It’s Absurd That Ethan Hawke Didn’t Get an Oscar Nomination for This Brilliant 2010s Drama You Can Watch for Free
Ethan Hawke delivered one of his most powerful performances as Reverend Toller in Paul Schrader’s 2018 film First Reformed. Despite decades of consistent excellence across different genres and production scales, the actor did not receive an Academy Award nomination for the role.
For more than thirty years, Hawke has proven to be one of cinema’s most versatile figures—a character actor inside a movie star’s frame. His 2025 projects, Black Phone 2 and Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon, again demonstrate his extraordinary range, shifting effortlessly from villainy to emotionally nuanced artistry.
In First Reformed, Hawke portrays a troubled pastor in upstate New York grappling with despair and faith. Collaborating with Paul Schrader, a master of psychological and spiritual torment, he delivered a subdued yet electrifying performance filled with quiet fury and deep introspection.
“Despite proverbially setting the screen on fire with his simmering rage and haunted aura, Hawke was rudely snubbed of an Oscar nomination.”
The film itself explores humanity’s confrontation with ecological doom and moral paralysis in the face of global warming. Ironically, it marked Schrader’s first-ever Oscar nomination, awarded only for Best Original Screenplay—leaving Hawke’s performance unrecognized yet unforgettable.
Author’s Summary
Ethan Hawke’s mesmerizing turn in First Reformed stands as a glaring omission from the Oscars, a haunting portrait of faith and despair unmatched in his esteemed career.
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