Ethan Hawke and Maya Hawke are entering the nepo baby discourse. The father-daughter duo interviewed each other for ET at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto, Canada, and spoke about the children of famous parents entering the entertainment space.
“We all, throughout the history of mankind, we often swim in similar streams as our family,” Ethan told his 25-year-old daughter, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Uma Thurman. “Your generation gets a lot of flack about this expression that somehow seems derogatory, this nepo child, and I want to align myself as a nepo father.”
“I think the criticism of the kids has to do with access and opportunity, and so I’m hesitant around it, though I do appreciate the humorous recognition of our process,” Maya chimed in.
The pair teamed up for Wildcat, a film in which Maya stars as American novelist Flannery O’Connor, under the direction of her father, who also co-wrote the script.
“Let me publicly say on Entertainment Tonight that I’m really grateful for one of the best job offers of my life, and I don’t care how it came about,” the proud dad said.
As the Hawkes filmed the movie in Kentucky, Maya noted that she couldn’t recall “any professional arguments on set.”
“When one is working with you, one doesn’t win an argument,” Ethan laughed, before sharing why he “used to have a lot of fights on sets.”
“When I was younger I used to want everybody to see the world exactly the way I saw it, and then I slowly realized that I’m not always right and I got more interested in listening,” Ethan said.
Ethan, 52, went on to praise Maya for her burgeoning music career, and note that many people at her concerts likely got to know her through her role as Robin Buckley on Stranger Things.
“And then my brain goes, ‘Joe Keery plays music.’ Do you guys ever think about playing together?” Ethan asked his daughter about her Stranger Things co-star, who plays Steve Harrington in the Netflix drama.
“Finn Wolfhard also plays music,” Maya pointed out of Stranger Things‘ Mike Wheeler, adding that the three of them “might play together someday.”
Ethan was certainly on board with that idea, telling his daughter, “That would be wicked cool.”
Wildcat premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and is coming out soon.
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