Maya Hawke Shared That She Couldn’t Get Small Parts in Her Parents’ Movies
Actors Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke were once a bit hesitant in letting their daughter star in projects with them. They both wanted to make sure acting was for her before even thinking about collaborating.
Why Maya Hawke couldn’t work with her parents at first
Hawke and Thurman hoped that their daughter had a natural passion for acting, and didn’t want to do it just because it ran in the family business. They felt the film industry could’ve been a bit overwhelming for their daughter if her heart wasn’t in the right place. Because of their own history as celebrities, the former couple were careful not to throw Maya into the spotlight too early.
“They were wary of the public life side of acting and the difficulties of that. They also tried to protect me from falling into acting,” Maya said in an interview with The Guardian. “They wanted to ensure I had a strong enough backbone, my own passion for it and work ethic. They didn’t want to cart me along every red carpet or have me do bit-parts in their movies.”
But soon Maya was able to show her parents her interest in the film industry was just as genuine as theirs.
“Once I was old enough, and it was clear they were my choices, they were very supportive,” she said.
What Uma Thurman thought of Maya Hawke’s acting
Thurman admitted to being apprehensive about her daughter going into the family business. She was worried that the film industry may take advantage of Maya’s youth at the time, which she wanted to shield her daughter away from.
“Any protective parent would be anxious for their child to go into the public arena, not because they want to be in the public arena, but because they’re so creative,” Thurman once said in an interview with Access.
But the Kill Bill star asserted that her daughter’s abilities helped relieve her of any concerns.
“She’s such a brilliant actress, obviously there’s nothing else that she would’ve ever done,” Thurman said.
Because of Maya’s talent, Thurman became more comfortable with the idea of her daughter being on the big screen. She also felt Maya knew her way around celebrity culture perhaps better than even Thurman did. So there was no need to give Maya advice.
Hawke also shared similar feelings towards watching Maya become an actor.
“What’s wonderful is seeing your kid do what they love to do. It’s thrilling to see Maya be so happy and excelling at what she does. I don’t care what it is that she does, as long as she loves it and her heart’s in it,” Hawke said in an interview with AV Club.
Maya Hawke was supposed to work with Ethan Hawke on ‘Revolver’
Maya and her father were both tapped to star in the comedy feature Revolver. In the film, Maya was going to play an overzealous Beatles fan trying to sleep with a member of the iconic band. But over the years, the status of Revolver has come into question.
Hawke isn’t sure the movie is still going to get made. But he reassured that the Beatles film wouldn’t be the only opportunity he’d have to work with the Stranger Things alum.
“Maya and I have been talking about movies, acting, performance, music, and writing since she was a little kid. I feel certain that we’re going to work together soon. I don’t know if it’s going to be Revolver. I don’t know where that is. They’re trying to raise the money to make that movie. I don’t even know what the status of it is,” he said.
