Blue Moon Now Streaming
As of today, Blue Moon is available for streaming, and if you’re eager to catch Ethan Hawke’s standout performance for 2025, you might want to hurry. Though he’s up against heavyweights like Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet for the Best Actor Oscar, his work here is certainly deserving of accolades.
The film, penned and directed by Richard Linklater, marks a reunion with Hawke that goes back to their collaboration on Before Sunrise. In Blue Moon, Hawke stars as the largely unrecognizable Larry Hart. The tragicomedy is based on real events, showcasing Hart—famed for his partnership with composer Richard Rodgers, portrayed by Andrew Scott—on the night of the Broadway premiere of Oklahoma!. This was the event that led to “Rodgers and Hart” becoming “Rodgers and Hammerstein” after their initial collaboration took off.
Set entirely in a New York City bar during one night, the film captures the energy surrounding Broadway’s opening. The production cleverly employed camera techniques to evoke the appearance of the real Larry Hart, despite Hawke’s actual height of 5 feet 10 inches. Curious about how they made Hawke look shorter? Read on.
How Tall is Ethan Hawke in Real Life?
Reports indicate that Ethan Hawke stands at 5 feet 10 inches tall. During a Q&A at the Toronto Film Festival, he discussed the complexities of perception. “The challenge is to understand how the world views each of us differently,” Hawke stated. “Much of our self-worth is rooted in how others see us, and that can be very difficult. People are heightists! I mean, they really are. That makes him angry because everyone sees Larry as something less than that. That was his whole life.”
How Did Blue Moon Transform Ethan Hawke?
To create the illusion of a 5-foot-tall character, Linklater utilized various methods, including costumes, strategic set design, and camera angles. Hawke explained in an interview that they avoided digital effects to maintain realism. “Rick didn’t want any digital effects, because this movie is so rooted in realism. We just used all the traditional sets,” he shared. There were countless techniques employed, from altering floor levels to hanging artwork differently to achieve different perspectives.
Beyond simply changing his surroundings, Hawke also made physical alterations for the role, including a unique hairstyle. “I grew my hair long and shaved this part,” he explained during an appearance on the Tonight Show. He gestured to his head to emphasize the transformation. “But the end result? It wasn’t exactly a conventional look.” He noted, laughing, “Fine on set, but when it came to grabbing coffee, I looked like a complete lunatic. It was a blow to my self-esteem.”
In the same interview, he further described how the filmmakers crafted his diminutive appearance. “There were moments I walked through ditches made specifically for that purpose,” he mentioned. “The benches and paintings were adjusted to create the illusion. It was all a clever trick.” He concluded by reflecting on the character: “He was the smallest person in any room but wielded a profound presence. Full of contradictions, he embodied both bravery and insecurity, love and longing.”
