Maya Hawke says mom Uma Thurman practiced 'witch-adjacent' remedies
Maya Hawke Shares Glimpse Into Childhood with Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke
Maya Hawke is offering a new look at what it was like growing up as the daughter of two of Hollywood's most recognizable stars, and the picture she paints is surprisingly grounded — rooted in gardens, herbal teas, and backyard treasure hunts rather than red carpets.
In a recent appearance on NPR's "Wild Card with Rachel Martin," the 27-year-old actress and musician opened up about the "witch-adjacent" upbringing her mother, Uma Thurman, provided. Maya described her mother's approach to wellness and the natural world with a mix of affection and humor.
"My mother really taught me to love and respect nature," Maya said. "Like herbal remedies to things. It's sort of like 'witch-adjacent.' It's not toil and trouble, but it's wickenary."
Among the home remedies that stuck with her is one Maya still recalls vividly from childhood: pineapple skin tea. Her mother would brew it whenever Maya came down with a cold, based on the belief that enzymes in the pineapple skin could help fight off illness.
While Uma's influence leans toward the natural and earthy, Maya said her father, Ethan Hawke, brings a different kind of magic to the family.
"He's a magical thinker," she explained. "I wouldn't say he's witchy, but he used to do like treasure hunts for me when I was a kid. He's crafty and magical, but he's not witchy."
Maya, known for her role as Robin Buckley on Netflix's "Stranger Things," grew up between Manhattan and Upstate New York. She described her mother as a "gorgeous gardener" who spent much of her time outdoors, often on her knees in the dirt, gathering ingredients for home-cooked meals.
"She didn't know how big of a deal her parents were," Maya noted, because Thurman was so often focused on the garden and the kitchen rather than the spotlight.
Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman married in 1998 after meeting on the set of the 1997 science fiction film "Gattaca." They divorced in 2005. Hawke has gone on to build a celebrated filmography that includes "Dead Poets Society," "Training Day," the epic "Boyhood," and the beloved "Before" trilogy. Thurman, meanwhile, became a cultural icon through her work with Quentin Tarantino, particularly "Pulp Fiction" and the "Kill Bill" films.
Maya has built her own career as both an actress and a singer-songwriter. She has one full sibling, her younger brother, Levon Roan Thurman-Hawke. Through her father's marriage to Ryan Shawhughes, she has two half-sisters, Clementine and Indiana Hawke. Through her mother's relationship with financier Arpad Busson, she has another half-sister, Luna Thurman-Busson.