Maya Hawke, the actress and singer best known for her role as an alternative teen in Netflix's Stranger Things, has a lot more to offer than what initially meets the eye.
Born to Hollywood royalty Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke in New York City, Maya began her acting journey with BBC's 2017 adaptation of Little Women, where she portrayed Jo March.
Her career has since seen her feature 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 character of anxiety, a new emotion introduced in the sequel.
As we eagerly anticipate her return in Stranger Things season 5, set to premiere in 2025, let's delve into her breakout role, music career and the nepotism controversy that surrounds her.
Hawke's big breakHawke's education played a significant role in shaping her interest in acting. She attended Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn, renowned for its emphasis on creativity.
She also had stints at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in central London and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York. She was studying for a Bachelor in Fine Arts at Julliard when she dropped out to take up her debut role in Little Women.
A year later, Stranger Things Season 3 premiered, introducing Hawke as a new addition to the ensemble cast. Her character, Robin, entered the series as the co-worker and best friend of main character Steve Harrington (Joe Keery).
Viewers were quick to sense the sparks flying between the characters, but the plot took a turn when Robin, portrayed by Maya Hawke, came out as gay in a heartfelt scene with Steve. Hawke's enactment of an LGBTQ+ teen has won her acclaim for its sensitivity and honesty.
'Nepo baby' scrutinyMaya Hawke, daughter of Hollywood big shots Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman who tied the knot from 1998 until 2005, has been swept up in the whirlwind controversy surrounding 'nepotism babies' or 'nepo babies'.
Tagged in the 2022 Vulture expose 'An All But Definitive Guide to the Hollywood Nepo-Verse', Maya was highlighted as one of the many offspring of celebrities featured in Quentin Tarantinos "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."
The piece catapulted the term 'nepo baby' into the limelight, prompting responses from various stars mentioned in the viral feature as they defended their positions.
However, Hawke earned kudos for openly acknowledging the advantages she's had. Speaking to the Times, she confessed: "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 also expressed: "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."
Music career and love lifeMaya Hawke first wowed us with her vocal talents in 2019, dropping singles 'To Love a Boy' and 'Stay Open'. Since then, she's graced the music scene with three albums; 'Blush' in 2020, 'MOSS' in 2022, and her latest hit 'Chaos Angel' in 2024, produced by none other than her current beau, Christian Lee Hutson.
Lee Hutson isn't just any partner; he's got his own set of alternative albums and has collaborated with big names like Phoebe Bridgers.
On the Zach Sang Show, a music podcast, Hawke opened up about their relationship, saying: "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 that has dated other people who has dated them. Who has feelings and is a living, breathing human not just like a piece of paper to project image of perfect girlfriend onto."
With a whopping 1.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Hawke's star continues to rise.
