When Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles reunited for Taylor Swift’s Fortnight video earlier this year, the cameo was meant as a quiet nod to their breakout in Dead Poets Society. What unfolded on set, though, was less about nostalgia, and more about Charles the football fan.
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Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show this week, Hawke recalled how the filming day brought an unexpected visitor, Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce. While most would have been starstruck, Charles, a lifelong Baltimore Ravens devotee, zeroed in on one thing: an old officiating call.
“Travis Kelce came on set and all Josh Charles wanted to do was [argue] about this bad call,” Hawke laughed. “I’m like, ‘Josh, let it go.’ And he’s going, ‘But seriously, didn’t you think that was a bad call?’”
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How did Kelce respond to Charles’ “bad call”?
Kelce, by Hawke’s telling, was the picture of politeness, brushing off the challenge with charm. “He was super respectful, really wonderful young man,” Hawke said, noting how the tight end diplomatically sidestepped Charles’ persistence.
Swift herself was present for the exchange, though Hawke made clear she wasn’t the focus for Charles. “Josh doesn’t… all he cares about is the Ravens,” he joked.
The cameo itself had been a closely guarded secret. Swift tapped Hawke and Charles to play lab-coated figures in the Fortnight video, a sly wink to Dead Poets Society woven into her Tortured Poets Department era. But for us, the power of sporting passion was even more interesting. Talk about seizing the day, Josh!
Here’s Charles on the same show last year.
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