Access to this event is included with a purchase of Ethan Hawke’s reading of Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead. Purchase both here.
Actor-writer-director Ethan Hawke, whose recorded reading of Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead is now available on 92Y’s website, discusses that and other projects with theater critic and biographer John Lahr, who recently profiled him for The New Yorker.
“In the decades since Hawke made his name as a shy, baby-faced teen-ager in Dead Poets Society (1989), his face has become craggy, and he has achieved a full-blown, happy maturity as a rough-edged, raucous actor,” wrote Lahr. “The range of Hawke’s roles—a romantic charmer (in the Before trilogy), a drug-addled Chet Baker (in Born to be Blue) a guilt-ridden suicidal priest (in First Reformed), to name just a few—is a reflection of his expansive empathy. Whether writing, directing, acting, or producing, he spends most of his waking hours thinking about storytelling.”
For Hawke, breathing life into the world of Marilynne Robinson’s old preacher was both a passion project and tribute to a favorite author. “Gilead has always been deeply moving to me. You leave the book feeling grateful for being alive,” he said. “The world feels so rocky right now. It’s kind of nice to have Robinson’s peace—to touch it like a stone.”
92Y needs your help. We are facing tremendous financial losses due to COVID-19. Your ticket purchase helps sustain our beloved institution and supports the creation of new, online programming that will bring comfort and inspiration to our community. Please consider donating today at 92Y.org/HelpNow. Thank you.