It’s Absurd That Ethan Hawke Didn’t Get an Oscar Nomination for This Brilliant 2010s Drama
Ethan Hawke deserved an Oscar nomination for his role as Reverend Toller in Paul Schrader’s 2018 film, First Reformed. For over 30 years, Hawke has been a consistently reliable actor across various genres and film scales.
An archetypal character actor within a movie star’s frame, Hawke’s 2025 performances in Black Phone 2 and Richard Linklater's Blue Moon showcase his versatility. He can convincingly portray a horror villain, action hero, or deliver an intense acting display for auteur filmmakers.
As a classic everyman with a flair for subtle sophistication, Hawke’s career has evolved remarkably, notably beyond the three-decade span of Linklater’s Before trilogy. His work reached a peak in 2018 with First Reformed, where he plays a troubled pastor grappling with faith and despair in upstate New York.
Collaborating with Paul Schrader, a master of intense character studies, Hawke delivered a performance filled with simmering rage and a haunted aura. Despite this, he was shockingly overlooked for an Oscar nomination.
Equally surprising, First Reformed earned Schrader his first Oscar nod in a long career, but only for Best Original Screenplay, marking the film’s sole nomination.
"He was rudely snubbed of an Oscar nomination despite proverbially setting the screen on fire with his simmering rage and haunted aura he provides to one of the 2010s' finest films."
"The stirring psychological drama about the all-consuming fear of global apocalypse due to global warming was Paul Schrader's first nomination in his long and storied career."
Summary
Ethan Hawke’s overlooked powerhouse performance in First Reformed remains a standout in his diverse career, highlighting the often unpredictable nature of Oscar recognition.