Ethan Hawke, celebrated for the Before trilogy and Training Day, played a pivotal off-screen role in shaping Lisa Loeb’s iconic 1990s music success.
This lesser-known side of the actor came to light recently in a TikTok post by Track StarPresents as the 54-year-old appeared, recalling his vital role in Lisa Loeb’s career.
The video featured Hawke taking a trip down memory lane as he heard the first few seconds of the classic ‘90s song and proudly shared that he directed the music video.
“I was named best Music Video of the year by Spin magazine for a little music video called ‘Stay (I Miss You),” he said, adding, “First unsigned artist in the history of rock and roll to have a number one single.”
The Dead Poets Society star continues to look back and reflect on how he brought the music video to life.
“The chorus begins the song and ends the song. And I realized, ‘Oh wow, so if a song doesn’t repeat, I wouldn’t need to cut. I can do the whole song in one shot,’” he explained.
Moreover, he mentioned that the cat seen in the video was his pet named Mardot.
On social media, many were surprised to learn he directed the iconic music video.
“He directed that? Iconic,” one wrote.
“Had no idea he directed that. I think I watched it 100x on VH1 back in the day,” another added.
“Well, today I learned Ethan Hawke made this video,” a commenter noted.
Fans expressed shock at discovering his behind-the-scenes role.
“My apologies to Ethan Hawke. I was not familiar with your game,” a social media user said.
“I had no idea he directed that coming from the song was made for a movie he was in and the song was its movie soundtrack,” a commenter noted.
“This was the song of the 90s and I had no clue he did this,” another echoed.
Released in 1994, the music video had a minimal aesthetic with a continuous steadicam shot and no special effects or heavy editing tricks.
Another little-known fact about the duo was that Hawke was not only Lisa Loeb’s friend but also her neighbor in New York City.
Ethan Hawke and Lisa Loeb at ‘Stay’ Video Shoot.
The Daytime Emmy Award winner was also the one who sent the song to Ben Stiller for his then-upcoming movieReality Bites.
Lo and behold, Loeb’s track became a cult classic of the romantic film, which also starred Hawke, along with Zoolander star Ben Stiller and Winona Ryder.
Related: Ethan Hawke Reflects on His Iconic ’90s Role: ‘Not a Great Guy’
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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