Listen: Seymour Bernstein and Ethan Hawke on Their NYFF Doc 'Seymour: An Introduction'

Listen to the Seymour: An Introduction Q&A at the Walter Reade Theater with Seymour Bernstein and Ethan Hawke above.

Pianist Seymour Bernstein and actor/filmmaker Ethan Hawke started a friendship at a dinner party. Seated next to each other, the two struck up a conversation that eventually lead to doc Seymour: An Introduction, which Hawke directed. The film is a portrait of Bernstein that explores the artist's work ethic, his learning the piano with Clara Husserl, his time serving in the army in the Korean War, as well as his observations of fellow pianists and his interactions with friends.

“I have a pupil who's a friend of Ethan's and he called me up and said, 'I'd like to invite you over for dinner and Ethan Hawke is coming.' I said, 'Who's that?' [laughs]. You know I'm a pianist and I don't go to the movies that often. So I Googled him and said, 'Oh my god, I know who that is…,'” recalled Bernstein last week at a pre-NYFF screening of Seymour: An Introduction at the Walter Reade Theater.

A year after their first introduction, Bernstein invited a small group to his apartment including Hawke. It was there that Bernstein recalls that Hawke told him, “We are going to make a documentary on you.” The pianist said that Hawke told him, “The theme of the documentary ought to be how a devotion and a discipline to an art form can not only improve the art form, but radiate out into your life.”

Earlier in their relationship, Hawke confessed that he experienced sometimes debilitating stage fright. Their collaboration via this documentary explores Bernstein's philosophical approach to performance, practice, and accepting, while at the same time confronting fear of live performance.

“The notion I took was that you don't need to be ashamed of those feelings,” said Hawke. “When you're touting yourself as a professional, having a feeling of insecurity can seem like a horrible blemish. And that can start tripping you up… Part of why I made the documentary was to spend more time with Seymour and explore the subject with him. Not only was it not something to be ashamed of, but it's quite possible something to be proud of—you're opening yourself up and putting yourself out there.”

In the audio recording from the Walter Reade conversation with Seymour Bernstein and Ethan Hawke moderated by NYFF Director Kent Jones, the duo talk about the teacher-student dynamic, mentorship, their relationship, and what Hawke wishes was in the documentary.