Ethan Hawke is opening up about one of the most difficult chapters of his life, his divorce from Uma Thurman.
In a new profile with GQ UK, the actor reflected on the intense media attention that surrounded their split in 2004, admitting that even praise felt hard to bear at the time.
“It’s almost humiliating even when they’re saying positive things,” he shared.
Hawke and Thurman first met on the set of the 1997 film Gattaca.
Describing the connection actors often feel while working closely together, Hawke explained, “There’s a certain intimacy to the work that we do. Imaginative intimacy.”
He compared that feeling to a high-stakes game, saying, “It’s such a high. It feels dangerous and thrilling.”
For him, the emotions on set could feel like “falling in love at summer camp,” but he admitted the spark doesn’t always translate into real life. “It doesn’t have any connection to the dailiness of real life. That’s the danger of it.”
Just a year after meeting, Hawke and Thurman married and went on to welcome two children together, Maya, now 27, best known for Stranger Things, and Levon, 23.
By 2005, however, their marriage had ended.
Thurman filed for divorce amid speculation that Hawke was involved with the family’s nanny, Ryan Shawhughes.
Although he denied the rumours, Hawke began dating Shawhughes following the separation. The two married in 2008 and are now parents to daughters Clementine, 17, and Indiana, 14.
For her part, Thurman chose not to speak negatively about Hawke after the split.
In a 2006 interview with Parade, she said, “I cannot participate in anything critical about my children’s father. I just need to keep peace. I think it’s fair to say that I haven’t said one mean thing, and I’m not going to start now. It’s terrible for my family.”
Thurman later moved on with financier Arpad Busson, with whom she shares daughter Luna, now 11.
Their relationship was on-and-off for several years before ending in 2014. More recently, Thurman has been linked to Bloomberg executive Justin B. Smith and architect Peter Sabbeth.
Hawke’s candid reflection shows just how complicated love, fame, and family can be, especially when lived in the public eye.
