Ethan Hawke’s bloodthirsty villain inThe Black Phoneis officially one of the few characters he has portrayed thus far in his career whose actions and morality he simply cannot defend.The Black Phoneis inspired by a popular 2004 short story of the same name that was written by Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill.
TheUniversaland Blumhouse film is set in a suburban, incredibly ominous town in 1978, where thousands of kids continuously keep going missing.The Black Phonefollows 13-year-old Finney, when he is suddenly abducted by the infamous serial child killer, otherwise referred to as ‘The Grabber’ (Hawke). The tortuous, corrupted villain ends up locking Finney in his soundproof basement. However, Finley quickly realizes that he is able to converse and talk to the ghost of the killer’s past victims through the discovery of a black phone he finds. It is through the assistance and help of these ghost children that Finley has the small hope of making it out alive and out-smarting the killer’s murderous tactics.
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Fans who have been accustomed to Hawke know he is more likely to take on the protagonist role in films. Despite the actor most recently taking more of a dark leap and dipping his toes in the horror genre with his appearances inTaking Lives,Daybreakers, andSinister,he is still largely recognized as the ‘good guy.’ Yet,The Black Phonemight be Hawke’s most violent and petrifying role yet. In a recent interview withUproxx, Hawke was asked about his upcoming role inThe Black Phoneand to describe his character.
Although Hawke has been cast as frightening villains before,his role inThe Black Phoneis a big leap and change from the past roles he is known for portraying thus far in his filmography. “He’s pretty reprehensible. My whole life people say, ‘Well, did you like your character?’ Or whatever, and I say, ‘I don’t think in judgement of my character.’ My line is that I’m my character’s lawyer," Hawke said. “I see the world. I defend his position. I justify his actions, but there is no lawyer in the world that wants to have The Grabber as his client.”
Hawke is usually accustomed to being able to relate to the past characters he has portrayed, as was the case withhisMoon Knightvillain. However, he is slowly coming to terms with the fact that when you portray villains, that same level of connection, reasoning, and logic may not always be there.
