Ethan Hawke is just one of those guys for me. At some point (the ‘90s), I just fell for him and never looked back. I am an Ethan Hawke Apologist and, even now, I look forward to seeing what he’s up to. Currently, Ethan is in Toronto to promote Wildcat at TIFF. Wildcat is about Flannery O’Connor’s attempts to publish her first novel – Ethan directed it and co-wrote it and he cast his daughter Maya Hawke in the lead role. Apparently, Ethan had a hell of a time getting to Toronto though – flights were canceled, so he ended up taking a Greyhound bus up to Canada.
Ethan Hawke refused to let anything keep him from attending the premiere of his latest film, Wildcat. On Monday, PEOPLE exclusively spoke to the Strange Way of Life star, 52, as he walked the red carpet with his daughter, actress Maya Hawke at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Canada.
When the Stranger Things actress was asked if it were true that her father had to catch a Greyhound bus in order to make it to the annual event, she replied, “He did! Everyone’s talking about it! He had to take the bus here ‘cause all the flights got canceled,” she added as her proud papa smiled beside her.
“Three flights canceled, then I was like, ‘I’m not gonna miss this because of some airport,” Ethan said. The Emmy Award winner added, “So, I went to port authority and hopped the bus.”
Ethan assured PEOPLE that he wasn’t alone while traveling, adding that his wife and producing partner were along for the ride. When asked if he was recognized by any of the other passengers onboard or at the station, he didn’t seem to think his celebrity mattered to his fellow travelers, who were probably more concerned with reaching their own destinations.
“Man, nobody cares about anybody else on the bus,” Ethan said while noting that “nobody’s comfortable” when resorting to that particular mode of transportation. He reiterated that “Nobody cares at all,” before sharing how he spent his time on the journey.
“I just read my book and disappeared in the back and prayed that we made it,” he shared. The Before Sunrise alum revealed that they managed to make it all the way to customs before anyone noticed who he was just before dawn.
Ethan Hawke, man of the people, supporter of public transport. My first instinct would have been to hop on a train rather than a bus, but maybe the Greyhound was the easier option at the time. I looked it up – there’s an Amtrak line (called the Maple Leaf Train) from New York to Toronto. Yeah, that would have been the more preferable option, but what do I know. Anyway, your faves would never! Taking a Greyhound bus for hours just to make it to a film festival? That’s pretty badass.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- 48th Toronto International Film Festival: ‘Wildcat’ Premiere Featuring: Ethan Hawke Where: Toronto, Canada When: 12 Sep 2023 Credit: Starface Photo/Cover Images **UK AND USA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- 48th Toronto International Film Festival: ‘Wildcat’ Premiere Featuring: Ethan Hawke Where: Toronto, Canada When: 12 Sep 2023 Credit: Starface Photo/Cover Images **UK AND USA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- 48th Toronto International Film Festival: ‘Wildcat’ Premiere Featuring: Ethan Hawke, Maya Hawke Where: Toronto, Canada When: 12 Sep 2023 Credit: Starface Photo/Cover Images **UK AND USA RIGHTS ONLY**
I would take the bus, too. Amtrak is a crapshoot. Tree falls on the track out in a rural area and suddenly you are delayed for hours waiting for it to get removed and you aren’t allowed to just leave the train to catch an Uber in the meantime because the train is not at a station.
I once got stuck in Toronto due to bad weather and took the train back t NYC. I didn’t even occur to me that Greyhound had international routes.
… except that Greyhound Bus pulled out of Ontario and Quebec completely more than two years ago?
“On May 6, 2020, Greyhound Canada announced it would permanently shut down all its remaining bus services which it did on May 13, 2021.” So maybe you mean Rider Express?
Greyhound pulled out of Montana a couple of years back too, but we all still call whatever other bus line that is, “Greyhound”. I think they’ve become like “Kleenex” — a generic.
I was hoping he’d stopped flying for climate reasons … but perhaps his relaxing experience of ground-based transport anonymity will convince him …
Ya was going to say the same thing. I remember this happening too.
Ethan said he hopped “a bus”. People wrote Greyhound bus but I don’t think the carrier brand was the point.
Greyhound Canada went out of business. Greyhound USA still operates and runs buses between New York City and Toronto. That route goes to NYC via Buffalo, Rochester, etc. I took it from Toronto to Rochester and back last September.
He is such a talent but also a good collaborator. Also one of the best interviews in Hollywood. During the early part of the lock down, Toronto International Film Festival did a film at home series where they partnered with a cable service in Canada, and they would pick one move to stream and did little live in conversations with people involved in the film. One film they picked was Before Sunrise, and Ethan gave an amazing interview to Cameron Bailey.
Anyway, love him!
The Explorers. My 10 year old self fell in love with Ethan and River Pheonix.
I took the Greyhound here and there in college and would probably consider riding a donkey before I’d ride the bus again. Nope.
That darn Amtrak Maple Leaf train is a 12 1/2 hour trip!
He probably took the bus because it was the best option for his schedule. The Maple Leaf train generally only runs once a day, from 7:15am to 7:30pm or something like that. And it’s often late. Hawke said he took an overnight bus to Toronto based on his comments above. So he probably needed to leave in the evening and waiting til the next morning would have him late for his appearances.
Also the train isn’t any faster than the bus. In fact, sometimes the buses are faster if you can get a more direct route that doesn’t stop a lot. We need high speed rail in North America!
His pride for his daughter is glorious. I love a good dad story.
My husband once took a bus home to Toronto from New York after being stranded there with little packed clothing from what was supposed to be a very short work trip. Weather cancelled so many flights over a wide region, and because his airline promised him flights with partner airlines that the partner airlines wouldn’t honour, it meant he missed the window for getting a spot on a train since so many people were scrambling for alternate transport.