Ethan Hawke Reveals He Would See Pal Billy Crudup at 'Every Audition': 'So Irritating!'

Ethan Hawke recently opened up about his early rivalry with fellow actor Billy Crudup during an appearance on The Tonight Show. The conversation took place in a setting designed to resemble the famous Sardi's restaurant in New York City, where Hawke pointed out Crudup’s portrait hanging on the wall.

"You know what's kind of funny is right behind me, you've got Billy Crudup, who happens to be a friend of mine, but not at first because we used to audition for everything," Hawke told host Jimmy Fallon. The actor explained that during their initial auditions, he felt as though he was competing against Crudup for roles.

Hawke admitted that seeing Crudup at every audition stirred mixed emotions within him.

“I would see him at every audition,” he said. “I'd often have to be outside the room and listen to him do the scene before me. And he was so good! It was so irritating!”

The tension between them reached a peak when Hawke was offered a role in a Tom Stoppard play but had to decline due to scheduling conflicts with a film. “In fact, I was offered a play once — I think he knows this — and I had to say no to it because I was doing a movie. And they gave him the part and then his career took off,” Hawke recalled.

Despite the competitive nature of their early careers, Hawke expressed a light-hearted desire to change the past.

“Sometimes I just want to go back in time and take the part to stop his career,” he joked, prompting laughter from Fallon.

This moment of levity highlighted the bond that has since formed between the two actors. Fallon chimed in, saying, “Of course! We must stop Billy Crudup! He's too talented!”

While Hawke did not specify which play he was referencing, it’s notable that Crudup gained significant acclaim following his Broadway debut in a 1995 production of Stoppard's Arcadia. The role helped launch his career, and he later revisited the character during a 2011 revival.

Fallon shared a touching moment when he surprised Crudup with his Sardi's portrait earlier this year.

“He literally teared up,” Fallon recounted. “Started getting, like, really hot and kind of flustered and almost started crying.”

Hawke concluded by affirming Crudup’s talent, stating, “That story, actually, tells all of you watching this how real Sardi's is and what it means to people who do what we do.”