“Look at how many forgettable, stupid movies have won Oscars and how many mediocre performers have Oscars above their fireplace.” This is just one of the derisory comments that actor Ethan Hawke made about The Oscars, which, if you weren’t already aware (and if not, where have you been hiding, exactly?) take place this Sunday, February 24, 2013.

The comments were made in an interview with Gotham magazine (and reported online by New York Post, echoing Joaquin Phoenix’s recent views that the Oscars are nothing more than a load of bull. Slamming the high profile ceremony as “asinine,” he explained that awards ceremonies in the movie industry simply breed unnecessary competition, rather than focusing on the artistry at hand. “Making a priority of chasing these fake carrots and money and dubious accolades, I think it’s really destructive, he vented. “People want to turn everything in this country into a competition [so] it’s clear who the winner is and who the loser is… It’s why they like to announce the grosses of movies, because it’s a way of saying ‘this one is number one.’

This year’s Oscars ceremony, should you take a different view of competition within the movie industry, will take place on February 24, 2013 and will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane. Ethan Hawke is not nominated for any Oscars this year so at least he’ll avoid the hypocrisy that an acceptance speech may have brought him. 

Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke slammed The Oscars as "asinine"