Maya Hawke Acknowledges Nepotism Influenced Her Casting in Quentin Tarantino Movie

While some actors attempt to hide their family ties to the movie industry, Maya Hawke is never shy about admitting the role nepotism has had on her career, especially regarding her casting in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. Her role in the film was one of her first major acting gigs, playing ‘Flowerchild’, a member of the Manson Family cult, and has led to the actress receiving some major roles. As the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, Maya Hawke has been placed under the label ‘nepo baby’, implying that her family’s influence in the industry led to her casting, something which she doesn’t in any way deny.

Maya Hawke recently spoke to The London Times about this categorization, in a piece titled ‘Maya Hawke: My life as a Hollywood nepo baby’. During the conversation, the actress discussed her role in Tarantino’s movie, and how she was cast. Hawke has previously said that she auditioned for the role, which was disputed by audiences considering her parents’ status in Hollywood. Hawke used the conversation to clarify her point, saying that while she did audition, she won’t pretend that nepotism definitely played some role in Tarantino casting her. Hawke said:

“[I] never meant to imply that I didn’t get the part for nepotistic reasons – I think I totally did.”

Later on in the conversation, Hawke said that her status as a ‘nepo baby’ is the main reason she was cast in the movie. According to Hawke, Tarantino intentionally cast the children of famous Hollywood actors. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is both a love-letter to 60s cinema, and a comment on the evolving status of the industry, and the inclusion of sons and daughters of famous actors cements this point.

Maya Hawke’s Career Continues to Grow

While some will always criticize the Hollywood industry for its nepotistic practices, Maya Hawke has become one of those ‘nepo babies’ who have established themselves as a talented actor in their own right. Hawke began acting in 2017, appearing in the TV mini-series, Little Women. Following her appearance in Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in America, her career was then catapulted to the limelight after earning a major role in Netflix’s colossal hit Stranger Things. Since then, Hawke has worked with other acclaimed directors, including Wes Anderson (Asteroid City), and Bradley Cooper (Maestro).

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Maya Hawke is quite happy to admit that nepotism drastically influenced her career, but the actress revealed that when she first started, there was a temptation to carve her own path. During the same interview, Hawke discussed her aspirations to be an actress when she was younger, and what she thought was needed to separate herself from her parents. Hawke said:

“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.”

Maya Hawke’s next role is in one of the biggest movies of 2024 as she joins the cast of Pixar’s Inside Out 2 as Anxiety. Hawke joins Ayo Edebiri (Envy), Adèle Exarchopoulos (Ennui), and Paul Walter Houser (Embarrasment) as the newcomers to the already star-studded cast.