Movie star Ethan Hawke has expressed his frustration with a recent trend in the film industry.
Ethan Hawke finds it “crazy” that actors get cast based on their Instagram following.
The 54-year-old actor is baffled by the idea that social media followers are considered by some casting directors to be more important than talent and experience.
Speaking at the Berlin Film Festival, Ethan explained: “I really feel for these people. It’s really hard. Sometimes I’ll be setting a movie up and someone will say, ‘Oh, you should cast Suzie.’ I’m like, ‘Who is she?’ ‘She has ten million followers.’ I’m like, ‘OK cool, has she acted before?’ ‘No, but…’ And you’re like, ‘Wow, so this is going to help me get the movie made? This is crazy.’
“So if I don’t have this public-facing [platform], I don’t have a career? And if I get more followers I might get that part? What?”
Ethan observed that so many young performers “think being an actor is protein shakes and going to the gym”.
The Hollywood star continued: “I wish they could meet Phil Hoffman like I did when I was 18, because it’s a much more substantive and enjoyable life.
“I mean, go to the gym if you want to, but that doesn’t make you – Robert De Niro is not great because he has a six-pack. If the part calls for it, he’ll do it, and that’s awesome. But he’s so much more than that.”
Despite this, Maya Hawke – Ethan’s daughter – has actually been teaching the veteran actor how to use social media apps like Instagram.
Ethan said: “She’s like, ‘Dad, you need an Instagram account … That was a terrible post dad, get rid of it.’
“But she’s an artist, my daughter. You can’t stop her. She’s always creative: painting, singing, writing music, acting. I don’t worry about her, she’ll figure that out. But I learn a lot from her now.”
Maya, 26, recently claimed that directors are facing increasing pressure to hire actors and actresses who have big social media followings.
The actress has actually been warned against deleting her own Instagram account by film directors, who suggested that it could harm her career prospects.
Maya – who is best known for starring in the hit Netflix series ‘Stranger Things’ – said on the ‘Happy Sad Confused’ podcast: “I’m talking about deleting my Instagram and [some directors are] like, ‘Just so you know when I’m casting a movie with some producers, they hand me a sheet with the amount of collective followers I have to get from the cast.’
“So if you delete your Instagram and I lose those followers, understand these are the kinds of people I need to cast around you.'”
Ethan Hawke: It’s crazy to base casting decisions on Instagram followers
