Ethan Hawke opens up about audition rivalry with Billy Crudup

Ethan Hawke has recalled his early years of acting career and how often he would compete with fellow actor who later became his close friend.

On Wednesday, February 4, during an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 55-year-old actor named Billy Crudup, who “happens to be a friend of mine — but not at first,”

The veteran star explained, “Because we used to go up — we used to audition for everything [together].”

Continuing, “you know when you're a kid, you think you're against everybody, right? You don't understand that there's room for everybody to find themselves, to do their thing.”

Hawke remembered that he used to wait outside audition rooms where Crudup got the chance to perform first. 

"And he was so good. It was so irritating," he joked.

Another breaking point moment of his career, where he, “was offered a play once — I think he knows this — and I had to say no to it, because I was doing a movie.” 

Referring to the Tom Stoppard play, he added “And they gave him the part, and then his career blew up.”

In a lighthearted manner, he joked, “And sometimes, I just want to go back in time, take the part, to stop his career.”

The pair united on stage in The Coast of Utopia, honouring both the nomination of Tony Award.

It is worth mentioning that Hawke marked his first Best Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of lyricist Lorenz Hart in the 2025 Richard Linklater film Blue Moon.

Blue Moon will be released on Netflix on February 14, 2026.