Ethan Hawke proved he's just like the rest of us on Tuesday when he shared some throwback photos from 2015 of himself next to Rihanna at a basketball game. Apparently there's a very funny backstory to the snapshots — which also feature his son, Levon — because Ethan used the opportunity to ask for Levon's forgiveness for making him switch seats all those years ago.
The proud dad joked about what went down behind the scenes.
Apparently, Ethan and Levon (who was 13 at the time) had the good fortune to be seated next to Rihanna at the 2015 NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It looks like Levon was the one who really made out in the deal, because he was close enough to the hitmaker to be rubbing elbows with her.
Levon's time with Rihanna was short-lived, though, thanks to his eager dad.
In the next snapshot, we can see that Ethan and Levon have swapped seats. Now Ethan's the one with Rihanna's ear, as the pair were photographed chatting away while Levon looks on in despair.
Eight years later, it seems that Ethan is finally ready to apologize to his son — who is now 21 — for stealing his thunder.
Rihanna's recent moment in the spotlight had Ethan rethinking his past.
"After Rihanna's brilliant halftime performance, I'm hoping my son can find it in his heart to forgive a dad for taking his moment," he jokingly captioned the photos.
Well, we have a hunch that this apology would have gone over much better when Levon was still newly a teen. Now that he's an adult, we're willing to bet he'd give anything for another shot at sitting next to Rihanna!
People are cracking up over the story.
Many related to Ethan's post and his decision to push his son out of the way. "You miss 100% of the shot you don't take," one follower quipped.
But pal Gwyneth Paltrow may have said it best. "Could you sit up straight, for god's sake?!" she joked of Ethan's slouchy posture. "You're sitting next to Rihanna!"
At least they can all have a big laugh about it now.
Both men made out in the end. Not only did Ethan get to sit next to Rihanna for a while during the game, but his son also got to share in the thrilling experience. Hopefully there are no hard feelings there for either of them. Now that Rihanna is expecting her second baby with A$AP Rocky, we can't imagine that Ethan or Levon ever really had a shot with the beloved performer anyway.
