The long-awaited two volumes of the fourth season of Stranger Things have recently been released on Netflix, bringing forth beloved characters old and new. One character introduced in season 3 was Robin, who was quick to become a fan favorite as one of Steve's best friends.
Robin is played by Maya Hawke, who is the daughter of fellow actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. She has clearly inherited their acting talent, playing everything from an aspiring filmmaker to a cult member to Jo March in Little Women. Time will tell what adventures and possibilities lie ahead for Robin in season 5 of Stranger Things.
Mainstream (2020) - 4.9
Streaming on Amazon Prime
Mainstream sees three people practice self-preservation while forming a love triangle in the time of the internet. Hawke plays Frankie, an aspiring filmmaker in West Hollywood.
Hawke's Frankie is an ingenue in the film, swayed by the supposed anti-establishment character Link (Andrew Garfield). Link convinces Frankie to do terrible things like the show Your Phone or Your Dignity, which especially goes wrong after he humiliates Isabelle, a girl who edits out her birthmark from selfies by making her release the unedited versions on social media. This shows how Frankie can't see Link's true character for most of the film until she finds out about the terrible thing that happened to Isabelle after he humiliated her.
Memory Xperiment: Kathy Acker (2019) - 5.1
Unavailable to Stream
Memory XPeriment: Kathy Acker is a film short based on the writings of author Kathy Acker, who is also one of the short's writers. Maya Hawke plays the titular writer, who explores herself through writing and sexuality in the '60s and '70s.
Hawke not only plays Acker but she portrays her at multiple ages from when she was a teenager to when she is in her twenties working at a strip club. This shows Hawke's talent as an actress in that she can portray the same person at different ages, especially as the short is only seven minutes long.
Human Capital (2019) - 5.8
Streaming on HBO Max
When the children of two families begin a relationship and it leads to tragedy, their families come into conflict. In Human Capital, which also stars Marisa Tomei in one of her best roles, and Liev Schrieber, Hawke plays the upper-middle-class Shannon Hagel.
Hawke's Shannon stands out in the cast with her romantic storyline with drug dealer Ian (Alex Wolff) who brings out her worst tendencies. Although the rest of the movie is overcomplicated and melodramatic at times, it's impressive that she can still give a compelling performance. Her tumultuous relationship with Ian is what ties the finale together.
Fear Street: Part One - 1994 (2021) - 6.2
Streaming on Netflix
The first part of Fear Street sees a group of teenage friends come across an evil that is responsible for murders for over 300 hundred years. Hawke plays Heather, a cashier at a bookstore at Shadyside Mall.
Hawke's role as Heather in Fear Stree: Part One acts as an homage to Drew Barrymore's role in Scream. Both characters are fakeouts that seem at first like they are going to be main characters but then die horribly in the opening scene after receiving disturbing phone calls from the killer. While it is a shame to see Hawke be killed off so early on, her scene does act as a clever tribute to the previous horror film.
Little Women (2017) - 7.2
Streaming on Amazon Prime
This mini-series adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's famous novel is about the coming of age of the March sisters during the American Civil War. Hawke plays Jo March, the second oldest sister.
Hawke gives an impressive performance for her acting debut. She is convincing as the free-spirited unconventional Jo, despite not fitting Alcott's character description of Jo being the plainest of the sisters and her hair being her only beautiful trait. Hawke does well to play a lead role in her very first movie. Coincidentally, Hawke's Stranger Things costar Winona Ryder, in one of her best movies, played Jo March in the 1994 film Little Women.
The Good Lord Bird (2020) - 7.5
Streaming on Showtime
Maya's father Ethan Hawke plays abolitionist John Brown, joined by "Onion" a fictional boy who was enslaved and becomes a part of his family of abolitionist soldiers. Hawke plays John Brown's daughter Annie Brown in the episode "Hiving the Bees."
Hawke's Annie Brown plays a pivotal role in the episode, being a love interest of Onion, who has had to pretend to be a girl for his survival. This is particularly important because they have such a close bond that he almost leaves John Brown for Annie and admits his true gender to her. Annie is very hopeful for the future, but not in a naive way. Another aspect of interest is the dynamic of the real-life father and daughter acting together.
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019) - 7.6
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is a Quentin Tarantino movie and one of the best summer blockbusters since 2010. It tells the story of a washed-up TV star and his stunt double trying to find success in Hollywood in 1969. Hawke plays the Manson Family member Flower Child.
While Hawke doesn't have a significant role, she does play the one member of the Manson Family who breaks away from the cult. This allows her to stand out from the other members of the cult who stays part of the notorious group. Tarantino had previously worked with Hawke's mother Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. Perhaps one day Hawke could play a starring role in a future Tarantino project.
Stranger Things (2016-) - 8.7
Streaming on Netflix
The hit series focuses on a ragtag group of kids, teens, and adults who must figure out the terrifying supernatural conspiracy in their small town of Hawkins. Hawke plays Robin, Steve's best friend in seasons 3 and 4.
Hawke's Robin is one of the most memorable characters in seasons 3 and 4. She is intelligent, snarky, awkward, and a wonderful friend of Steve's. One of her most stand-out scenes is when she comes out to Steve while they are hiding out in the Starcourt Mall in season 3. This scene is touching as she opens up to Steve in a time when people were not always accepting of those who are LGBTQ+, and he accepts her instantly. In season 4, Robin gets to investigate more and explore her crush on fellow band member Vickie.
Samia: Is There Something in the Movies? (2020) - 9.2
Hawke's highest role on IMDb is a music video from singer Samia. It deals with the singer's heartbreak at someone going into the entertainment industry over love. Hawke plays Movies, the young woman filming a romantic scene on a sofa in a movie.
Hawke does not speak at all in her role, but still shows a lot of emotion through simple movements, such as when she grabs her onscreen love interest's face multiple times. She also shows a lot of control as Samia gets up close to her face from behind the sofa on the film set. Maya does well acting in the music video, even though it is quite different from her regular onscreen acting.