Ethan Hawke says he had almost passed on Reality Bites

Ethan Hawke featured as one of the protagonists alongside Winona Ryder, Steve Zahn and Janeane Garofalo in the film, which was Stiller's directorial debut

Los Angeles: Ethan Hawke has revealed he had almost turned down his hit 1994 film "Reality Bites" as he was not aware who Ben Stiller was at the time. Hawke featured as one of the protagonists alongside Winona Ryder, Steve Zahn and Janeane Garofalo in the film, which was Stiller's directorial debut.

According to The Wrap, the cast of the cult classic film reunited on the sidelines of Tribeca Film Festival to celebrate its 25th anniversary. During a panel discussion, Hawke said it was Ryder who introduced him to Stiller and asked him to watch his show "The Ben Stiller Show".

"I am not saying the show wasn't brilliant. I had never heard of it. No one I had met had ever heard of it, and Winona wanted me to be in this movie," Hawke said. "I was like 'Who is Ben Stiller?' You just worked with Scorsese and you are going to work with this clown?" he added. Hawke said he feels "indebted" to Ryder for changing his mind about the film and setting him up for a successful future in cinema.

"I'm indebted. Winona believed in me. Winona got me this job and this job changed the trajectory of my career entirely," the actor said.

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