The conversation around Hollywood’s dreaded “nepo babies”—i.e., the kids of famous folk, who it’s hard to deny have at least some leg up in the entertainment industry, thanks to a combination of access, resources, and basic name recognition—is always a little fraught. There’s not a human being on the planet, after all, who likes being told they don’t deserve their accomplishments, which helps explain why the reactions of the performers in question, when hit with that particular label, have ranged from acceptance all the way up to accusing anyone who brings the concept up of indulging in misogyny.
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Which is why it’s honestly kind of refreshing to hear Maya Hawke—one of the break-out stars of Stranger Things, and the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman—addressing the topic in a genuine and straightforward way. In a recent interview with The Times Of London, Hawke acknowledged that, for instance, being the daughter of one of Quentin Tarantino’s most frequent collaborators absolutely contributed to her getting a part in 2019's Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, noting that “I never meant to imply that I didn’t get the part for nepotistic reasons — I think I totally did.”
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Hawke was referencing an interview she gave closer to the film’s release, which she says she got made fun of for on the internet, where she talked about auditioning for the film through regular channels. (Albeit, regular channels that involved sending in an audition tape featuring an appearance by Ethan Hawke.) Still, though, she was happy to get into the topic in more detail in this new interview, giving one of the better, and more thoughtful, answers we’ve seen on the whole issue since people started making fun of nepo babies a few years back— even if it does sort of amount to “Hey, what are you gonna do?”
“Deserves” is a complicated word. 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. 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 has recently worked with both her parents on projects; she appeared in The Kill RoomWildcat.