Maya Hawke Was Born Into Hollywood Royalty — But Forged Her Own Crown

Maya Hawke was born on July 8, 1998, in New York City, to two of the most celebrated names in cinema. Her father, Ethan Hawke, is a four-time Academy Award nominee renowned for films like Before Sunrise and Boyhood. Her mother, Uma Thurman, is globally recognized for iconic roles in Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. Her parents met on the set of Gattaca in 1997 and divorced in 2005 when Maya was just seven years old.

Growing Up Between Two Worlds

Growing up as the child of two A-listers could have been either a golden ticket or a golden cage. For Maya, it was neither. She has described the experience as complex — deeply privileged, yet fraught with the awareness that every opportunity she received would be viewed through a skeptical lens. Rather than hide from this, she leaned into it with disarming honesty.

Family Legacy Goes Deep

The Hawke-Thurman lineage carries remarkable cultural weight. On her father’s side, maya hawke is a great-great-grandniece of playwright Tennessee Williams. On her mother’s side, her grandfather is renowned Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman, a close friend of the Dalai Lama. Creativity, philosophy, and performance art are literally in her DNA.

Maya Hawke Transformed Dyslexia Into Her Greatest Superpower

One of the most inspiring chapters in the life of maya hawke is her early struggle with dyslexia. Rather than a footnote, this challenge fundamentally shaped her artistic path and her formidable work ethic.

A Rocky Road Through Education

Maya’s dyslexia was severe enough that she changed schools multiple times during her primary education. The mainstream schooling system was not built for the way her mind worked. Each transfer brought fresh social upheaval and academic stress — yet she has spoken about these years without bitterness, crediting them with teaching her resilience and self-advocacy.

Eventually, she was enrolled at Saint Ann’s School, a progressive private school in Brooklyn, New York, that notably does not use traditional letter grades and places a heavy emphasis on artistic creativity. It was here that maya hawke truly began to flourish — participating in school plays and discovering that performance was the language in which she was most fluent.

From Learning Challenges to Elite Training

Her passion for acting led her to pursue summer studies at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London and the legendary Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York — institutions that demand serious, committed craft. Maya’s dyslexia never dimmed her intellectual ambition; if anything, it deepened it.

The Role That Changed Maya Hawke’s World: Robin Buckley in Stranger Things

Maya Hawke joined the already enormous cultural phenomenon that is Stranger Things in its third season in 2019. Entering a beloved, tightly-knit ensemble cast is one of the most difficult things a young actor can do. She not only survived the scrutiny; she became one of the show’s most beloved characters.

Introducing Robin Buckley to the World

Robin Buckley was introduced as a sharp-tongued, witty co-worker of Steve Harrington at the Scoops Ahoy ice cream parlour. From her very first scenes, it was clear that maya hawke had brought something electric to the role. Robin’s intelligence, dry humour, and emotional complexity resonated with audiences around the world.

Critics praised her performance consistently across the show’s later seasons, and her chemistry with co-star Joe Keery (Steve) became one of the most celebrated on-screen dynamics on television. Maya hawke herself has noted that she put so much of herself into Robin that the two became almost inseparable in her mind.

Robin Buckley as LGBTQ+ Representation

Robin Buckley is also notable as one of Netflix’s most prominent LGBTQ+ characters, revealed to be gay in a pivotal, emotionally grounded scene in Season 3. Maya has spoken about the responsibility and honour of playing this role with authenticity, and the character became a landmark in mainstream television representation for LGBTQ+ youth.

A Global Legacy

The series ran for five seasons from 2016 to 2025, and maya hawke appeared in 25 episodes. Stranger Things holds an 8.6 rating on IMDb. Read more on the official Netflix page.

Maya Hawke Is a Critically Acclaimed Singer-Songwriter — Not Just an Actress

Many fans know maya hawke primarily through her acting work. But a significant, beautifully crafted dimension of her artistry lives in her music — and it deserves far more recognition than it typically receives.

Three Albums, A Distinct Musical Identity

Maya has released three studio albums to positive critical reception. Her debut, Blush (2020), arrived during an extraordinarily challenging year. She initially delayed the release out of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, writing publicly that the moment demanded “activation, education and self-examination” over self-promotion.

Her second album, Moss (2022), deepened her musical identity, and Chaos Angel (2024) confirmed her as a genuinely distinctive voice in American folk and indie music. She has cited Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith, and Bob Dylan as primary influences, describing music as “the best way to communicate poetry.”

Music as Personal Expression

What separates maya hawke’s musical work from so many celebrity side projects is its sincerity. She writes her own lyrics, plays instruments, and brings the same emotional investment to her songwriting that she brings to complex dramatic roles.

From Quentin Tarantino to Pixar: Maya Hawke Has Built a Remarkable Film Resume

For an actress still in her mid-twenties, maya hawke has accumulated a film resume that most actors twice her age would envy. Each project she has chosen reveals a deliberate, thoughtful approach to her craft — prioritizing quality, diversity of role, and meaningful collaboration.

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)

Her film debut came when she appeared in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino — one of the most acclaimed films of 2019. Playing the character known as “Flower Child,” she held her own on a set that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie.

Inside Out 2 (2024) — Voicing “Anxiety”

Perhaps one of the most culturally resonant roles of her career came in Pixar’s Inside Out 2 (2024), where maya hawke voiced the character of Anxiety — a new emotion introduced in the sequel. The film was a massive commercial and critical success, and her portrayal was widely praised for its nuance and emotional intelligence.

Additional Notable Films

Her filmography also includes Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021), Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City (2023), and Bradley Cooper’s Maestro (2023). Explore her full filmography on IMDb.

Maya Hawke Left Juilliard — And It Was the Best Decision She Ever Made

Gaining admission to The Juilliard School in New York is among the most competitive achievements in the performing arts world. Maya Hawke was admitted — and then, within a year, she walked away.

Why She Left Juilliard

The reason for her departure was not failure, burnout, or disillusionment. It was the best possible reason: opportunity. After just one year at Juilliard, maya hawke was cast as Jo March in the BBC’s miniseries adaptation of Little Women (2017). Industry demands made it impossible to continue her studies simultaneously. She made the courageous choice to trust her instincts and step into the professional world — and it paid off immediately.

The BBC’s Little Women was her screen debut, and her performance as the fiercely independent Jo March announced her presence as a genuine dramatic talent. It also set the template for maya hawke’s career: choosing bold artistic opportunities over the safer, more conventional path.

The Training That Stayed With Her

While she left Juilliard early, the discipline and rigour of that training clearly shaped her approach to her craft. Combined with her summers at RADA and Stella Adler, maya hawke entered the professional acting world with a more thorough foundational training than most of her peers.

Maya Hawke Is Redefining What It Means to Be a “Nepo Baby” — On Her Own Terms

The term “nepo baby” has become a charged and hotly debated topic in Hollywood. Maya Hawke sits squarely at the centre of this conversation, and what makes her remarkable is the way she engages with it: not defensively, but with refreshing candour and philosophical depth.

She Doesn’t Hide From Her Privilege

When asked about the advantages her famous lineage afforded her, maya hawke has been disarmingly direct. She acknowledged that many people with equal or greater talent never receive the opportunities she has had, and that she is “comfortable with not deserving it and doing it anyway.” This kind of honest self-reckoning is rare in an industry that typically trains its young stars to deflect and spin.

A Voice on Modern Fame and Social Media

In 2025, maya hawke made headlines by speaking out about the commodification of an actor’s personal life and social media presence. She noted that directors and producers now factor an actor’s follower count into casting decisions — a reality she described as making the line between “actor” and “celebrity” dangerously blurry. In an industry that rewards algorithmic visibility over artistic depth, maya hawke’s willingness to call out this system sets her apart from her peers.

Looking Ahead: Theatre, Biopics, and More

As of early 2025, maya hawke has made her off-Broadway debut performing in Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice. She has also been announced as the lead in a biopic about Lucia Joyce, the celebrated Irish dancer and daughter of James Joyce, and is set to appear in the upcoming Hunger Games prequel film. For more on her upcoming projects, visit Variety’s Maya Hawke coverage.