She may be the daughter of two Hollywood heavyweights, but Maya Hawke is undoubtedly making her own name in the business.
Now, her star has shot up even further as she’s landed one of the most coveted movie roles of the year, this time in the Hunger Games universe.
The 26-year-old has been announced to be taking on the role of Wiress in the second Hunger Games prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
READ MORE: Harry and Meghan’s popularity plummets after latest ill-fated move
The character was a previous champion of the games and became a mentor for District 12 in the events of the original Hunger Games trilogy. The events of the second prequel take place about 25 years before the events of the original books.
As the title suggests, the new film will be set on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, which marks the Second Quarter Quell.
In the Hunger Games universe, every 25 years would mark a Quarter Quell in which there would be a twist in the way the Hunger Games were created – in this instance, double the amount of tributes were sent to compete.
For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here
The story will follow Haymitch Abernathy, who is known as the mentor to Jennifer Lawrence’s character Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson’s Peeta Mellark in the original film.
Wiress first makes her appearance in the series after she is drafted to play in the third Quarter Quell, which occurs during the second book, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. In the film she is portrayed by actress Amanda Plummer.
READ MORE: All the stars who’ve broken Cannes Film Festival’s dress code rules so far
In the comments of the Instagram post announcing the casting, fans praised the casting director for her choice of actress, mainly due to the resemblance between Plummer and Hawke.
“Everyone say thank u hunger games casting director,” one fan joked, while another added, “This casting director is great.”
Hawke has been on the rise since her role of Robin Buckley in Stranger Things, which she has portrayed since 2019.
She has since acted in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and voiced Anxiety in Disney’s Inside Out 2.
READ MORE: Australian Fashion Week attendees reveal the one fashion trend that needs to end – now
The actress – who is also a singer, having released her third studio album Chaos Angel, has her famous parents to thank for her star power.
Maya was born to actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, with her parents having met on the set of Gattaca in 1997.
They wed in May 1998, welcoming Maya two months later. They later had their son Levon – also an actor – in 2002, before divorcing in 2005.
Ethan moved on with his second wife Ryan Shawhughes, with whom he has two daughters, and Thurman moved on with her now ex-fiancé, financier Arpad Busson, with whom she had one daughter.
READ MORE: Duchess of York says ‘Queen Elizabeth is talking to me’ through her corgis
Maya has spoken about being the daughter of two Hollywood stars, openly embracing the controversial title of “nepo baby”.
The actress was asked about whether she thinks she deserves the opportunities she has been presented with, telling The Times of London, ”There are so many people who deserve to have this kind of life who don’t, but I think I’m comfortable with not deserving it and doing it anyway. And I know that my not doing it wouldn’t help anyone.
“It’s OK to be made fun of when you’re in rarefied air,” she said.
“It’s a lucky place to be. My relationships with my parents are really honest and positive, and that supersedes anything anyone can say about it.”
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.