Ethan Hawke on Oscar Nomination and Leading The Weight at Sundance

At the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, Collider's Perri Nemiroff sat with the cast and crew of The Weight, where Ethan Hawke discussed receiving his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of lyricist Lorenz Hart in Richard Linklater's Blue Moon.

Hawke called the nomination "It feels so special," and reflected that he has "put in the hours" and dedicated his life to making movies, saying the moment feels incredibly meaningful.

He also stars in The Weight, directed by Padraic McKinley, an old-school historical adventure set in the 1930s that follows Murphy, a Vietnam veteran who undertakes a dangerous gold-smuggling journey to try to reunite with his young daughter.

At Sundance the team discussed the physically taxing production, how the script evolved, and working with Russell Crowe; The Weight is listed with a June 18, 2026 release date and a runtime of 112 minutes.

ethan hawke, academy award nomination, best actor, lorenz hart, blue moon, richard linklater, the weight, padraic mckinley, 2026 sundance film festival, murphy, vietnam veteran, gold-smuggling journey, russell crowe, perri nemiroff