Ethan Hawke<\/a> remembers the exact moment that Sterlin Harjo<\/a> first pitched him The Lowdown.<\/p>\n The 54-year-old actor tells Entertainment Weekly that he had just completed \u201cone of the best weeks of filming of my whole career\u201d aboard Harjo\u2019s award-winning FX series Reservation Dogs<\/a> when his longtime friend and collaborator floated the idea of potentially teaming up again on a brand new project.<\/p>\n \u201cAt wrap, Sterlin took me to the insanely ravishing Philbrook Museum [in Tulsa] and pitched me The Lowdown,\u201d Hawke says over email. \u201cI was in.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u2014\u00a0even if it means earning himself a black eye or two along the way.<\/p>\n When Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson<\/a>) \u2014\u00a0 the black sheep brother of gubernatorial candidate Donald Washberg (Kyle MacLachlan<\/a>) \u2014\u00a0is found dead of an apparent suicide just days after Lee pens an expos\u00e9 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.<\/p>\n Shane Brown\/FX<\/p>\n Ethan Hawke in ‘The Lowdown’<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d Harjo tells EW. \u201cAnd I think Tulsa, with our history and being sort of right in the middle \u2014 this purple city inside of a really red state \u2014 is a perfect setting for this as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Hawke was so taken by Harjo\u2019s 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 \u201cobvious\u201d choice, he says.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my whole career, I\u2019ve never accepted a role I hadn\u2019t read,\u201d Hawke explains. \u201cSo if I was going to do that with something of this scope, I didn\u2019t want to be an \u2018employee.\u2019 I wanted to share responsibility and be in the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n The actor describes Lee as an \u201coff-balance angel,\u201d noting that he drew inspiration for the character from multiple people in his life \u201cwho have a fundamental passion for the pursuit of truth, and the value that said truth provides.\u201d He adds, \u201cThe truth gives us ground to stand on. Without it we are lost.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s similarly not lost on Hawke or Harjo that The Lowdown comes at a time in which there\u2019s a growing shortage of local news journalists<\/a> in the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cOne 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,\u201d Hawke elaborates. \u201cIn the series, Lee\u2019s battle to get people to care \u2014 let alone even see his writing \u2014 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The Lowdown, while entirely fictional, takes pages from Harjo’s own experience as a documentary filmmaker for the Tulsa longform magazine, This Land Press. \u201cIt was just an inspirational and informative time for me,\u201d he recalls. \u201cIt\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Sign up for\u00a0Entertainment Weekly’s\u00a0free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n It also showed him firsthand \u201cthe impact that journalism can have on a community.\u201d He adds, \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n And Lee certainly finds himself courting plenty of danger \u2014\u00a0and potential allies \u2014\u00a0along the way. His investigation catches the eye of the mysterious Marty (Keith David<\/a>), who appears equally as curious about the Washberg family. When asked about Lee and Marty\u2019s relationship dynamic, Hawke responds, \u201cAnyone who is not friends with Keith David needs help.\u201d<\/p>\n Shane Brown\/FX<\/p>\n Ethan Hawke as Lee Raybon and Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Francis in ‘The Lowdown<\/p><\/div>\n Lee\u2019s digging also brings unwanted attention to his ex-wife, Sam (Kaniehtiio Horn), and their teen daughter, Francis (Ryan Kiera Armstrong<\/a>). His relationship with Francis, in particular, was taken directly from Harjo\u2019s experience co-parenting a teenager while working as a freelance filmmaker.<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s something really sweet about their relationship and how Lee navigates that, but it also can be dangerous,\u201d Harjo says of the father-daughter duo. \u201cAnd 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\u2026 And I think that becomes tricky throughout the series.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to being a hard-boiled crime drama, The Lowdown is also Harjo\u2019s \u201clove letter\u201d 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, not since The Outsiders<\/a> and Rumble Fish has something been shot that really showcased the city. And that’s what I wanted to do,\u201d Harjo says. \u201cI have a lot of Okie expats in the show. Tim Blake Nelson’s from Tulsa. Jeanne Tripplehorn\u2019s from Tulsa. Tracy Letts<\/a> 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.\u201d<\/p>\n That also extends to the show\u2019s cast and crew. \u201cI have friends and family that are in the show \u2014\u00a0same thing with Reservation Dogs \u2014 and the same crew, which is also like a big family,\u201d he says. \u201cBeing able to have people participate that know this place intimately and some of the things I\u2019m talking about just makes it that much\u2026 I think you can feel [a sense of the city] as a viewer.\u201d<\/p>\n As for what comes next for Lee? \u201cIt gets crazier. That’s all I can say,\u201d Harjo teases. \u201cPeople 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.\u201d<\/p>\n And who, exactly, killed Dale Washberg? Well, as Hawke puts it: \u201cGood question.\u201d<\/p>\n The Lowdown airs Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. ET\/PT, on FX.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n
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