Maya Hawke embraced nepotism when working with Tarantino

Last Updated on June 5, 2024

Considering Quentin Tarantino’s close bond with Uma Thurman, it was practically destiny that daughter Maya Hawke would work with him. Maybe destiny isn’t the right word…perhaps what we’re looking for here is nepotism, that naughty word in Hollywood that sees children of celebrities being given opportunities because of who their parents are. But Maya Hawke isn’t bothered by nepotism one bit. In fact, she’s well aware that that’s why she was cast in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

In a piece in The Times, Maya Hawke acknowledged that Tarantino most certainly cast her as one of Charles Manson’s followers because of her parents, Thurman and Ethan Hawke. “I’ve been wildly made fun of for this clip when I said, on the red carpet, that I auditioned…I never meant to imply that I didn’t get the part for nepotistic reasons — I think I totally did.” But Maya Hawke isn’t the only case of perceived nepotism found in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, as Rumer Willis – the oldest child of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore – and Margaret Qualley – daughter of Andie McDowell – also have small roles.

Plans to get Maya Hawke and Quentin Tarantino together have been circulating for years, as there was once the idea to have her play B.B. – daughter of Thurman’s Beatrix Kiddo – in Kill Bill Vol. 3, which would have been a rather meta version of nepotism.

But does Maya Hawke think she “deserves” these opportunities because of her famous parents? As she puts it, “‘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…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.”

Of note, Maya Hawke was recently directed by her father in Wildcat, which also featured her brother and Cooper Hoffman, son of Philip Seymour Hoffman.

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