Ethan Hawke remembers the exact moment that Sterlin Harjo first pitched him The Lowdown.
The 54-year-old actor tells Entertainment Weekly that he had just completed “one of the best weeks of filming of my whole career” aboard Harjo’s award-winning FX series Reservation Dogs when his longtime friend and collaborator floated the idea of potentially teaming up again on a brand new project.
“At wrap, Sterlin took me to the insanely ravishing Philbrook Museum [in Tulsa] and pitched me The Lowdown,” Hawke says over email. “I was in.”
The limited series, which premieres Sept. 23 on FX, follows Lee Raybon, a rough-and-tumble rare bookstore owner and “truthstorian” who is determined to shine a spotlight on past and present corruption in Tulsa — even if it means earning himself a black eye or two along the way.
When Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson) — the black sheep brother of gubernatorial candidate Donald Washberg (Kyle MacLachlan) — is found dead of an apparent suicide just days after Lee pens an exposé about the powerful family, his dogged hunger for the truth sends him on an adventure that might see him bite off much, much more than he can chew.
Shane Brown/FX
Ethan Hawke in ‘The Lowdown’
“I feel like, in this day and age with what is happening with the media and truth, there’s a lot of really dark s— happening, and it’s kind of a perfect opportunity to put a journalist at the center of a noir,” Harjo tells EW. “And I think Tulsa, with our history and being sort of right in the middle — this purple city inside of a really red state — is a perfect setting for this as well.”
Hawke was so taken by Harjo’s gritty, serpentining script and its hard-nosed protagonist that he signed on to the project not only as its star but also as an executive producer alongside his wife, Ryan. It was an “obvious” choice, he says.
“In my whole career, I’ve never accepted a role I hadn’t read,” Hawke explains. “So if I was going to do that with something of this scope, I didn’t want to be an ‘employee.’ I wanted to share responsibility and be in the kitchen.”
The actor describes Lee as an “off-balance angel,” noting that he drew inspiration for the character from multiple people in his life “who have a fundamental passion for the pursuit of truth, and the value that said truth provides.” He adds, “The truth gives us ground to stand on. Without it we are lost.”
It’s similarly not lost on Hawke or Harjo that The Lowdown comes at a time in which there’s a growing shortage of local news journalists in the United States.
“One of the most interesting conversations of our time is the internet’s impact on journalism. Not just the nature of publishing, but how information is received and valued by the public,” Hawke elaborates. “In the series, Lee’s battle to get people to care — let alone even see his writing — is definitely an uphill one. He’s a crusader for the freedom of speech, and more importantly, its relationship to making sure there are guard rails against deceit and lies and greed.”
The Lowdown, while entirely fictional, takes pages from Harjo’s own experience as a documentary filmmaker for the Tulsa longform magazine, This Land Press. “It was just an inspirational and informative time for me,” he recalls. “It’s looking and trying to make a difference in your community and paying attention to what’s right in your backyard. With all of the documentaries that I did for This Land, a lot of it was about telling the truth.”
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It also showed him firsthand “the impact that journalism can have on a community.” He adds, “I think that’s sort of the big inspiration for the show. Can one person make a difference? You may have to put yourself in danger, but I think you can.”
And Lee certainly finds himself courting plenty of danger — and potential allies — along the way. His investigation catches the eye of the mysterious Marty (Keith David), who appears equally as curious about the Washberg family. When asked about Lee and Marty’s relationship dynamic, Hawke responds, “Anyone who is not friends with Keith David needs help.”
Shane Brown/FX
Ethan Hawke as Lee Raybon and Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Francis in ‘The Lowdown
Lee’s digging also brings unwanted attention to his ex-wife, Sam (Kaniehtiio Horn), and their teen daughter, Francis (Ryan Kiera Armstrong). His relationship with Francis, in particular, was taken directly from Harjo’s experience co-parenting a teenager while working as a freelance filmmaker.
“There’s something really sweet about their relationship and how Lee navigates that, but it also can be dangerous,” Harjo says of the father-daughter duo. “And I think that’s the dance of the show is that he’s trying to figure out how to be a father and also be in pursuit of the truth and be that focused and not get her in danger… And I think that becomes tricky throughout the series.”
In addition to being a hard-boiled crime drama, The Lowdown is also Harjo’s “love letter” to the city of Tulsa, where he currently resides. Keen-eyed viewers will spot bits of the city’s culture and history masterfully weaved into the entire show, from paintings on the walls by local artists to filming locations to its needle drops.
“I mean, not since The Outsiders and Rumble Fish has something been shot that really showcased the city. And that’s what I wanted to do,” Harjo says. “I have a lot of Okie expats in the show. Tim Blake Nelson’s from Tulsa. Jeanne Tripplehorn’s from Tulsa. Tracy Letts is from Durant, Okla. So, as much as I could, I had all of these connections to Oklahoma here. It’s just a big old celebration of the place that I care about and call home.”
That also extends to the show’s cast and crew. “I have friends and family that are in the show — same thing with Reservation Dogs — and the same crew, which is also like a big family,” he says. “Being able to have people participate that know this place intimately and some of the things I’m talking about just makes it that much… I think you can feel [a sense of the city] as a viewer.”
As for what comes next for Lee? “It gets crazier. That’s all I can say,” Harjo teases. “People will watch the first episode and think they know where it’s going, but it’s going somewhere else. And there’s some legends coming down the line. It’s a great cast with some really impressive people.”
And who, exactly, killed Dale Washberg? Well, as Hawke puts it: “Good question.”
The Lowdown airs Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, on FX.
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