Ethan Hawke says fatherhood gave him ‘a reason to live’

NEW YORK – Thirty-five years ago, Ethan Hawke couldn’t get out of the woods fast enough.

At 19, the actor spent six months in Alaska filming 1991’s “White Fang,” an experience that was equal parts “incredible” and “grueling.”

“I saw a 2,000-pound bear,” Hawke recalls on a recent visit to USA TODAY’s studio. “I was chased by a moose, watched eagles rip salmon from the water and had week-long delays because of snow. … I found myself in the middle of nowhere thinking, ‘How can I get back to New York theater?’ ”

Now, Hawke is once again braving the elements in “The Weight” (in theaters Sept. 18), a heart-pounding wilderness thriller set in 1930s Oregon. The five-time Oscar nominee plays down-on-his-luck widower Samuel Murphy, who is separated from his young daughter, Penny (Avy Berry), and sent to a labor camp after a skirmish with police.

While there, an unscrupulous warden (Russell Crowe) offers him early release if he smuggles gold out of a remote mine. And over a days-long trek through the mountains, Murphy is faced with tempestuous rivers, punishing weather and betrayal by his fellow prisoners.

After directing the 2022 Paul Newman docuseries “The Last Movie Stars,” Hawke…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/entertainment/