington After His Training Day Screen Test

Even though the studios didn’t want Ethan Hawke to star as Jake Hoyt in Antoine Fuqua’s Training Day, Denzel Washington and the director were adamant about getting Hawke on board. This resulted in Hawke joining forces with The Equalizer Star for a screen test, but things didn’t go according to plans, at least for The Black Phone Star. Reflecting on the matter, Hawke recalled being pissed at Denzel Washington, as Washington went off-script during the screen test, but the Hamlet Star was surprised when he eventually secured the part. Hawke recounted,

“Denzel went totally off book during my test. And I walked out debating about whether to go back in and tell them all to go to hell because you know I felt like I had been sabotaged because we didn’t do anything that was on the page.  And I didn’t think that was fair because he had the part.”

“I was in LA, I was sitting outside about to-I was thinking about going in and telling them to just go to hell. And then I got the call saying yeah, they — it went great, they want you. I was like, ‘Oh, they did?’”

While Ethan Hawke was lucky enough to secure the job, this wasn’t the case for Robin Williams. Despite being the frontrunner for 1993’s Philadelphia, Williams was eventually dropped from the equation after Washington approached the director, who was adamant about working with Washington for years.

Things Became Much Smoother After the Production Started

Despite not having the most pleasant experience during the screen test process, fortunately for Ethan Hawke, things couldn’t have gone more smoothly after Training Day’s production started. Considering working with Denzel Washington challenged him to elevate his level, the Sinister Star loved the filming process and had nothing but admiration for everyone involved.

“I love somebody set the bar high for crying out loud, you know,” he said.  “I mean everybody just is so complacent, you know it’s like they’re waiting for Martin Scorsese to show up to give them permission to do great work. Why not do it now? Why not do it with your friends, you know?”

Following his brilliance, Hawke landed the first of his four Oscar nods, and since working alongside one of the best in the business, the actor’s career just kept on ascending.

Training Day is available to stream on Max.