Ethan Hawke Threw the Independence Day Script Onto a Texas Highway
Ethan Hawke got the Independence Day lead after Reality Bites, mocked the dialogue on a road trip, and threw the script out the window. Will Smith took the part; the film made over $817 million.
FaithTap · Oct 13, 2026 · 1 min read
Ethan Hawke threw the Independence Day script out of his car window onto a Texas highway.
"Okay listen, 'Reality Bites' just came out and I'm the bee's knees, right?" he told Conan O'Brien. The script for Captain Steven Hiller arrived with dollar bills attached while he drove cross-country with a friend from Austin toward New York. He read it aloud and called the "E.T. phone home" line stupid.
Will Smith took the role. The next summer, on the Fourth of July, Hawke headed to the movies with his girlfriend Lynn.
"Everyone wants to go see Independence Day and I'm like, 'Alright, this'll be amusing to see how bad it is.'"
"I walk into the theater, it's obviously sold out. Will Smith says, 'E.T. phone home,' and the place roars. I mean they basically give a standing ovation in the movie. And I'm sitting there going, 'Oh my god.' I really didn't get the joke!"
Independence Day grossed over $817 million worldwide.
"I told Lynn afterwards, I said, 'It wasn't that good though, was it?' I mean, I know everybody else loved it, but it wasn't that good. She's like, 'It was really good.'"