Before Maya Hawke is discussed, we must first understand what a “nepo baby” is. A nepo baby, short for nepotism baby, is a term for a child of famous parents, perhaps actors or politicians, who may get opportunities based on parentage and not skill. Examples of child-parent duo actors includes Zoë Kravitz and Lenny Kravitz, Lily Rose Depp and Johnny Depp, and most importantly, Maya Hawke and Ethan Hawke, and former model, Uma Thurman. She has followed in her parent’s footsteps by acting, modeling, and even releasing a few song albums. But does she really deserve all her recognition?

First, let us start with Maya Hawke’s acting career. She is mostly known for her roles in the Netflix Originals, Do Revenge and Stranger Things. Both projects contain wildly positive reviews, but does Maya contribute to those positive ratings? In my opinion, yes, she does because in Do Revenge, Maya Hawke plays the character that brings the whole movie together. In Do Revenge, there is a huge plot twist that reveals the true intentions and anger of Maya’s character throughout the entire movie. If she hadn’t executed the role as well as she did, it would be safe to say that Do Revenge would blend into the many other bland and repetitive Netflix Originals.

On the other hand, in Stranger Things, Maya plays a smaller role as a character that first appears in the later episodes of Season 3. Maya Hawke’s character, Robin, is Steve Harrington’s best friend and a reason the group can uncover the secret Russian operation under the mall. She also is a part of the lesbian community. Usually with straight actors and actresses, this is a sensitive topic and not played very well. But Maya seemed to have thrived with this opportunity and gained the hearts of many queer youth, like she did with her also gay character in Do Revenge. But what about her music career?

Maya Hawke has released 2 albums that have been especially popular in the indie, alternative, and folk music genres. These albums are titled Moss and Blush, the former of which was made in 2022 and the latter in 2020. Surprisingly, it isn’t that bad. In fact, it’s on par with the musical genre she was reaching for. My personal favorite is the album Blush, with the songs “To Love A Boy” and “Animal Enough.” I feel these songs truly push that indie edge that Maya Hawke appeals to.

But do these factors answer the question of her actual talent? Of course! She would not be so popular in all her careers otherwise, but her nepotism jumpstarted her careers. There might have been no interest for her in the first place without her parentage. However, she used her opportunity to harvest her actual potential and not curse us with another eyesore of a nepo baby trying to pave their own way into stardom. Though I have laid down my reasons for this conclusion, everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Not everyone likes Do Revenge, Stranger Things, or her music, and others may see her as a nepotism baby. Despite this, we can conclude she is not as bad of a nepo baby as many other actors, no matter how privileged she may be.