Ethan Hawke's bloodthirsty villain in The Black Phone is officially one of the few characters he has portrayed thus far in his career whose actions and morality he simply cannot defend. The Black Phone is inspired by a popular 2004 short story of the same name that was written by Stephen King's son, Joe Hill.
The Universal and Blumhouse film is set in a suburban, incredibly ominous town in 1978, where thousands of kids continuously keep going missing. The Black Phone follows 13-year-old Finney, when he is suddenly abducted by the infamous serial child killer, otherwise referred to as 'The Grabber' (Hawke). The tortuous, corrupted villain ends up locking Finney in his soundproof basement. However, Finley quickly realizes that he is able to converse and talk to the ghost of the killer's past victims through the discovery of a black phone he finds. It is through the assistance and help of these ghost children that Finley has the small hope of making it out alive and out-smarting the killer's murderous tactics.
Fans who have been accustomed to Hawke know he is more likely to take on the protagonist role in films. Despite the actor most recently taking more of a dark leap and dipping his toes in the horror genre with his appearances in Taking Lives, Daybreakers, and Sinister, he is still largely recognized as the 'good guy.' Yet, The Black Phone might be Hawke's most violent and petrifying role yet. In a recent interview with Uproxx, Hawke was asked about his upcoming role in The Black Phone and to describe his character.
Although Hawke has been cast as frightening villains before, his role in The Black Phone is a big leap and change from the past roles he is known for portraying thus far in his filmography. “He’s pretty reprehensible. My whole life people say, ‘Well, did you like your character?’ Or whatever, and I say, ‘I don’t think in judgement of my character.’ My line is that I’m my character’s lawyer," Hawke said. "I see the world. I defend his position. I justify his actions, but there is no lawyer in the world that wants to have The Grabber as his client.”
Hawke is usually accustomed to being able to relate to the past characters he has portrayed, as was the case with his Moon Knight villain. However, he is slowly coming to terms with the fact that when you portray villains, that same level of connection, reasoning, and logic may not always be there.
The Black Phone is now playing in theaters.
Source: Uproxx