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 a remarkable performance as Reverend Toller in Paul Schrader’s 2018 film First Reformed, a role that deserved an Oscar nomination. For over 30 years, Hawke has proven himself a versatile actor capable of excelling in a wide range of genres and roles.
Versatility and Career Highlights
Hawke’s talent spans from playing intense horror villains to complex auteur-driven characters. His recent work in 2025, including Black Phone 2 and Richard Linklater's Blue Moon, showcases the depth and range that define his career. Known as a classic everyman with subtle sophistication, Hawke’s evolution as an actor has been extraordinary, especially highlighted in Linklater’s acclaimed Before trilogy.
First Reformed: A Career-Best Role
In First Reformed, Hawke embodies a troubled church pastor wrestling with dark thoughts amid environmental collapse anxieties, bringing a haunting, simmering intensity to the screen. His collaboration with Paul Schrader, a master of tortured character studies, resulted in one of the decade’s finest films.
"Ethan Hawke was rudely snubbed of an Oscar nomination despite proverbially setting the screen on fire with his simmering rage and haunted aura."
Paul Schrader’s Recognition
Paradoxically, despite Hawke’s absence from the Oscar nominations, First Reformed earned Paul Schrader his first Academy Award nod for Best Original Screenplay—signaling critical acclaim for the film’s powerful narrative.
"Paul Schrader's first nomination in his long and storied career earned the film's lone nomination for Best Original Screenplay."
Author’s Summary
Ethan Hawke's exceptional, career-defining performance in First Reformed was unjustly overlooked by the Oscars, highlighting a significant snub in 2010s cinema.