In the latest chapter of Nepotism in Hollywood, Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman’s eighteen-year-old daughter Maya Thurman-Hawke was able to pick up a little pocket money before starting Juilliard this Fall by working as a model for AllSaints. The aspiring actress shot her first campaign for the company’s 2017 catalogue and appeared in an accompanying promotional video. While being interviewed at TIFF for The Magnificent Seven, proud papa Ethan Hawke gave Maya and her career path his full seal of approval.
The 18-year-old beauty recently made her debut in a video for British clothing line AllSaints.
“She did that modeling gig so that she didn’t have to ask me for spending money,” Hawke, 45, told me with a laugh while promoting his new action western The Magnificent Seven (in theaters Sept. 23) at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The artsy video features Maya running through fields and swimming in a country lake.
Maya recently started her freshman year at the Juilliard School, the prestigious performing arts college in New York City. “She’s studying to be an actress and so I think she does look beautiful [in the AllSaints video], but what I’m really most proud of is how beautiful she is inside, because she truly is,” Hawke gushed.
The Before Sunset actor insisted that he’s not nervous “at all” about Maya following in her parents’ footsteps. “She’s got her head on straight,” Hawke said, adding that she often visits him at work. “She loved watching all these different actors on set and she’s so passionate about the arts.”
The link above has the video of Ethan beaming about Maya, it’s pretty sweet. Both Uma and Ethan began their careers at fifteen so by familial standards she’s kind of getting a late start. I’m giving her a lot of credit for getting into Juilliard and making an effort to study acting rather than asking mommy or daddy to make a few phone calls for her. Maya told Vanity Fair that of the rare public appearances her parents exposed her to, they were “very careful to allow me to have my own experience”. Last year, Maya walked on Zac Posen’s arm at the C.F.D.A. Awards, which most people saw as her fashion debut. However, instead of using that as a springboard, Maya returned to school and focused on furthering her education and auditions.
As for her parents influence, she said the advice her parents gave her was, “not to worry about it too much and to smile if that will make you happy,” which is easier to tell someone who isn’t counting on their next booking to eat. I’m not pretending for one minute that Maya’ hyphenated last name didn’t get her seen for the AllSaints campaign but she does seem committed to doing at least some work towards her craft. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt that she is trying to do this as legitimately as a legacy can. I think Maya is beautiful but admit bias because I think my daughter looks a great deal like her. You can watch her AllSaints video here. She speaks briefly at the beginning and oh my word, she sounds exactly like Uma. Seriously, shut your eyes and listen to it.
Photo credit: AllSaints, WENN and Fame/Flynet Photos and Getty Images
She’s got a cute smile and I love the freckles.
Is that Ethan’s nose or Umas original?Any bets on how long it takes before she ‘refines’ it?
I see such a mix of both Uma’s and Ethan’s features in her face. She is lovely and hopefully is fine with her nose just the way it is.
Sorry the snark is directed at the cookie cuttering of celebrities, not to her actual nose which is fine just the way it is. I really hope she keeps it as well, but the pressure seems crazy.
Its interesting when a certain form of body modification become normalized. I mean ear piercings are body modifications, circumcision is, to a certain extent heels start to modify your body. Or cultural differences where in India nose piercings are very common compared to NA where they are still frequently kind of alt.
She looks like Eddie Redmayne
I appreciate the fact that she’s going to school to learn acting rather then phoning it in, but come on. Can one pretty offspring from celebrity parents say no to the Hollywood scene? Can one decide that they want to further their education and do something else with their life?
Im sure a lot of them do, but they arent covered in gossip blogs.
Could you say no to Hollywood as a teenager? I don’t think I would have:)
Me neither!
only Will smiths second son
Uma’s mother was a model. Uma modeled. Uma and Ethan started acting as teens. More and more, it seems like our entertainment fields are filled with former child actors and the children of people in the industry.
And is she wearing a Bruins shirt in the top picture?
Yes, it is!
It’s been that way for generations though. We just aren’t familiar with the old names. Even George Clooney for a leg up because of his aunt Rosemary (many know her from the classic White Christmas with Bing Crosby).
True but it wasn’t a birth right until the 90s. Kate Hudson and Goop. Now its like an aristocracy. And its not just because mommy and daddy make phone calls, its because we (as I sit here with y’all reading a gossip site) have become so celebrity obsessed that just the name makes them more bankable.
I don’t know how much I would say that was much of a leg up, even. Clooney toiled away in obscurity for a long, long time. Facts of Life anyone?
And it goes beyond the idea of a name making them more bankable – what it really is, is the fact that their parents name will at least guarantee more coverage. Not to mention their parents opening doors so the kids can get the meetings with the representation that other models would have to pound the pavement for months or years.
And his dad was in the business.
It’s really common for children to work in the same industry in a lot of fields, actually. We just get to read about these folks doing it.
My husbands family (10 biological aunts and uncles) are either farmers or small business owners, mostly in the auto industry. On my dad’s side, I have 5 cousins who became teachers, along with an uncle and grandmother who were. On my mom’s side, there are quite a few teachers as well. I’m a teacher.
Yes. I work for attorneys and most of their kids are go to law school. Same with doctors. I think the kids are used to a certain profession’s atmosphere and they are comfortable with it because it’s familiar. I’m sure their parents are proud to have them follow in their footsteps and they can help them with prepping for school, college, etc. It’s not nepotism because the kids don’t get any free rides. It’s more about carrying on tradition, staying with what’s familiar, and doing what they see worked well for their parents.
Yes, ‘connections’ are more important in some industries than others but in general having someone in your family with a certain profession is a leg up if you want to do it too – whether that’s being an actor or being a plumber. I’m generally okay with it so long as they have actual talent, and they don’t pretend that it wasn’t a help to them.
She is gorgeous and I loved Ethan in “Magnificent 7”. Saw it at the Venice Film festival because of my huge Chris Pratt crush but it was Ethan’s character taht I cared most for.
Nah she definitely ain’t “Gorgeous”. One of the new crop of Nepotism models. Not a “real” “actual” model.
I mean I give her credit for going to school and not being an empty headed legacy model like the others. But seriously this is why modeling is no longer exciting at all. You’ve got the social media models with zero talent taking up space and the rest taken up by legacies. Very blah and just bland. Guess the age of the supermodel is really and truly dead
I really hope that a place wasn’t given away at Juilliard based on pure nepotism. I really hope that she actually gave the best set of auditions. I would hate to think that a truly talented student lost a place at Juilliard because Maya has famous parents.
Definitely not. Juilliard, as amazing as it is, is soo pretentious when it comes to their spots. They’ll turn down the Presidents daughter if she doesn’t have what it takes. I know a girl who’s mother was an iconic actress growing up who got turned away from Julliard.
Feel awful commenting on someone’s looks but given she’s modelling ….. No I can’t see anything model-like about her appearance at all. She’s pretty. So are lots of girls
This is getting boring.
THIS. Sorry. She’s pretty but model…no.
Yep. This is the definition of plain right here.
I thought smart was the new sexy? Why aren’t these girls throwing themselves into an intense education that they can clearly afford? After all- most of these celebuspawn did -not- win the genetic lottery in the memorable looks dept. I get face amnesia with most of these “models”.
Yeah, I think her being a model has opened her up to criticism on her looks, otherwise I wouldn’t comment. She’s is pretty, but she’s not model pretty by a long shot. Who the heck is buying the shiz these nepotism “models” represent?
Rich kids of instagram I guess?
Totally agree!
She’s actually a perfect fit amongst the Allsaints models.
She is ordinary looking, but she does have kind of a sparkle to her that you can see in the candid of her with Zac Posen. I like her as a model better than I do Kaia Gerber, who does not seem to have any personality whatsoever.
I’m with you. This girl isn’t extraordinary in looks – but she’s cute, she looks more ‘real’ and more her age – and there’s something likable about her just from those photos.
I’m sure there’s some nepotism in there – there always is – but she at least seems likable, and more interesting to look at than Cindy’s kid.
Actually I think she may be the real deal. The real working models now arn’t pretty, they have strange edges and looks and never read as pretty. I think she’s really editorial.
I know it may sound mean, especially in this beauty is everything world, but to me she really just looks kind of like every other girl out there. I just don’t see model, and yes she sounds a lot like her mother.
But on that note, neither was Uma – model pretty. She is IMO barely above average, but she had a “fresh” face and she was different from the California surfer blonde look. She was/is more the girl next door who seems somewhat low-maintenance. I think her daughter has that fresh face – especially due to the freckles.
This is getting really tiresome: Kaia & Presley Gerber, Rafferty & Iris Law, the Hadids, Lily-Rose Depp, the Jenners, the Beckhams, the Baldwins, the Richies,..
… they all seem to land every model / acting gig nowadays.
Sometimes I feel sorry for todays generation. They don’t really have true Idols with true true talents anymore.
It seems like they are aspiring something they can never have be or have. Either you are born rich and grew up in the business or not. And everything seems so superficial.
Presley Gerber I can kind of see making it…. he’s more striking than his sister, I think. Rafferty Law is the biggest joke ever. That kid’s face is rounder than a moon pie. Romeo Beckham I can see, but Brooklyn is the most generic looking guy ever. I feel like today’s generation just aspires to be rich and never have to work or earn anything. They want the easy life with everything handed to them. It’s disappointing, to say the least.
I think the parents help them too much because the parents want so badly for them to succeed. I think that does them a dis-service. They don’t ever learn how to do anything truly on their own. I’m sure they would deny this and say they did do it all on their own, but come on….contacts, networking, phone calls, inside information, etc. on the parents’ part I’m sure.
THIS! I agree, it’s getting tiresome and I’m really not interesting on seeing a bunch of rich teenagers talking about how hard it was to get the job and that their last name didn’t mean anything at all.
Oh well, she’s not model material but she could be an interesting actress -given she’s good.
Unlike the others, Lily-Rose Depp is model material. She has a unique look and style.
No she not she is 5″3 that’s not “model” material. If her father wasn’t Johnny Depp and her mother wasn’t Vanessa Paradis they wouldn’t even look at her.
@Ican’t: Vanessa Paradis is only 5’3″ as well
And tall is only a requirement for runway – though Kate Moss was the exception at the reported height of 5’7″.
So many of the ad campaigns for the major fashion houses have been done by actresses anyway: Audrey Tautou for Chanel fragrance, Emma Watson for Burberry. Cotillard for Dior, Portman did Mizrahi ad campaigns back in the day – and now for Dior. Sophia Coppola as well
Despite being short, I can see Lily-Rose doing being approached to do this.
Not gonna lie, I do miss the 90’s when supermodels of that time did this the print ad & editorial work.
Lily Depp is pretty enough but I worry for her already. Nobody mentioned on that thread how dangerously thin she looks and that’s in a picture. I’ll be in person she looks thinner yet. Not an arena I want my child in.
I’ve talked about how emaciated Lily looks recently @JenniferJustice and so have a few others. She looks dangerously thin to me – and I know people will say that she’s naturally thin – that might be, but from what I’ve seen of her lately, how she currently looks is not her natural state. Then, I could be wrong. I am just going on a couple of pictures I have seen.
I disagree completely. She is no Vanessa Paradis — that’s for sure.
@Maire
Of course Portman & co did campaigns, BECAUSE they are Portman & co. If they were no-name models…. well they’d never be models. If someone the height of Lily Depp walked into an agency and said they wanted to be a model, they’d be killed wth laughter. If someone with Gigi Hadid’s weight (back when she was starting with major campaigns – she’s lost a lot of weight) walked in, they’d be told to come back when they’ve lost 10 kgs. I know this because it happened to someone I know. Super tall girl, very skinny, gets stopped by a scout every now and again. One day she decides to actually give it a try, goes to the agency that wanted to sign her and is told “You’re great. Lose 10 kg and come back to us”
She looks really pretty in the first picture, but kind of plain in the other ones. I can’t believe she’s 18 already! I didn’t even realize Gattaca was that old.
God, enough. I guess we should be glad she’s at least going to educate herself -and she’s 18- before claiming she’s an actress/model.
Celebrity kids becoming models is so…basic.
well…….she’s Tall enough to be a model. There’s that.
So they all want to be clichés now. Fine. Go ahead. Nothing is as crazy as that “photographer” job Brookly Beckham got. Come on.
To me, she looks like a young Julie Delpy here: http://www.celebitchy.com/503341/ethan_hawke_uma_thurmans_daughter_is_working_as_a_model_typical/wenn22549031/
Not in the other pics, just this one!
In certain photos I get a bit of an Ellen Page vibe from her.
Exactly! I was thinking the same thing, young Julie Delpy.
Typical and annoying. Is there a law against the children of celebrities doing anything and I mean anything else? They have all the privileges in the world to contribute to society.
Stupid example, but I just recently remembered Oasis…and two daughters of Liam and Noel’s daughter are….models.
Is there any of those kids that’s studying on becoming a doctor or a teacher?
No, because they’d need their parents help, and well…..nuff said.
I agree that often celebrities’ childrens’ career choices seem to be rather unaspiring or even boring keep-it-in-the-family. But even among us “normals” it is very likely that our children will chose a career or even a field of expertise very similar to our own. There is the economics-law-business family type. Then there is the scientist-family-type. And the doctor-family-type.
And teachers. Any idea how many teachers are actually the child of a teacher themselves? A lot of them.
But “model and actress” seems to be a very standard choice for nearly any child of any celebrity. I also read “no aspirations” into these career choices because many celebrities’ children wouldn’t make it without their parents’ connections and money. Or at least: they wouldn’t make it far.
Kaia Gerber looks very similar to her mother. And the look-alike-Cindy and Cindy’s connections are the reason why she gets jobs. Because her looks alone are rather typical childish-boring and there are dozens of girls with such looks or better looks who don’t get a Marc Jacobs campaign.
Modeling has been the go-to industry of daughters-of since forever. Now they just happen to be more succesful, and they have social media to consistently remind us of their existance.
Uma and Ethan are both incredibly attractive people. She inherited their genes. That she is modelling is not that surprising, even without the name. I like her look – it seems suited to AllSaints, JCrew, etc. She has that cute, freckled, relaxed, moderately granola girl look and her eyes show enough personality.
She looks different in every single photo.
I’m kind of surprised by how ordinary her hair looks (kind of made me feel better about my own). I guess I’ve gotten so used to seeing Selena Gomez hair everywhere.
She’s more interesting looking than Cindy Crawford’s daughter.
No. Not to all of it.
I don’t buy any of their stuff, but I have decided I’m not buying anything else repped by any of the nepotism brat pack.
” I’m giving her a lot of credit for getting into Juilliard …”
How did she get into that College? I have heard that the kids of the rich and well-connected do often get in despite not delivering the required performance because the family might donate money to the College or because the family might provide connections for the College and/or its students that might be useful. Let’s see if either Ethan Hawke or Uma Thurman pay a visit with speech or an acting work shop at that College.
Sorry, I am rather cynic about all those rich-kids-college things.
Sorry, but I have just had an encounter with some rich kid who wasn’t even that rich at all. She managed to pay for extra tuition and got a better grade in the exam. She even told me that with a malicious smile. I couldn’t pay for extra tuition and the teaching in that course was crap. As did everybody else confirm. Now she got a grade very very high at the top of the scale despite regularly failing at the exercise tasks during the course. (Exercise task: you have to hand in your weekly assignments and get 50% in order to be allowed to write the exam – it is the exam grade that counts. ) I did help her with some of the exercise tasks which I do now regret deeply.
Well, lesson learned. Don’t ever help the rich poodles.
Has Uma ever said why her kids have the last name Thurman-Hawke? She and Ethan were married.
Obviously she must have believed in passing down the matrilineal line too, and not just the fathers.
I like the first picture of her daughter. I love her freckles.
i’d rather see her as an actress..