Maya Hawke
She has no problem being called “Nepo-Baby”
Ethan and Maya Hawke are not only father and daughter, but also occasionally colleagues. For example, they worked together on the drama “Wildcat”.
© imago/Starface
Famous and successful thanks to her parents? That doesn’t give Maya Hawke a headache. She can easily accept the term “Nepo baby”.
The daughter of Uma Thurman (54) and Ethan Hawke (53) has no problem being called a “Nepo baby”. In an interview, Maya Hawke (25) emphasized that, on the contrary, she is happy about her famous parents and the privileges that come with them.
She decided against changing her name
The term “Nepo-Baby” refers to people who have benefited from nepotism. Celebrity children who are successful in the modeling, music or acting business are currently the focus of attention. There is a debate on the Internet about whether they would have celebrated their great success without the influence of their famous parents. In an interview with British newspaper The Times, Maya Hawke made it clear that she did not feel guilty about her advantages. “There are so many people who deserve to have that kind of life but can’t, but I think I’m comfortable with not deserving it and doing it anyway.” She added that it “wouldn’t help anyone to not take advantage of my background.”
Nevertheless, she had some thoughts at the beginning of her career: “When I started, I saw two paths, and one of them was: change your name, get a nose job and go to open casting roles,” Hawke continued. However, she decided to keep her famous surname and thereby open important doors. It’s OK if other people make fun of it. “It’s a happy place. My relationships with my parents are really honest and positive, and that surpasses anything anyone can say about it.”
Last year, the 25-year-old even worked with her father. She starred in the biographical drama “Wildcat,” directed by her father. She told the “Times” that she tried to refer to her father as “Ethan” on set, but ended up calling him “Papa” again. “We were both constantly asked if we were nervous about working with each other, but we weren’t nervous because I’ve spent my whole life making art with this guy.”
Ethan Hawke is a proud “Nepo-Dad”
Ethan Hawke has also spoken out about the “Nepo” issue in a relaxed manner, telling Variety in the fall of 2023: “Put simply, I’m a Nepo dad! And I’m not embarrassed about it.”
Just like his former wife Uma Thurman, the actor can look back on a successful Hollywood career. His best-known films include “Dead Poets Society” (1989), “Before Sunrise” (1995) and “Training Day” (2001). He was married to Tarantino muse Uma Thurman (“Pulp Fiction”, “Kill Bill”) from 1998 to 2005. In addition to their daughter, the couple also have a son, Levon Hawke (22). He is also an actor.
In the meantime, Maya Hawke has also established herself in the acting profession. She celebrated her breakthrough in 2019 with the Netflix series “Stranger Things” and in the same year also appeared in front of the camera for directing legend Quentin Tarantino (61) in “Once Upon a Time In… Hollywood”. In 2023, she appeared in Bradley Cooper’s (49) biopic “Maestro” about the composer Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990). In the second part of the animated film “Inside Out”, she again lends her voice to the character Anxiety in the US original. The film will also be released in German cinemas on June 14th.