'Giant public divorce' from Uma tough on working Hawke

Ethan Hawke's bitter divorce battle with Uma Thurman was especially gruelling for the actor in the final months of last year - because he was having to perform on stage every night.

The Taking Lives star signed up to star in a production of Shakespeare's Henry IV at the Lincoln Center Theater in New York, and his three-month spell in the play proved to be a valuable learning experience.

However, his public wrangle with his estranged wife made performing night-after- night the toughest challenge of his life.

He tells British magazine Empire: "(Being in Henry IV) was an amazing experience, but it was an incredibly demanding role to take on, especially while I was going through a giant public divorce with Uma.

"It wasn't the most relaxing time I've ever had. No matter how you rationalise it, divorce is always complicated."