Leave the World Behind Interview: Ethan Hawke & Myha’la
It’s not easy being the up-and-coming star challenged to hold your own opposite industry legends like Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, and Mahershala Ali, but Myha’la soars opposite the icons. She’s not new to the business by any means. She’s been getting widespread praise for her work on HBO’s Industry since it began in 2020 and also just made huge impressions in Bodies Bodies Bodies and Dumb Money, but the role of Ruth in Leave the World Behind not only demands that Myha’la spar with a trio of heavy hitters, but that her character exudes authority while doing so.
She plays Ruth in the Sam Esmail-directed adaptation of the Rumaan Alam book. Her father, G.H. (Ali), rents their Long Island home out to Clay and Amanda’s (Hawke and Roberts) family, but they find themselves in a position where they’ve got no choice but to return home early when there’s a widespread blackout in the city. While G.H. treads lightly with Clay and Amanda in an effort to avoid rocking the boat and Clay is a natural affable people-pleaser, Ruth and Amanda have no problem standing their ground in an effort to protect their loved ones and ensure they get what’s theirs. That leads to a series of deliciously tense scenes between Myha’la and Roberts that culminates with one of the strongest performance beats of the entire movie, Ruth and Amanda’s argument in the shed.
With Leave the World Behind now available to stream on Netflix, I got the chance to chat with Myha’la who discussed her experience going toe-to-toe with Julia Roberts. On top of that, Hawke weighed in on Clay’s evolution in the film, and both explained why they’d make an optimal disaster scenario survival duo.
Hear about all of that straight from Myha’la and Hawke in this Leave the World Behind interview!
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