Maya Hawke, best known for her role as an alternative teen in Netflix’s Stranger Things, is more than just a familiar face on the small screen.
Born to Hollywood royalty, Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, Maya made her acting debut in the 2017 BBC adaptation of Little Women, where she portrayed Jo March.
Her career has since taken off, with roles in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, and Netflix’s teen comedy Do Revenge, among others.
Most recently, she lent her voice to Pixar’s Inside Out 2, voicing the emotion of anxiety, a new character introduced in the sequel.
As fans eagerly anticipate her return in Stranger Things season 5, set to premiere this evening, we delve into her breakout role, music career, and the controversy surrounding nepotism.
Viewers were quick to notice the spark between the two characters, but Robin was revealed to be a lesbian during a heartfelt moment when Steve confessed his romantic feelings for her. Hawke’s portrayal has earned widespread acclaim for its authentic representation of LGBTQ+ teenagers.
As the daughter of Hollywood stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, who were wed from 1998 to 2005, Maya found herself included among celebrities labeled as ‘nepotism (nepo) babies. ‘.
Her name appeared in the 2022 Vulture piece ‘An All But Definitive Guide to the Hollywood Nepo-Verse’, where the author observed that she was among eight famous offspring featured in the list who had roles in Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The piece became a viral sensation and sparked widespread discussion about the phrase ‘nepo baby’, prompting several celebrities mentioned in the story to publicly address the characterization.
Hawke, however, earned admiration from fans by openly acknowledging her advantages. Speaking with the Times, she remarked: “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.”
She continued: “It’s OK to be made fun of when you’re in rarefied air. It’s a lucky place to be.
“My relationships with my parents are really honest and positive, and that supersedes anything anyone can say about it.”
Hawke launched her music career in 2019 with two debut singles: To Love a Boy and Stay Open. Since then, she has put out three full-length albums: Blush (2020), MOSS (2022), and Chaos Angel (2024).
Her most recent record was produced by her current boyfriend Christian Lee Hutson.
Lee Hutson is a musician in his own right, having released three alternative albums. Beyond his work with Hawke, he has collaborated with chart-topping artist,s including Phoebe Bridgers.
Speaking on the Zach Sang Show music podcast, Hawke disclosed that their romantic relationship grew out of a long friendship.
She said, “We’ve been friends for four years. I cannot recommend highly enough dating your friends. It’s the best. They know you, they understand that you’re a person and a human being who has dated other people who have dated them. Who has feelings and is a living, breathing human, not just like a piece of paper to project an image of a perfect girlfriend onto.”
Hawke currently attracts 1.1million monthly listeners on Spotify.
