Jimmy Fallon and Ethan Hawke went undercover on Tuesday night’s (Sept. 4) Tonight Show to pay homage to country outlaw legends Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. The Blaze director slipped on a two-braid wig, red bandana and battered guitar to channel Willie’s signature look as he and Fallon performed “On the Road Again” alongside fellow faux Highwaymen Charlie Sexton (as Kris Kristofferson) and the film’s star, Ben Dickey (as Waylon Jennings).
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Fallon, of course, couldn’t resist updating the 1979 Honeysuckle Rose hit with some fresh lyrics that turned into an argument about whether or not they should hit the road, singing in a quavery Cash bass, “But hold on a sec/ If we stay here we can get trashed and play Fortnite,” as a confused Hawke wondered just what in the heck Fortnite is. “Fortnite is an online, multi-player game where a flyin’ bus drops you off onto an island,” Fallon hilariously explained in an a capella breakdown. “On that island, you face off against 99 other players, each of whom spends time collectin’ weapons and materials with which to fight other players and build, well, forts. The last man alive is the winner. It’s sorta like Hunger Games meets Minecraft. It’s, like, it’s super fun.”
Hawke was on hand to promote Blaze, the film he directed about forgotten country singer/songwriter Blaze Foley (“If I Could Only Fly,” “Clay Pigeons”), who died in 1989 at age 39 after getting shot by a friend. The actor — who admitted he was real nervous to perform in his first musical bit earlier in the show — also told Fallon a story about how he and his dad once met the real Nelson, who tried to pass them a joint, which his pops turned down. When the actor met the country legend again a few years later, Nelson came backstage and handed him a jay, saying, “Say hi to your dad.”
Watch the video below.