Actor Ethan Hawke joined his son Levon to pay tribute to playwright Tom Stoppard following news of his death Saturday. The father-son duo posted an Instagram video featuring Ethan reading a monologue from Stoppard’s play “The Coast of Utopia” while Levon accompanied on guitar.
“All right, this is Levon and Ethan Hawke here. We’re gonna pay homage to the passing of Sir Tom Stoppard, one of the greatest human beings I ever met in my life. I got to do his play, ‘The Coast of Utopia,’ and I got to listen to this speech every night,” Ethan said in the video.
The actor recited a lengthy passage from the play about a character named Alexander who lost his son. The monologue explores themes of mortality, purpose and the fleeting nature of life.
“Because children grow up, we like to think a child’s purpose is to grow up. But a child’s purpose is to be a child,” Ethan read from the text. “Life’s bounty is in its flow. Later is too late.”
The passage concludes with a philosophical reflection:
“Was the child happy while he lived? That’s a proper question. It’s the only question. If we can’t arrange our own happiness, it’s a conceit beyond vulgarity to arrange the happiness of those who come after us.”
Ethan closed his tribute with thanks to the playwright:
“Sir Tom, safe travels. Thank you for the beautiful plays. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Happy Thanksgiving.”
Stoppard was an award-winning British playwright and screenwriter known for works including “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” “Arcadia,” and “Leopoldstadt,” Parade noted. Queen Elizabeth knighted him in 1997, and he remained close to the royal family.
Ethan shares Levon with his ex-wife Uma Thurman.
