Maya Hawke Admits She Was Cast In Tarantino Film For ‘Nepotistic Reasons’

Actress Maya Hawke, daughter of A-list film stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, admitted she was cast in the 2019 Quentin Tarantino film “Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood” because of her famous parents.

The 25-year-old star previously faced backlash for making it sound as though the role was earned through merit. Hawke clarified those statements during a new interview with The Times of London.

“I’ve been wildly made fun of for this clip when I said, on the red carpet, that I auditioned,” she told the outlet. “I never meant to imply that I didn’t get the part for nepotistic reasons — I think I totally did.” 

She said filmmaker Tarantino was trying to “cast a lot of young Hollywood,” which in this case included Margaret Qualley (Andie MacDowell’s daughter) and Rumer Willis (Demi Moore and Bruce Willis’ daughter). 

When asked if she believed she “deserved” the part, Hawke replied,“‘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.”

The actress added, “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 became a household name while playing Robin Buckley in the popular Netflix series “Stranger Things.” She also had roles in “Do Revenge,” “Asteroid City,” and “Maestro.”

The actress also spoke on the topic while promoting “Wildcat,” the Flannery O’Connor biopic her father directed.

“I had moments of insecurity about it while we were shooting the movie,” she told Variety in September. ”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.”

Her dad, a four-time Academy Award winner, also chimed in on the topic: “If someone wants to criticize us for working together, that’s totally fair. You have to let people have their opinion. You just have to try to do a good job when you’re onstage.”