Ethan Hawke Recall How He ‘Crushed’ His Moulin Rouge Audition Before Losing The Role To Ewan McGregor

As all of us understand, among Ewan McGregor’s best performances is playing the young poet Christian in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge!. But did you understand that Ethan Hawke could have been the one to display his singing chops and star opposite Nicole Kidman? The Boyhood star remembers the time he “crushed” his Moulin Rouge! audition prior to he lost to Ewan McGregor.

Released in 2001, Moulin Rouge! is the star-crossed romance in between a young English poet and a cabaret starlet. To believe that Ethan Hawke might have become part of the Moulin Rouge! cast singing “Come What May.” In an interview with ScreenRant, Hawke discussed how he thought the audition for Moulin Rouge! was “among the best screen tests of [his] life.” He discussed:

cBoy, would I like to see that audition! The closest I’ve seen Ethan Hawke sing remained in his Oscar-nominated performance in Boyhood as the ambitious artist dad of the movie’s young lead. Hawke in fact wasn’t the only star to lose to the function of Christian. A little behind-the-scenes fact about Moulin Rouge! is that both Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger came close to landing the role. While Luhrmann applauded the singing of both stars, they were both in their early 20s, which would have been excessive of an age distinction for the then-33-year-old. This imaginative director was going more for a Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman feel.

While it might have come off as frustrating for the Dead Poets Society star not to nail the musical function, his profession did not suffer. In reality, among Hawke’s best performances that exact same year remained in Training Day, where he got his very first Oscar election for Best Supporting Actor. I’m sure that Moulin Rouge! would have been an entirely various motion picture if this Golden Globe candidate remained in it. I simply can’t envision him having the ability to have the exact same singing variety as McGregor, however, I’d require to see that audition video footage for myself to understand for sure. 

And then fate offers you a various hand when you’re set to deal with your Moulin Rouge! rival. McGregor and Hawke star together in the Apple TV+ movie Raymond and Ray, which has to do with 2 half-brothers with a complex relationship reuniting at their dad’s funeral service. This comedy-drama had its world release at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and will likewise be included in the “World Cinema” area of the 27th Busan International Film Festival. So a minimum of we understand how Ethan Hawke might have transported his character’s aggravation simply thinking of losing to his co-star!

It appears like there’s no bad blood in between Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGregor in reality. Both of these stars have actually had effective professions playing the functions that fate brought them. If you wish to see these skilled stars share the screen together for the very first time, include Raymond and Ray to your watchlist on October 21st.