Ethan Hawke lost two of his heroes to heroin.
Ethan Hawke
The 45-year-old 'Reality Bites' star has revealed that his two biggest heroes are the late River Phoenix and Philip Seymour-Hoffman, both of whom lost their lives to the opiate.
Speaking to the I paper, Ethan said: "Two of my heroes, I've lost to heroin: River Phoenix, one of my first screen partners, who was, debatably, the most exciting actor of my generation; and, as I got older, one of the most serious and inspirational figures in my profession, for me, was Philip Seymour-Hoffman."
The 'Boyhood' actor added: "It's amazing how much part of our struggle in life is dealing with anxiety, how to handle our own disappointment in ourselves. It's overwhelming for some people, and in the wake of Phil's death, it's very much on my mind."
The issue is partially on Ethan's mind because of his latest on-screen role, in which he plays musician Chet Baker - who had a well-publicised drug habit - in 'Born to be Blue'.
Ethan explained: "His relationship to heroin is connected to his legend status. One thing about drugs, even smoking it, is that it allows you to see yourself in the third person. I think he believed in the legend of Chet Baker; he wanted to be in that movie."
In October 1993, River Phoenix suffered a fatal overdose outside Johnny Depp's Viper Room in front of his brother, fellow actor Joaquin Phoenix, at the age of 23.
Acclaimed actor Philip Seymour-Hoffman suffered with drug addiction throughout his adult life and relapsed in 2013 after years of sobriety.
Then in February 2014, the 46-year-old star was found dead in the bathroom of his Manhattan apartment with a syringe of heroin still in his arm.
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