(Credits: Far Out / Bryan Berlin)
Wed 18 February 2026 12:38, UK
Ethan Hawke has shared his thoughts on the recent debate surrounding the place of politics within art, as well as the rise of fascism and the conflict in Gaza, at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.
When Hawke was asked what his position was on artists raising their voice to fight fascism, the Before Sunset actor began with a warning: “The last place you probably want to look for advice in your spiritual counsel is a bunch of jet-lagged, drunk artists talking about their films.”
However, the 55-year-old continued his thought, adding, “I believe in the power of cinema to affect… You know how every night we all dream and those dreams kind of heal us and get us ready for the next day? I feel like, collectively, the whole festival — all of you, all of us here — are responsible for creating an international dream life. What is it? What are our dreams? What are we talking about?”
Hawke then related the question to The Weight, the upcoming historical drama in which Hawke stars as a Veteran attempting to save his family during the Great Depression, noting that “at its core, it’s about a group of people who don’t think they have anything in common who band together to fight institutional greed and malevolence. And that’s worth fighting for.”
However, he finished with a striking, simplistic response to the original question, “Anything that fights fascism, I’m all for it.”
This question comes at an interesting time for Berlinale, which has been at the centre of controversy this year after head juror Wim Wenders said “we should stay out of politics” during the opening press conference, in response to a question about the German government’s funding of the festival and its complicity with Israel.
More than 80 names who have previously appeared at the Berlin Film Festival, including the likes of Swinton and Bardem, have since signed an open letter on February 17th to say they are “dismayed” at these actions.
In light of this, a reporter asked Hawke for his opinion on the open letter, as well as his response to the conflict in Gaza and the film festival’s complicity in the story. He responded, “The last time I spoke publicly about any of this, I was really shocked about how much animosity it was met with.”
He elaborated, “You know, people saying, ‘Actors shouldn’t talk about politics’ and things like that. And I really feel like the answer is the absolute inverse, that everybody should be — we’re all citizens of the world and all of us matter, all of us have a voice, and everybody’s welcome to disagree. That’s part of the benefit of living in a free society.”
In the case of celebrities, their opinion is usually platformed the most as they “get microphones thrown in front of our faces, but it’s not because we’re telling people what to do.”
He added, “We’re just sharing art. We’re not some of the greatest minds in the world who try to make the planet live in peace.” Nonetheless, Hawke insisted that every adult should “take care of all the children” and “the young people in our lives, and make sure they have a good world.”
Having said his piece, Hawke addressed the reporter once more: “I feel like there’s a slight agenda to your question that’s different from my agenda. But I respect you, and I respect the question.”
Berlin Film Festival will wrap up on February 22nd.
Actor Ethan Hawke declined to comment today on an open letter signed by 80+ famous artists criticizing the #Berlinale for “silence” on Gaza: “I feel like there’s a slight agenda to your question that is different to my agenda. But I respect you and I respect the question.” pic.twitter.com/LToJAFNvD7
— Tilo Jung (@TiloJung) February 17, 2026
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