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Sydney Sweeney and Ethan Hawke were the latest pairing for Variety and CNN’s Actors on Actors series, and during the interview, the actress perhaps said the most relatable thing she’s ever publicly uttered: she wishes Ethan Hawke was her Dad.
At the end of their conversation, Ethan Hawke and Sydney Sweeney were exchanging pleasantries with each other, prompting Sweeney to conclude by saying that she wishes the Oscar-nominated actor “was her Dad.”
Sydney Sweeney and Ethan Hawke hit it off so much during their Actors on Actors interview that Sweeney said she wishes Hawke were her Dad
Sydney Sweeney tells Ethan Hawke, “I wish you were my dad,” and that she’ll “never forget” their #ActorsOnActors conversation.
Watch Variety and @CNN’s Actors on Actors now at https://t.co/VtzY0g7Ikb and on the CNN app. pic.twitter.com/hnVTjUvCFH
— Variety (@Variety) December 11, 2025
Hawke certainly gave off an encouraging fatherly vibe during the conversation, such as when he talked Sweeney through her stage fright and hesitancy to perform in front of a live audience.
Sydney Sweeney admits to Ethan Hawke that she has “horrible stage fright,” and he fires back that he’s going to “drag her out” to the theater: “You won’t watch. You’ll be there.”
Watch Variety and @CNN’s #ActorsOnActors now at https://t.co/VtzY0g8g9J and on the CNN app. pic.twitter.com/1JO2zxYOWh
— Variety (@Variety) December 11, 2025
Sweeney was on the show to promote her starring role in Christy, while Hawke was discussing his performance in Blue Moon, which current has him as one of the front runners for next year’s Academy Award for Best Actor alongside Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another) and Timothee Chalamet (Marty Supreme).
On the other hand, while Sweeney was considered a potential contender for a Best Actress nomination, it’s looking more likely that she’ll be on the outside-looking-in when nominations are announced.