Ethan Hawke has joined the MCU—and he didn't have to look very far for advice on what to expect.
His daughter Maya Hawke, who stars in cult favorite Stranger Things, advised her father to lean into his role in Moon Knight—and the pressure of performing for famously dedicated Marvel fans.
"[Maya] said something really beautiful to me," Ethan shared. "As a performer, your job is to participate with the audience. Yes, you want to lead and do work that you believe in, but we want people to care about art. This is what people care about. They really have a passion for the material. You have to respect them and respect their fandom and try to give them something that's worth it."
The Academy Award-nominated actor stars alongside Oscar Isaac in the Disney+ series Moon Knight, which is based on the Marvel comic book character of the same name. Hawke plays Arthur Harrow, a cult leader who goes toe to toe with Moon Knight, played by Isaac.
Maya joined the cast of Netflix's smash Stranger Things as Robin in season three, no easy feat for a young actress on a show that's developed a fervent following all around the world.
"It was a huge adventure for her to step into that Stranger Things world," Ethan said. "You can't go to an airport in America and not see 10 people with a Stranger Things sweatshirt on or something from the high school. Halloween is full of their costumes. So, you know you're entering something and you know there is a responsibility to do a good job."
The same applied to Ethan's role in Moon Knight. Best known for movie roles like Training Day, Boyhood and Reality Bites, the actor understands the risk involved.
"There's no real failure when there's no expectations," he said. "If I make some little indie movie and it doesn't work out, it's not a big deal because nobody ever hears about it. But if there's so much expectation on something and you don't do a good job, the fall is much greater."
Ethan says that joining the MCU is something he'd thought about before, but his Moon Knight co-star sealed the deal.
"I've often had an interest. I mean, I'm an actor, right? Our job is to be a part of our time," Ethan told E! News. "Marvel movies have been a huge cinematic event in the last couple decades. I've definitely thought about doing it. What made it clear that this was the one was just Oscar [Issac]. I met him and felt his passion for this part and how much he wanted to do it."
Watch Ethan and Oscar when the first episode of Moon Knight premieres March 30 on Disney+.