Ethan Hawke Says Uma Thurman is a Great Mom

Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman have remained mum on the breakup of their marriage in 2004. Ethan is now opening up on the breakup and how the pressures of Hollywood contributed to it.

"To be honest, it was an undue pressure on my marriage," Hawke says. "I didn't like being famous when I was single, and what it did to my celebrity status to be married to another famous person was a huge pressure – one I didn't enjoy. And it had nothing to do with her. Nothing to do with her."

His biggest achievement thus far is being a father to daughter Maya, 8, and son Levon, 4, and calls fatherhood "the greatest pleasure in my life. It's the only role that, if I fail, I will consider my life a failure."

Being a child of divorce himself, Hawke is especiallly aware of the impact a divorce can have on kids. He says of his own relationship with Thurman, "Our burden is just getting along, not hurting each other's feelings, and letting each other grow – letting the tides take our lives away from each other and dealing with the disappointment of a dream that didn't happen."

He credits Thurman and her devotion to raising their kids, "She's a great mother, and raising the kids is a priority for both of us. We're so fortunate that we have each other's back in that way. Because I write and act in theater, it's a lot easier for me to stay in the city. But my ex-wife has done a phenomenal job of that as well. She plans all her movies to shoot in New York."

The former couple live nearby each other in New York and share parenting duties, Hawke says, "We live down the street from each other. If we lived down the street from each other in Minneapolis, I'd have to watch every car go in and out of the driveway. I'd know how late she stayed out. I don't have to know any of that stuff."

Source: PEOPLE