Hawke is unrecognizable as the 5-foot balding Broadway genius in Richard Linklater’s new film. "It was demolishing to my vanity," he says from Berlin.

Berlin: Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater on their new film 'Blue Moon,' in which Hawke plays American lyricist Lorenz Hart.

Hawke stars as the late Broadway icon, the lyricist behind such favorites as "My Funny Valentine," "The Lady Is a Tramp," and more.