Why Maya Hawke Deleted Her Instagram Account When She Joined the Cast of ‘Stranger Things’
Actress Maya Hawke who joined the cast of Stranger Things in Season 3 — the TV series with a cult following premiered early in July 2019 — revealed she deleted her Instagram account when the newest eight episodes became available on Netflix. Learn why ahead.
Who is Maya Hawke?
Hawke is the 21-year-old daughter of actors Ethan Hawke, 48, and Uma Thurman, 49. Before her breakout role playing Robin — she worked in the Starcourt Mall at Scoops Ahoy — in Stranger Things, Hawke starred in BBC’s 2017 miniseries, Little Women.
In addition to Stranger Things, Hawke appeared in another major production this year, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, according to IMDb.
Why Maya Hawke deleted her Instagram account
During a recent conversation with Who What Wear, Hawke explained why she deleted her Instagram account when Season 3 of Stranger Things premiered.
After noting that she’s “not particularly active on social media or in that world,” Hawke opened up about why her public and verified account went dark.
“I have an Instagram account, but I deleted the app when the show came out because I just didn’t want to … I don’t know. I was nervous about how big the show is, and I was worried people wouldn’t like the character. I was just nervous, and so I just decided to kind of hide and not read reviews and not look at anything,” she said.
With her account shutdown, the young star relied on those close to her to keep her informed on conversations happening on social media.
“I allowed the people I loved to tell me, who were looking around, to tell me the good stuff. I just kind of ducked out of it and allowed the people I love to tell me the things I want to here. It’s too much to try to take in the opinions of everyone in the world,” Hawke added.
Since the show premiered, Hawke’s back on Instagram.
Why she ‘resisted’ acting
In another interview, Hawke revealed she hesitated before pursuing a career in acting.
“I resisted it a little bit, because it was the family business, until I realized that it made me the most happy and that it was what I was the best at,” Hawke told WWD in June of 2019.
She continued, saying she might have gone the academic route, pursuing a degree in English.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know, do I want to get an English degree, what do I want to do?’ I was simultaneously doing a play at my school, and it was the only thing I liked doing. I didn’t like studying for my SAT, didn’t like writing essays, but I felt so alive and capable in the theater at my school and how do you say no to that?”
Hawke on why her ‘Strangers Things’ character ‘is a big deal’
Beware there are spoilers ahead for those who haven’t watched Season 3 of Stranger Things.
Hawke’s character, Robin, came out as a lesbian when a male character told her they had a crush on her. In an interview, the actress explained why Robin’s sexuality is important.
“The great thing about Stranger Things is it has such a reach and so many people watch it in the middle of the country. Even a little gesture like having a gay character is a big deal,” she said.
While we’re sure Hawke would’ve gone on to do amazing things with an English degree, we’re glad she became an actress and gave us Robin.
