Ethan Hawke Slams Oscars, Thinks Awards Are "Really Destructive"

"If you look at how many forgettable, stupid movies have won Oscars and how many mediocre performers have Oscars above their fireplace," he says

UPDATE: Ethan Hawke issued the following statement to E! News via his rep: 

"I think the Oscars do a very good job in representing much of the great work in a given year. Inevitably though,  many great films and performances are not recognized and can be overlooked due to the mass marketing and PR machines that march through the awards season. I don't mean to take anything away from the genuine and deserved excitement that every nominee should feel." 

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Ethan Hawke would not like to thank the Academy.

Actually, the Sinister star is speaking out publicly against the Oscars. In a new interview with Gotham magazine (as excerpted by the New York Post), Hawke says actors chasing after the coveted gold statues is a "really destructive" thing in Hollywood.

"People want to turn everything in this country (America) into a competition," he explains. "So it's clear who the winner is and who the loser is…It's why they like to announce the grosses of movies, because it's a way of saying, 'This one is Number One.' It's so asinine."

"If you look at how many forgettable, stupid movies have won Oscars and how many mediocre performers have Oscars above their fireplace," he adds. "Making a priority of chasing these fake carrots and money and dubious accolades, I think it's really destructive."

Hawke, 42, has yet to win an Academy Award, but he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Training Day (2002) and for Best Adapted Screenplay for Before Sunset (2005).

He, of course, is not the first star to speak out against the Oscars. Back in October, Joaquin Phoenix told Interview magazine the awards were "total, utter bulls--t."

"It's a carrot, but it's the worst-tasting carrot I've ever tasted in my whole life," he added. "I don't want this carrot. It's totally subjective. Pitting people against each other...It's the stupidest thing in the whole world."

But, the following month, Phoenix backtracked. "I wouldn't have the career that I have if it weren't for the Oscars," he told the The Sydney Morning Herald. "It's not like I f--king hate the Oscars," he told the paper. "It doesn't occupy my time to where I can build up hate."

Phoenix was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Gladiator (2001) , Best Actor in Walk the Line (2006) and is currently up for Best Actor for his role in The Master.

Fortunately, it looks like the Academy doesn't hold a grudge.