Maya Hawke is embracing her "nepo baby" status.
Being the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke has made it easier for the actor to land major roles, like Flower Child, one of Charles Manson's followers in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."
And while some stars may strongly deny the influence their family ties have had on their careers, Hawke told the Times of London it was something she was "comfortable" with.
"I've been wildly made fun of for this clip when I said, on the red carpet, that I auditioned," Hawke said of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." "I never meant to imply that I didn't get the part for nepotistic reasons — I think I totally did."
Hawke rose to prominence with her role as Robin Buckley in the popular Netflix series "Stranger Things." She has since appeared in several films, including "Do Revenge," "Asteroid City," and "Maestro."
Reflecting on whether she "deserves" the opportunities that have arisen, Hawke admitted it was not so clear cut.
"'Deserves' is a complicated word," she said. "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.
She chose the second path, which was embracing her nepotistic connections.
"It's OK to be made fun of when you're in rarefied air," she explained. "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 spoken about nepotism before, previously telling Variety she had insecurities around the topic.
"I had moments of insecurity about it while we were shooting the movie," she said of working on "Wildcat," the Flannery O'Connor biopic directed by her father. "But the internet doesn't have a lot of nuances.
"My dad has been a massive teacher for me, and we want to work together. We like being with each other."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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