Ethan Hawke dished about sexual fidelity in a recent interview, during which he called society’s views of both adultery and monogamy ‘outdated.’ Formerly married to Uma Thurman, the actor also talked about meeting his ex-wife on the set of 1997’s Gattaca.
“People have such a childish view of monogamy and fidelity,” Hawke said in the interview. “‘He’s cheated so he’s bad, she’s cheated so she’s bad’, as opposed to a recognition that our species is not monogamous. To act all indignant, that your world has been rocked because your lover wasn’t faithful to you, is a little bit like acting rocked that your hair went grey.”
When asked if he is monogamous, he replied, “I am, but in Before Midnight there is the threat of sexual attraction to others and maintaining your sexual identity with your partner over a long period of time. Human beings are sexual beings.”
How secure do you suppose Ethan Hawke’s present wife, Ryan Shawhughes, who incidentally was his and Uma Thurman’s nanny, feels about her husband’s bold statement? He maintains he is very happy with her.
“My relationship with my present wife is thrilling to me and I’m committed to it,” he says. “But neither she nor I know what shape the future will come in. Sexual fidelity can’t be the whole thing you hang your relationship on. If you really love somebody you want them to grow, but you don’t get to define how that happens. They do.”
Do you suppose Hawke and Shawhughes have a nanny?
With regard to ex-wife, Uma Thurman, Ethan Hawke sort of refers to her as an accoutrement that came along with his film role.
“We tried to be as optimistic as we could be: we all want to believe in love and the possibility of love. The older you get, the more you realise how powerful love is. You understand the right ways for emotion to lead your life and the dangerous ways. I don’t regret marrying early. Gattaca was a great moment in my life and a great moment in Uma Thurman’s life and we fell madly in love and wanted to do all that.”
One of Hawke’s daughter’s from his marriage to Thurman once balked at his candid nature, saying he really should think of his children before making some of the comments he is rather famous for making. It certainly sounds like she might need to get on his case again.
This Twitter follower sums things up rather accurately, it seems.
I just read quotes from Ethan Hawke in @MRPORTERLIVE re fidelity. He thinks he is enlightened but it's so painfully obvious he's confused.
— Comfortably Southern (@Myssatx) November 29, 2013
It will be fun to see how late night comedians like Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon and David Letterman interpret Ethan Hawke’s recent comments. It also seems pretty likely he’ll be poked fun of on Saturday Night Live.
Hawke’s most recent film, Cymbeline, opened in theaters on Friday. It also stars Dakota Johnson and Milla Jojovich.
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