5 Surprising Facts About Little Women Star Maya Hawke
Though you may be familiar with her last name, it’s time you knew more about breakout star Maya Hawke, who stars as Jo in MASTERPIECE’s all-new adaptation of Little Women. From her big-name education to her surprising next role, get the scoop on this young starlet!
See Little Women on Sunday, May 13th and 20th, 2018 at 8/7c on MASTERPIECE on PBS.
- 1.
Little Women was her first job!
At just 19 nineteen years old, Maya Hawke has already honed her craft at Saint Ann’s School and Juilliard–but Little Women is her very first on-screen role.
Playing the headstrong March sister was a dream come true for Hawke, who told the Radio Times, “Playing one of the March women is very special because you rarely see such well-rounded female characters, who see their own faults, are introspective, and work hard to grow, change and be more generous and kind. They remind us that we have permission to reinvent ourselves.”
- 2.
You may know her parents.
It’s true: Maya Hawke has quite the Hollywood pedigree, as the daughter of actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, two stars known for huge blockbusters such as Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, the Before trilogy, and Training Day.
Although Maya grew up on sets and in green rooms, she reveled some complicated feelings about her connection to the industry in an interview with Vogue, “It’s very ordinary to pursue a career that your parents do, but when it’s in the public eye it becomes a complicated thing. I am not in denial about the fact that if it weren’t for them I wouldn’t be here today. I’ve thought a lot about how to deal with that, and one way was to not take any opportunity unless I was absolutely positive that I’d earned every scrap of it.”
- 3.
She struggles with dyslexia.
Although it’s easy to identify with the free-spirited Jo, Hawke’s personal connection to her character ran even deeper. Hawke battled dyslexia throughout her childhood, and Little Women was one of the first books she read by herself. She told Elle, “Jo was a big inspiration to me, as far as having the drive and the passion to pursue my love for reading and writing, even when it was challenging.”
- 4.
You'll see her in Stranger Things!
After Little Women airs on MASTERPIECE, viewers can see Hawke in Season 3 of sci-fi smash hit Stranger Things! According to Variety, Hawke will play, “An ‘alternative girl’ bored with her mundane day job. She seeks excitement in her life and gets more than she bargained for when she uncovers a dark secret in Hawkins, Indiana.”
Hawke will appear alongside series star Winona Ryder, who played Jo March in 1994’s Little Women.
- 5.
She dropped out of Juilliard to play Jo March.
While studying at the prestigious drama program at Juilliard, Hawke got the opportunity to audition for Jo March, and was offered the role. Although she had just finished her second semester of training, she knew this was a role she had to take. She left Juilliard to film Little Women over four months in Ireland.
On the decision, she told the Hollywood Reporter, “For some reason, at that point, in my body, I needed to go and play Jo.”
Be sure to see Maya Hawke in Little Women, airing Sunday, May 13th and 20th, 2018 at 8/7c on MASTERPIECE on PBS!
