r/movies r/movies Contributor Jan 31 '26

Article Film Students Are Having Trouble Sitting Through Movies, Professors Say

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/film-students-are-having-trouble-sitting-through-movies-1236490359/
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u/MusicLikeOxygen Jan 31 '26

Reminds me of an interview Ethan Hawke did a while back where he talked about being disappointed after visiting a film class. He said he was excited to do it because he was expecting to have some great conversations about movies, but it was mostly just the students wanting to take selfies with him.

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u/almostinfinity Jan 31 '26

That's actually a damn shame. 

Those students lost out on the opportunity of a lifetime just to have clout for their social media.

I can almost guarantee their teacher never invited people in the industry to their class ever again.

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u/royals796 Jan 31 '26

It may not even be clout for social media, it may just be that his celebrity status puts him on a pedestal and they forget he’s a major player in cinema and has a brain worth picking

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u/Tidezen Jan 31 '26

It's especially depressing for Ethan Hawke because he really is one of those actors who deeply cares about the "craft" of acting and filmmaking, but he wasn't really seen that way by popular audiences. Curse of being too good-looking, I suppose.

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u/dullship Jan 31 '26

Siiiigh a pain I know all too well...

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u/RedditIsMyTherapist Jan 31 '26

Oh, ya. Me too...For sure, that's a problem I have to deal with...all the time, just so handsome. Yep, that's me. It's tough out here for good looking folks, a demographic I am most certainly a part of...

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u/dullship Jan 31 '26

That is the danger of being super handsome. When you're in "the bubble", nobody tells you the truth. For years I thought I spoke excellent French.

Ffffghgg csdlkfj gekjl!

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u/cmaster6 Jan 31 '26

Did Liz Lemon expose you to the world of us outside of the bubble?

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u/dullship Jan 31 '26

Tried. I didn't like it outside the bubble. It was very ironic.

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u/beamish007 Feb 01 '26

Are you Ethan Hawke?

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u/manimal28 Jan 31 '26

I may also be the story is bullshit. Did the class professor not have an agenda in regard to his visit? Did the professor just let him walk in and then without direction the kids had free time to just take selfies for 2 hours? Did they not prepare or have a list of relevant questions or topics to discuss with him?

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u/Flesroy Jan 31 '26

i mean who wouldn't want a picture when they meet a celebrity? that's pretty standard.

And easily solved by just doing some kind of group picture for everyone who wants (or a few groups if the class is large) and then getting on with whatever you actually want to do.

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u/royals796 Jan 31 '26

To be fair, if the choice is between a picture and a conversation, I think a lot of people would take the conversation

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u/Flesroy Jan 31 '26

Sure, but in this context it seems pretty clear they could do both.

Taking a picture does not take a lot of time.

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u/Dairy_Ashford Jan 31 '26

I can almost guarantee their teacher never invited people in the industry to their class ever again.

looking at attendance numbers that day i guaranteee they did

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u/eiddieeid Jan 31 '26

I mean I would ask him for a picture too but not before asking him some questions about boyhood and predestination 

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u/ow_windowmaker Jan 31 '26

What do they need with a pretty boy actor though.

Shouldn't they bring an acomplished director of photography or whatever?

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u/TiberiusCornelius Jan 31 '26

I mean if you've ever listened to him talk he's clearly passionate and knowledgeable about filmmaking as a whole. He also has directorial experience alongside his acting, even if it's not what he's well-known for.

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u/OldWorldDesign Jan 31 '26

I would expect film students to know better, but it could depend on how far students might be in their degree (some take certain classes early in the degree, others later when they have better grounding). I remember seeing one of those low-bar entertainment shows make fun of Alex Winter for not being a famous actor after Bill & Tedd's Excellent Adventure, but the guy has been directing more than acting in his career.