In a rare and candid disclosure, acclaimed actor Ethan Hawke has detailed the profound personal turmoil he experienced following his highly publicised divorce from Kill Bill star Uma Thurman.
The Scrutiny of a Public Split
The Training Day actor, now 55, described the intense media attention surrounding the 2005 split as being like pouring fuel on a fire. "The public eye is like gasoline," Hawke revealed in an interview with The Times. He was quick to clarify, however, that the true difficulty lay not in the headlines but in the private, universal challenges of separation. "What makes divorce hard is the stuff that makes it hard for everyone: the family elements, how to help the kids through it."
Hawke and Thurman, both 55, married in 1998 and share two children: daughter Maya, 27, and son Levon, 23. Their union began to fracture, leading to a separation in 2003 before the divorce was finalised two years later.
A Vow of Silence and a Battle with Depression
The sensitive star made a solemn promise to his children to keep the details of the divorce private. "I can’t really talk about this because I vowed to my kids so many times not to talk about the divorce in public," he explained. Despite this, he shared a broader observation, noting that after travelling the world, one realizes "everywhere men and women have a tremendous amount of difficulty staying married." He expressed clear envy for those who manage amicable separations.
The period was marked by a deep personal crisis for Hawke. In a 2018 GQ interview, he confessed that after the breakup, "I got divorced and my personal life fell apart," leading him into a significant depression. This state of mind made him hyper-aware of the inauthenticity around him, particularly the "phony" nature of celebrity culture.
Finding Solace in Family and New Beginnings
It was his children and his work in film and theatre that ultimately pulled him from the abyss. Hawke emphasised the grounding force of parenthood, stating, "That's the wonderful thing about children is they just need you every day. It gives your life balance. Meaning your whole life isn't just about yourself."
His personal life found a new chapter with Ryan Shawhughes, whom he married in 2008. They met when she was the nanny for his children with Thurman, but Hawke has consistently insisted they only reconnected romantically long after her employment ended. "When I split up I was hellbent on not having any more kids... But then I made a best friend and I liked kissing her," he told The Times. The couple now have two daughters together: Clementine, 17, and Indiana, 14.
Thurman also spoke of the difficulty at the time, telling Oprah Winfrey in 2005 that the divorce was "excruciating" and had left her self-esteem "pretty mangled." A year later, she committed to maintaining peace for the sake of their family, telling Parade, "I cannot participate in anything critical about my children’s father. I just need to keep peace."
