Ethan Hawke’s participation in the Taylor Swift video “Fortnight” has sparked unexpected reactions from his family, revealing underlying tensions. The Ethan Hawke Taylor Swift video appearance, which came about after a direct invitation from the pop superstar, has left his teenage children feeling uncomfortable rather than impressed.
Daughters Not Thrilled About Their Father’s Pop Culture Moment
While many fans celebrated Ethan Hawke’s cameo alongside Josh Charles, his daughters, Maya and Levon—children he shares with Uma Thurman—as well as his younger kids with Ryan Shawhughes, reacted with embarrassment. The actor explained that the gesture, which some speculated was for his children’s benefit, had motives rooted elsewhere.
According to Hawke, he hadn’t agreed to the cameo as a gift for his teenage daughters, despite taking them to a Taylor Swift concert in the past. Instead, he was genuinely moved to be asked by the chart-topping artist, particularly since she recognized his iconic film “Dead Poets Society.”
But I did it because Taylor asked and I was flattered that she knew what Dead Poets Society is. But strangely, it’s the one thing that I think my kids wish I hadn’t done.
—Ethan Hawke, Actor
When questioned about his kids’ embarrassment, Hawke revealed their reaction stemmed less from peer exposure and more from his newfound closeness with Swift herself.
No, because I took Taylor away from them! They had their own relationship with Taylor’s music and now Dad got a Christmas card from her, or whatever. It was, like, ‘Tchuh! What’s Dua Lipa doing now?’ You know?
—Ethan Hawke, Actor
Reflections on Family, Divorce, and Raising Teenagers in the Spotlight
Hawke’s personal life has been shaped by the challenges of public relationships and parenting. After his 2005 divorce from Uma Thurman, he had resolved not to remarry or have more children. Yet, he went on to marry Ryan Shawhughes, who once babysat his older kids, and together they had two more children, Clementine and Indiana.
When I split up I was hellbent on not having any more kids and I wanted to be single for the rest of my life. But then I made a best friend and I liked kissing her.
—Ethan Hawke, Actor
Living and raising children in the glare of publicity, Hawke shared that navigating divorce in the public eye added fuel to the already challenging process he and other separated parents face. Though he refrains from discussing details out of respect for his children’s privacy, he expressed his candid view about the difficulty of maintaining marriages regardless of status.
But one thing I will say is if you get the privilege of travelling the world, you realise that everywhere men and women have a tremendous amount of difficulty staying married.
—Ethan Hawke, Actor
Significance of the Hawke-Swift Collaboration and Its Family Dynamics
Hawke’s appearance in the Taylor Swift video, meant as a personal milestone, instead illuminated the complexities that fame can introduce into family life. Embodying both admiration for Swift and a candid look at parent-teen dynamics, his experience highlights how public achievements can unexpectedly become points of friction at home. As the actor continues to balance life in the spotlight with family relationships, his story offers insight into the pressures faced by children of celebrities, even when global pop icons are involved.
