It’s Absurd That Ethan Hawke Didn’t Get an Oscar Nomination for This Brilliant 2010s Drama
Ethan Hawke deserved an Oscar nomination for his role as Reverend Toller in Paul Schrader’s 2018 film First Reformed. Over more than 30 years, Hawke has proven himself a versatile actor across various genres and film scales.
He is an archetypal character actor with the charisma of a movie star. In 2025, his performances in Black Phone 2 and Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon highlight his range — excelling as both a horror villain/action hero and as a nuanced lead in auteur-driven films.
Hawke’s career reflects a classic everyman whose sophistication has grown spectacularly, especially seen through a three-decade arc in Linklater’s Before trilogy.
First Reformed: A Career-Best Performance
His role in First Reformed is widely regarded as his finest work. Playing a troubled pastor in upstate New York, Hawke channels a simmering rage and haunted presence that ignites the screen. Despite this, he was surprisingly overlooked for an Oscar nomination.
“He was rudely snubbed of an Oscar nomination despite proverbially setting the screen on fire with his simmering rage and haunted aura.”
The film, directed by Paul Schrader, known for his intense character studies, stands as one of the decade’s best psychological dramas, exploring deep fears of climate change and global apocalypse.
Paul Schrader’s Recognition
More confusing than Hawke’s exclusion, Schrader himself received his first-ever Oscar nomination for this film’s Best Original Screenplay, which was the film’s only nod at the Academy Awards.
“Paul Schrader’s first nomination in his long and storied career, earning the film's lone nomination for Best Original Screenplay.”
Summary
Ethan Hawke’s electric performance in First Reformed deserved Oscar recognition, yet only Schrader’s screenplay earned a nomination, highlighting an unfortunate oversight in honoring a powerful decade-defining drama.
Author’s Conclusion
This glaring omission reflects how award institutions sometimes fail to acknowledge truly transformative acting, even in films that capture urgent contemporary themes.