"Losing [Is] Better": Denzel Washington Gave Key Advice To Ethan Hawke After Training Day Oscar Loss

Summary Denzel Washington advised Ethan Hawke that losing an Oscar is better, and one shouldn't need an award to improve their status.

Hawke, known for understated roles, has been nominated for two Oscars, including Training Day, losing to flashier performances.

Hawke's acting prowess shines in subtle roles like those in Boyhood and the Before trilogy, showcasing his strength as an actor.

Ethan Hawke reveals the advice that he received from Denzel Washington after his Oscar loss. Washington and Hawke were co-stars in the 2001 Antoine Fuqua film Training Day. Hawke received his first Oscar nomination for Training Day, nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Hawke lost out on the award to Jim Broadbent, who won for his performance in Iris.

Speaking on the Max series “Who’s Talking to Chirs Wallace?” (via Variety), Hawke unveils the advice that Washington gave to him following this Oscar loss. According to Hawke, Washington said “it’s better that you didn’t win. Losing was better.” Washington’s reasoning was that one does not “want an award to improve your status” but rather their win should “improve the awards status.” Hawke went on to praise Washington, saying “the Academy Award has more power” because of Washington’s wins. Check out the full quote from Hawke below:

It’s better that you didn’t win. Losing was better. You don’t want an award to improve your status. You want to improve the award’s status. That’s the way he thinks. That’s what I’m talking about playing with Babe Ruth. The Academy Award has more power, because Denzel has a couple. It didn’t elevate who he was.

Multiple Ethan Hawke Roles Should Have Won Him An Oscar

The day Hawke manages to take home an Oscar will be a win for the Academy’s recognition of more understated work.

As Hawke references, Washington is a decorated actor who has been nominated for multiple Oscars, winning two. One of said Oscars was for the same movie, Training Day, for which Hawke lost out on Best Supporting Actor. Washington’s first Oscar win came in 1990 for his supporting role in 1989’s historical drama Glory. His other nominations include nods for films such as Cry Freedom, Malcolm X, Flight, and Fences.

Hawke, on the other hand, has only received two acting Oscar nominations — for Training Day and Boyhood. This history, however, is no knock to Hawke’s acting prowess, but rather the roles that typically are recognized under the eyes of the Academy. Hawke’s greatest strength as an actor is conveying a believable person in an understated manner. He reveals this in films like Boyhood or Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy. These roles are less flashy and thus less Oscar bait-y, but nonetheless consistently showcase Hawke’s strength as an actor.

There are multiple roles for which Hawke should have taken home an Oscar besides just Training Day, but perhaps the most glaring is his loss for Boyhood. Characteristic of the Oscars, the award for Best Supporting Actor went to a far more overstated role, honoring J.K. Simmons' performance as the loud and abusive music instructor Terence Fletcher in Whiplash. Another stellar, subtly-rendered Hawke performance includes his role in Dead Poets Society. The day Hawke manages to take home an Oscar will be a win for the Academy’s recognition of more understated work.

Source: Variety