Maya Hawke on nepotism: I feel 'comfortable' with unearned fame

Maya Hawke, known for her role in "Stranger Things," expressed her contentment with not feeling entitled to the life she leads.

The American actor and singer, who is the offspring of Hollywood stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, shared that her connection with them is “positive” and that it “supersedes anything anyone can say about it”.

“Deserves is a complicated word,” she explained to the Times on May 31. “There are so many people who deserve to have this kind of life who don’t, but I think I’m comfortable with not deserving it and doing it anyway. And I know that my not doing it wouldn’t help anyone.”

“I saw two paths when I was first starting and one of them was: change your name, get a nose job and go to open casting roles.”

Discussing the trajectory she embarked on, she remarked, “It’s OK to be made fun of when you’re in rarefied air. It’s a lucky place to be.”

The 25-year-old gained recognition for her portrayal of Robin in the Duffer brothers' Netflix series "Stranger Things," while her recent credits encompass Wes Anderson's "Asteroid City" (2023) and "Do Revenge" (2022).

Hawke recently launched her third album, "Chaos Angel." Reflecting on the realization that her concerts were predominantly attended by "Stranger Things" enthusiasts, she admitted,  “I was almost depressed about it.”

“Like, I’m glad there are people here, but I guess they don’t care about the music.”

She also reflected on the playful taunts she faced over her comments concerning her casting as Flowerchild, a follower of Charles Manson, in Quentin Tarantino's movie "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood."

“I’ve been wildly made fun of for this clip when I said, on the red carpet, that I auditioned,” she remarked. “I never meant to imply that I didn’t get the part for nepotistic reasons – I think I totally did.”

Hawke, lending her voice to the character of Anxiety in the forthcoming Pixar sequel "Inside Out 2," acted alongside her mother in the 2023 thriller comedy "The Kill Room" and was directed by her father in the drama "Wildcat" (2023)