I remember the first time I heard the album title The Tortured Poets Department, and I immediately thought “Dead Poets Society.” Really, it was hard not to connect Taylor Swift’s eleventh album to that iconic ‘80s movie, and it turns out the pop star thought about that too. That became clear when some of the movie’s stars appeared in the music video for the album’s lead single “Fortnight,” and now Ethan Hawke has opened up about why he was asked to be in it.
In Taylor Swift’s music video for “Fortnight,” Hawke and Josh Charles made cameos, which created a very fun Easter egg for Dead Poets Society. Speaking to Parade about that cameo, and why they were asked to do it, Hawke said:
She’s kind of an astonishing person when you meet her. Sometimes you meet people and you’re like, ‘Oh, it’s not an accident that she’s as successful as she is.’ She’s a really remarkable human being. And she just had an idea. It was all her idea. There was something about The Tortured Poets Department that, in her brain, owed some debt to Dead Poets Society. And she wanted Josh Charles and I to be in the video.
There’s no question, the second Taylor Swift announced TTPD at the Grammys, parallels were being drawn between it and Dead Poets Society. The titles alone made that happen. However, the poetic, sad and melodramatic nature of the album parallels the film, which is one of Ethan Hawke’s best, in some ways. Also, the academic aesthetic of TTPD is reminiscent of the movie that also starred Robin Williams.
So, a nod to the 1989 film felt warranted. I’m happy Hawke and Charles, who played Todd and Knox, respectively, were so down to do this, too.
Happy might even be an understatement. Back when “Fortnight” came out, Hawke talked about getting the call for it and making his way to the set with The Good Wife actor. He explained that as they traveled to be part of this, they walked through the airport and past tons of people in Eras Tour merch. Then, throughout the process, they “laughed [themselves] silly,” which goes to show how much these two enjoyed the experience. Opening up about that again, the Before Sunrise actor said:
And so the whole thing was a laugh for Josh and I. Josh and I hadn’t gotten to spend time together. I mean, we’ve been friends for 30 years or whatever, but it was fun to get on an airplane and go be part of something that our kids found so interesting.
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I’m sure their kids did find this cool, whether they told their dads that or not, and I also know Dead Poets Society fans were thrilled about it. Considering the excitement surrounding the movie and the album when it came out, it was savvy of Swift to capitalize on it and nod to the two projects that many had associated with each other.
Overall, it’s incredible that Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles were called to be in “Fortnight.” It was such a cool Easter egg that nodded to the association between The Tortured Poets Department and Dead Poets Society (which you can stream with a Hulu subscription), and it was truly incredible to see these two beloved actors collaborate with one of the world’s biggest pop stars.