Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy evoked a chemistry and charm as Jesse and Céline in the Before trilogy that could be felt on the screen. They shared simple yet deeply meaningful conversations about life, love, and religion as they wandered through the streets of Vienna. At times, their conversations, which showed their growing connection and romance, felt almost completely unscripted.

While there was certainly improvisation, as the audience could sense throughout the movie, Hawke has now revealed the real process behind making those moments feel so natural and real.

Ethan Hawke recently sat down with John Feitelberg on Scene Stealers for a conversation about his career and iconic films, including the Before trilogy and Dead Poets Society. When asked about the natural dialogue in the Before trilogy, the actor revealed that it would be impossible to improvise everything, as many believe, and that they did not do it. Hawke opened up about the process of how the cast and director worked closely together on dialogue, a process he described as “controlled improvisation” for the films.

"We create the feeling that we're improvising. And we have written our own lines, and we've worked on them and what we've come up with through controlled improvising, meaning like we improvised some things around. Then we'd say, "Oh, that one was good. Let's pick that. Let's add that. Let's cut that," he recalled, working on the dialogue for the movie. 

Not just the dialogue, but every element, from the stores they visit to the way they walk, plays a crucial role in the movie. During the interview, Hawke also opened up about a special scene at the end of the movie, which shows all the locations that Jesse and Céline visited, but without them. Hawke shared that this created a feeling that the characters were almost like ghosts or showed that they were simply visitors for a brief time.

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While the dreamy setting and conversations in the movie are nostalgic for old fans, younger audiences sometimes struggle to understand them, as Hawke believes.

During the interview with GQ’s One More Question, Ethan Hawke revealed that his eldest daughter had once shown his film, Before Sunrise, to her friends. While they appreciated the movie, his daughter’s friends had issues with the two characters' decision to part ways without exchanging contact information. He said that they believed it was an artistic decision by the director.

“Love that movie, but it was just so unrealistic,” Hawke recalled their comment.

He added that his daughters’ friends could not understand that phones were not as common for people to carry as they are now. In the movie, Jesse and Céline part ways with a promise that they will meet at the same train station six months later. While this might feel bizarre in this era, the uncertainty and longing behind this promise made the film special.

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What do you think about Ethan Hawke' revelation about Before trilogy? Let us know in the comments.