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 In the wake of the hysterical wave of vampirism, one can only hope the genre does not die and perish among love-struck adolescents. The vampire myth has survived centuries, and if it continues on this path, pop culture may have permanently tarnished it with its modern adaptations. It’s no longer a genre, but nearly a fad. Thankfully, some filmmakers are holding their ground and transforming the traditional canon into one more stimulating and modern—with Ethan Hawke.
With his timeless boyish charm and overly exemplified talent, Hawke still sits comfortably on Hollywood’s A-list even after two decades. He demonstrates a knowledge and appreciation for filmmaking that sometimes gets lost amongst actors who have been in the business for too long. Breaking into Hollywood with the Academy Award-winning film Dead Poets Society allowed Hawke to smoothly hit the ground running. In addition to several Tony and Academy Award nominations, Hawke has expanded and strengthened his gifts through his novels, screenplays and direction.
Yet it’s only natural to doubt his recent role in Daybreakers, a science fiction genre-based film.
“I wanted to do something I hadn’t done,” Hawke replied when asked the simple question of ‘Why?’
Truthfully, Daybreakers is something that hasn’t been done at all recently. The film steers clear of garlic, crosses and holy water and pertains to a more specific crowd, particularly sci-fi fans. As a typically dramatic actor, Hawke originally denied the role and had no intention of learning more about it.
“The truth is, they had sent me the script and I didn’t read it,” Hawke stated. “Along with it came Undead (writer/directors Peter and Michael Spierig’s debut zombie horror film) and I watched about 10 minutes of it and thought it was terrible. So I decided I didn’t want to meet the guys.”
Having written the story with Hawke in mind, the Spierig brothers were destined for some serious disappointment. Oddly enough, it was Hawke’s brothers who salvaged Spierigs’ dream during one family Thanksgiving.
“I have two younger brothers, and they couldn’t sleep,” Hawke recalled. “They were up and put that movie on and they were howling with laughter. So I walked down and asked, ‘What are you guys watching?’ and they said ‘Undead.’ Then I sat there and watched it with them, and then I thought it was genius!”
 Thanks to his brothers, Hawke gave Daybreakers a second chance. “I was interested in it but…I kind of fancied myself as a dramatic actor,” he explained. “And at the time, a vampire movie seemed like a lot of fun!”
In the film, Hawke plays Edward Dalton (yes, another Edward vampire, arguably still as sultry), a hematologist assigned to create a human blood substitute. With humans only comprising 5% of the earth’s population, farming them for blood is no longer possible as their resources are in a desperately short supply.
“Draining the blood dry of the earth is something that we’re talking about all the time,” Hawke said. “We are vampires. Every great fortune is made at the cost of something else.”
The obvious correlation is our planet’s current state of environmental crisis. Daybreakers isn’t subtle in the comparisons, and its world is not much unlike our own. Vampires are everyday people: they go to work, they have families, they have fears. It essentially is just a swap of night and day, with the obvious exception of nourishment.
“The idea that we’re running out of resources is something you see on the regular news,” Hawke said. “The joke is that the resource is human beings.”
Skepticism is only natural, even with a political message involved, whether or not Daybreakers is worth succumbing to the vampire-mania. With strict confidence, Hawke separates the film and confidently believes it is not just another example of what has been so commonly pushed down audiences’ throats.
“It’s new because it’s the first post-adolescent vampire in awhile, which is kind of refreshing,” he said.
It’s about time someone tried to resurrect the vampire myth. Vampirism has traditionally been a dark, dangerous and mysterious world, and now is just a condition that is merely an inconvenience among mortal and immortal lovers (thanks to The Twilight Saga and “True Blood,” based on the Charlaine Harris novels).
 “It’s new for the genre in that it’s not inundated with Christian superstition. It’s rooted in sci-fi more than it is some kind of uber underworld,” Hawke explained. “It’s half futuristic movie, half vampire movie, half film noir. There are aspects in the beginning where it looks like a Bogart film.”
With a somewhat demonstrated knowledge of the history of vampirism, an accomplished actor such as Hawke presumably prepares for roles meticulously. “I’m actually a vampire! I have a problem with biting people,” Hawke playfully teased. “I actually know so little about this,” he honestly admitted. “I find it really scary!”
Consistent with traditional vampire mythology, Daybreakers centers on the beings’ immortality. As it is often a blessing or a curse, when asked if the concept appeals to Hawke, he replied, “Absolutely! I think the kind of genius of the vampire myth, for me, is what it’s like to live your life without a fear of death. I think that’s always the appeal of it. You’re not a werewolf or something horrible. You’re like yourself, but you’re not going to die.”
Typically when the word “immortality” comes into the picture, images of grandeur and fantasy are conjured in the mind. But Hawke insists in Daybreakers that’s not necessarily the case.
“What I loved about this movie is taking vampires and putting them in the real world so they have jobs, and something as simple as you get to smoke all the time because why wouldn’t you?!”
 The luxury of chain smoking is rarely, if ever, associated with immortality, which is one specific example of the Spierig brothers’ comedy.
“I somehow [at first] didn’t get their sense of humor,” Hawke admitted. “I didn’t really understand this genre.”
Hawke was soon persuaded and impressed by the Spierigs’ passion and inspiring creativity.
“There’s a level of imagination that they thought through about what this world would be like. They thought through the analogy aspect of the movie,” he explained.
Hawke speaks of the brothers in very high regard, consistently commenting on his reverence for them as a filmmaking team.
“One of the funny things about twins is I can see why Joel and Ethan Coen have been so successful and why the Wachowskis have been so successful, because a lot of people who are super gifted have this great vision and imagination, and with that often comes arrogance, a pride,” Hawke said. “And the brother beats it out of the other brother! They force each other to be better!”
 Much like the directors, Hawke possesses a deep appreciation for Daybreakers for reasons ranging from its visual effects to its action sequences, and particularly for his always charismatic co-star Willem Dafoe.
“What I thought was really fun about this movie was doing it with Willem, who I think was in the last great vampire movie Shadow of the Vampire,” Hawke said. “He and I are sort of from the same world of New York theater. There’s an old, long history of theater actors making their living in genre movies. I kind of took pride in that legacy.”
With a resume as long, established and eccentric as Hawke’s, his legacy is sure to be preserved. If vampirism can’t solve his fascination for immortality, his cinematic achievements may be the next best thing.
Daybreakers is now playing in theaters everywhere.
For more information, visit the film’s official Web site.
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