Editing Ethan Hawke (section)

===1990s: ''Reality Bites'', and ''Before Sunrise''===
Hawke's next role was in the Generation X drama ''[[Reality Bites]]'' (1994), in which he played Troy Dyer, a [[slacker]] who mocks the ambitions of his girlfriend (played by [[Winona Ryder]]). Film critic [[Roger Ebert]] called Hawke's performance convincing and noteworthy: "Hawke captures all the right notes as the boorish Troy (and is so convincing it is worth noting that he has played quite different characters equally well in movies as different as "Alive" and "Dead Poets Society")."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/reality-bites-1994|title=Reality Bites|last=Ebert|first=Roger|date=February 18, 1994|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|access-date=February 3, 2009|archive-date=June 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621033820/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/reality-bites-1994|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' noted, "Mr. Hawke's subtle and strong performance makes it clear that Troy feels things too deeply to risk failure and admit he's feeling anything at all."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/18/movies/review-film-coming-of-age-in-snippets-life-as-a-twentysomething.html|title=Coming of Age in Snippets: Life as a Twentysomething|last=James|first=Caryn|date=February 18, 1994|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 19, 2012|archive-date=June 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614120650/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/18/movies/review-film-coming-of-age-in-snippets-life-as-a-twentysomething.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
The following year Hawke received critical acclaim for his performance in [[Richard Linklater]]'s 1995 drama ''[[Before Sunrise]]''. The film follows a young American man (Hawke) and a young French woman ([[Julie Delpy]]), who meet on a train and disembark in [[Vienna]], spending the night exploring the city and getting to know one another.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1995/01/27/DD52018.DTL|title=An Extraordinary Day Dawns 'Before Sunrise'|last=LaSalle|first=Mick|date=January 27, 1995|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|access-date=February 3, 2009|archive-date=October 19, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019235408/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F1995%2F01%2F27%2FDD52018.DTL|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' praised Hawke's and Delpy's performances: "[they] interact so gently and simply that you feel certain that they helped write the dialogue. Each of them seems to have something personal at stake in their performances."<ref name="barbara">{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1995/01/27/WEEKEND15835.dtl|title=Modern "Roman Holiday' alive and well in Vienna|last=Shulgasser|first=Barbara|date=January 27, 1995|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|access-date=February 3, 2009|archive-date=May 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511023430/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fe%2Fa%2F1995%2F01%2F27%2FWEEKEND15835.dtl|url-status=live}}</ref>

Away from acting, Hawke directed the music video for the 1994 song "[[Stay (I Missed You)]]", by singer-songwriter [[Lisa Loeb]], who was a member of Hawke's theater company at the time.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/dec/19/comment|title=The best Ethan Hawke scene|date=December 19, 2000|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=July 16, 2009|location=London|archive-date=May 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509005927/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/dec/19/comment|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' named Hawke and Loeb's video as its video of the year in 1994.<ref name="Spin199412">{{cite magazine |issn=0886-3032 |magazine=[[Spin magazine]] |title=A dress for success: Lisa Loeb, 'Stay' |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rxPc6mYwIxEC&pg=PA90 |page=90 |department=Video of the Year |given=Joe |surname=Levy |date=December 1994 |volume=10 |number=9 |access-date=September 23, 2021 |archive-date=October 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009154543/https://books.google.com/books?id=rxPc6mYwIxEC&pg=PA90#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> In a 2012 interview, Hawke said that the song, which was included in ''Reality Bites'', is the only number-one popular song by an unsigned artist in the history of music.<ref name="Mike" />[[Image:Ethan Hawke Austin Texas.jpg|alt=A Caucasian male with brown hair and stubble, wearing a red shirt.|thumb|upright|Hawke at the premiere of ''[[The Hottest State]]'' in [[Austin, Texas]], September 2007]]He published his first novel in 1996, ''The Hottest State'', about a love affair between a young actor and a singer. Hawke said of the novel: 
{{blockquote|Writing the book had to do with dropping out of college, and with being an actor. I didn't want my whole life to go by and not do anything but recite lines. I wanted to try making something else. It was definitely the scariest thing I ever did. And it was just one of the best things I ever did.<ref name="sunrise"/>}}The book met with a mixed reception. ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' said that Hawke "opens himself to rough literary scrutiny in ''The Hottest State''. If Hawke is serious&nbsp;... he'd do well to work awhile in less exposed venues."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,294593,00.html|title=The Hottest State&nbsp;— Book Review|last=Schwarzbaum|first=Lisa|date=October 18, 1996|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=February 5, 2009|archive-date=April 25, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425114759/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,294593,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' thought Hawke did "a fine job of showing what it's like to be young and full of confusion", concluding that ''The Hottest State'' was ultimately "a sweet love story".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/03/books/love-hurts.html|title=Love Hurts|last=Nessel|first=Jen|date=November 3, 1996|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 24, 2011|archive-date=May 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518130001/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/03/books/love-hurts.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[Andrew Niccol]]'s science fiction film ''[[Gattaca]]'' (1997), "one of the more interesting scripts" Hawke said he had read in "a number of years",<ref>{{cite news |first=Kenneth M.|last=Chanko|title=Hawke-ing the future in science-fiction thriller 'Gattaca'|date=October 26, 1997|work=[[U-T San Diego]]|page=E-6}}</ref> he played the role of a man who infiltrates a society of genetically perfect humans by assuming another man's identity. Although ''Gattaca'' was not a success at the box office,<ref name="earnings" /> it drew generally favorable reviews from critics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/gattaca|title=Gattaca (1997): Reviews|date=October 24, 1997|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=August 13, 2010|archive-date=November 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128041130/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/gattaca|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]]'' reviewer wrote that "Hawke, building on the sympathetic-but-edgy presence that has served him well since his kid-actor days, is most impressive".<ref>{{cite news |first=Michael H.|last=Price|title=Gattaca Well-conceived sci-fi|date=October 24, 1997|work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]]|page=38}}</ref> In 1998, Hawke appeared alongside [[Gwyneth Paltrow]] and [[Robert De Niro]] in ''[[Great Expectations (1998 film)|Great Expectations]]'', a contemporary film adaptation of the [[Charles Dickens]] novel of the [[Great Expectations|same name]], directed by [[Alfonso Cuarón]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9802/06/great.expectations/|title=Review: What the Dickens is 'Great Expectations'?|last=Tatara|first=Paul|date=February 6, 1998|publisher=CNN|access-date=March 20, 2011|archive-date=October 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002005551/http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9802/06/great.expectations/|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the same year, Hawke collaborated with Linklater again on ''[[The Newton Boys]]'', based on the true story of the [[Newton Gang]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/03/27/DD28206.DTL|title=Bank-Robbing 'Newton' Brothers Show Boys Will Be Boys|last=Stack|first=Peter|date=March 27, 1998|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|access-date=February 3, 2009|archive-date=July 30, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090730061706/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F1998%2F03%2F27%2FDD28206.DTL|url-status=live}}</ref> Critical reviews for each film were mixed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/great-expectations|title=The Newton Boys|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=October 16, 2017|archive-date=December 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231023711/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/great-expectations|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-newton-boys|title=Great Expectations|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=October 16, 2017|archive-date=January 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108004856/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-newton-boys|url-status=live}}</ref> The following year, Hawke starred in ''[[Snow Falling on Cedars (film)|Snow Falling on Cedars]]'', based on [[David Guterson]]'s novel of the [[Snow Falling on Cedars|same title]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/07/review.snowfalling/|title=Review: 'Snow Falling on Cedars' a visual feast|last=Clinton|first=Paul|date=January 7, 2000|publisher=CNN|access-date=February 3, 2009|archive-date=June 11, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611125909/http://edition.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/07/review.snowfalling/|url-status=live}}</ref> Set in the Pacific Northwest and featuring a love affair between a European-American man and Japanese-American woman, the film met with an unenthusiastic reception;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/snow-falling-on-cedars|title=Snow Falling on Cedars|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=October 16, 2017|archive-date=January 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105085010/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/snow-falling-on-cedars|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Entertainment Weekly'' noted, "Hawke scrunches himself into such a dark knot that we have no idea who Ishmael is or why he acts as he does."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,275053,00.html|title=Snow Falling on Cedars&nbsp;— Movie Review|last=Schwarzbaum|first=Lisa|date=January 7, 2000|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=February 4, 2009|archive-date=November 22, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122144826/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,275053,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>