Actor Ethan Hawke is set to direct a documentary about the lives of Hollywood stars Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.
Hawke promises to provide a “rare and exclusive look at the careers of both actors and a complex 50-year relationship that ultimately managed to beat incredible odds.” He recently provided a list of his favourite Newman films for Empire Magazine.
After meeting on Broadway in the early 1950s and working on 1958 film The Long, Hot Summer, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward married later in the year. They were married for 50 years until Newman’s death in 2008. At the time, the two were noted for their decision to live away from Hollywood and raise their family in Connecticut.
This allowed for the pair to be involved outside of Hollywood; Newman was a fan of race car driving and founded food company Newman’s Own in 1982. Both lifelong political activists, Newman found himself on President Nixon’s “Enemies List.”
Newman’s most popular roles came in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Hud. Woodward won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in 1957 film The Three Faces of Eve. At age 90, she is currently the oldest living Best Actress winner. Newman and Woodward worked together in films including A New Kind of Love, Rachel, Rachel and Mr. and Mrs. Bridge.
Hawke is known for his roles in the Before trilogy, Training Day and Boyhood. This is his second documentary following 2014’s Seymour: An Introduction, which focuses on the life of classical pianist Seymour Bernstein’s decision to abandon performing in exchange for a private life. He also directed 2018 film Blaze, a biopic about country musician Blaze Foley.
Hawke is currently in production of The Northman, the next film by The Lighthouse director Robert Eggers.
Words by Sarah Storer
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