Ethan Hawke's New Survival Western Restores 1 Classic Movie Trend

Published Sep 17, 2026, 6:25 PM EDT EXCLUSIVE: Ethan Hawke is starring in the new survival Western The Weight, and the actor just revealed the one classic movie trend that his character is bringing back to the big screen. Over the years, Hawke has starred in multiple Westerns, including In the Valley of Violence, The Kid and The Magnificent Seven remake. His latest is The Weight, which arrives in theaters on September 18 after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival in early 2026. In an interview with ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns, Hawke explained that his character in The Weight, Samuel Murphy, has "a lot of qualities that I admire, and I liked playing a human being that I admire." The actor acknowledged that in recent years, moviegoers and TV viewers have gravitated towards antiheroes, but his character is just a good person, bringing a classic movie trend back to the forefront. Samuel is a problem solver and a thinker, and has a "personal code of ethics about how things should be done." When starting a new role, an actor might have a "preconceived notion" of who they're playing and the type of person the character is. As Hawke started exploring his role in The Weight, he realized that Samuel bucks the antihero trend. This is a man who has had a tough life, but after going "through something serious with people, those artifices are shed," according to Hawke, who added that he "enjoyed" stepping into the role of a good guy every day on set and "trying to think like he would think." "We all walk into every room with these preconceived notions of this role you're supposed to be playing, of the type of person you are. And when you go through something serious with people, those artifices are shed. What I liked about Murphy is he's a person who has a code. He has a personal code of ethics about how things should be done. He's a problem-solver, he's a thinker, has a lot of qualities that I admire, and I liked playing a human being that I admire. So often in contemporary movies, they just aren't as interested — something happened, and people got interested in the antihero. I just enjoyed being him every day, trying to think like he would think." Hawke's co-stars are Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Avi Nash, Austin Amelio, George Burgess, Lucas Lynggaad, Avy Berry, Cameron Brady, Sam Hazeldine and Alec Newman. Padraic McKinley directed The Weight from a screenplay by Matthew Booi and Shelby Gaines. The story takes place in 1933, with Hawke's character, Samuel Murphy, forced into a work camp after being separated from his daughter. He receives an offer that could change his life when the warden promises him an early release from incarceration. The catch is that Samuel would have to smuggle stolen gold bars through the forest. The Weight has earned rave reviews from critics, who gave it a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. After starring in films like Training Day, The Purge, Boyhood, Blue Moon and the Before trilogy, Hawke is revisiting the Western genre seven years after The Kid. The Weight comes out the same day as the Resident Evil reboot and has to contend with the success of Practical Magic 2, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey, but no matter how it ranks at the box office on opening weekend, Hawke is satisfied knowing that he's restoring a classic movie trend amid the popularity of the antihero. The Weight will be released in theaters on Friday, September 18, 2026. Release Date September 18, 2026 Runtime 115 minutes Director Padraic McKinley Samuel Murphy is torn from his daughter and sent to a harsh work camp in 1933 Oregon. Faced with a dangerous mission to smuggle gold for early release, Murphy navigates the treacherous wilderness and escalating betrayal threats among the crew. Writers Matthew Chapman, Shelby Gaines, Matthew Booi Producers Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo, Nathan Fields, Ryan Hawke, Simon Fields Main Genre Thriller Executive Producer(s) Andreas Rübo, Celine Dornier, Frédéric Fiore, Klaus Dohle, Peter Block, Peter Jarowey, Ralf Berchtold, Richard Goldberg