Ethan Hawke is an Academy Award-nominated actor and screenwriter, as well as a Tony award-nominated performer. Beyond his 30+ year career, he’s also a novelist, director, and singer. Hawke’s talents are endless, and they have kept him in the public eye all these years.
Still, there are other things about Hawke that aren’t in the public eye, like his marriage to Ryan Shawhughes. So, who is Ethan Hawke’s wife? Read on to learn more about Shawhughes and their unconventional relationship.
Ryan Shawhughes Is A Producer And Actor In Her Own Right
Although she may be best known as Hawke’s wife, Shawhughes has built a career of her own. She serves as vice president of Hawke’s production company, Under The Influence Productions. Her production credits include films like First Reformed (2017) and Blaze (2018), as well as TV shows like The Good Lord Bird (2020).
She has even dipped her toes into acting a couple of times. Shawhughes had a minor role in The Hottest State, an adaptation of Hawke’s novel that he also directed. She appeared as herself in an episode of the TV documentary The Last Movie Stars, which was also directed by Hawke.
The savvy businesswoman also does her part to give back. She has served on the board of several charitable organizations, including The Alex Fund, Soccer Without Borders, and EngenderHealth, which promotes sexual/reproductive health and gender equality. This celeb wife certainly keeps herself busy!
Ethan Hawke First Met Ryan While He Was Still Married To Uma Thurman
While you may not know Hawke’s current wife, you definitely know his ex. From 1998 to 2004, Ethan Hawke was married to Pulp Fiction icon Uma Thurman.
Hawke and Thurman met in 1997 on the set of their movie, Gattaca. Hawke was very taken with Thurman, but Thurman wasn’t quite as certain about their match. The Kill Bill star turned down two marriage proposals from Hawke before she agreed to be his bride. Looks like the third time was the charm!
Hawke and Thurman have two children together. Their daughter, Maya, caught her parents’ acting bug and is best known for her role as Robin in Stranger Things. As the daughter of Quentin Tarantino’s muse, she also appeared in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The famous couple’s son, Levon, has also begun an acting career of his own, having appeared in films including Pussy Island (2018), Blackout (2018), and The Crowded Room (2022).
Did Hawke Cheat On Thurman?
As Hawke and Thurman’s marriage was crumbling, rumors surfaced that Hawke was having an affair. However, the Boyhood actor insists their split wasn’t because of infidelity, but rather the complications of being in a marriage with another successful actor.
“You know you’d come up with these rules: ‘One person works, the other person doesn’t. Well, then somebody’s always out of town,'” Hawke said in an interview with ABC. “Then I’m living in a hotel room taking care of my kids while you’re off on a film set six hours a day doing what you love. Do that for nine months and see what a good mood you’re in.”
Despite Hawke’s insistence, rumors continued to swirl that he cheated on Thurman with his future wife Ryan Shawhughes while she was still their nanny.
“I met Ryan through my literary agent, and she was indeed one of Maya and Levon’s nannies during a film shoot,” he told The Guardian. “After a short period of working for me, Ryan went back to Columbia to get her degree. There were never any scandalous thoughts or actions back then. In the years that followed, my marriage disintegrated due to many pressures, none of which were remotely connected to Ryan.”
Hawke And Shawhughes Tied The Knot In 2008
Hawke claims that he ran into Shawhughes in a park a year after his split with Thurman, and she asked him out.
“I know people imagine some kind of Sound Of Music type love affair, but the truth is by the time Ryan and I were falling in love, it had been a long while since I had employed her,” the actor told The Guardian. “I was very cautious during that period of my life and desperately wanted to stay single—I definitely never wanted to get married again. But sometimes life happens to you. Now, I love Ryan tremendously.”
Marry again, he did. The Dead Poets Society actor and his former nanny said “I do” in 2008.
Even though Hawke insists that his love for his new wife didn’t start with an affair, he’s still not pro-monogamy. Five years into his marriage to Shawhughes, Hawke revealed a lot about his views on fidelity. “People have such a childish view of monogamy and fidelity,” Hawke explained, according to HuffPost. “‘He’s cheated so he’s bad, she’s cheated so she’s bad’, as opposed to a recognition that our species is not monogamous.”
He also explained what his views on monogamy mean for his current marriage. “My relationship with my present wife is thrilling to me and I’m committed to it. But neither she nor I know what shape the future will come in,” he said. “Sexual fidelity can’t be the whole thing you hang your relationship on. If you really love somebody you want them to grow, but you don’t get to define how that happens. They do.”
They Keep Their Relationship Pretty Private
The couple likes to stay out of the spotlight, but the relationship appears to be a great fit. While they’re seldom seen in public, Shawhughes supports her hubby at his premieres. The pair now has two daughters: Clementine and Indiana. Despite their privacy, we hope this family is living happily ever after.