Here are some photos of Ethan Hawke and Pedro Almodovar at the Cannes Film Festival this week. They premiered their new film, Strange Way of Life, on the second night of the festival. Strange Way of Life is Almodovar’s “gay cowboy movie,” and from the looks of things, he filmed like a Douglas Sirk film, all soap-opera melodrama and big feelings, only in a 30-minute short film. Ethan Hawke’s gay cowboy partner in the film is played by Pedro Pescal, only Pedro skipped Cannes. He was a no-show at the photocall and premiere. I wonder why he skipped? Maybe he’s feeling overexposed these days. Maybe he had other work commitments. Maybe he didn’t feel like flying to France just to shill a 30-minute short film?? Anyway, Ethan was full of praise for Pedro:

Ethan Hawke has praised his Strange Way of Life co-star Pedro Pascal, calling him a “very attractive and extremely talented man”.

The film, directed by Pedro Almodóvar, is a 30-minute gay Western short film that finally had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this week. It is Almodóvar’s second film in the English language, after 2020’s Human Voice. It follows Pascal’s character Silva, who travels across the desert on horseback to visit his friend Sheriff Jake (Hawke), for the first time in over two decades. While the initial mood of their reunion is a celebratory one, conflict arises over Silva’s desire to revisit the past, and Jake’s wish to keep it buried.

During a Q&A session in Cannes, Hawke had the highest compliments for Pascal when asked about what it was like to act alongside the Game of Thrones star.

“I like to be wanted, you know I don’t care. If it happens to be a very attractive, extremely talented man, all the better,” Hawke said. Speaking of the chemistry and love in the film, Hawke added: “The second you take out a camera and you start photographing people, there’s some act of love that is happening where you are saying that these people are important and worthy of time. And the things they’re feeling are important and the things they’re thinking are important and worthy of us all to consider. So, for me, it’s kind of always about love in some capacity. What moves us is what we want, what we love. Desire makes the world spin around.”

[From The Independent]

I mean, I think most actors would say “yes” to anything Pedro Almovodar asked them. Especially American actors – Almodovar usually just casts Spanish actors in his mostly Spanish-language films. The fact that he cast Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal as gay cowboys is pretty great though. I do wish Pedro had come to Cannes, just for some lustful posing with Ethan. Maybe that’s exactly why Pedro avoided it!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.