Why Ethan Hawke Felt 'So Comfortable' Directing Daughter Maya's Racy Film Scenes
Ethan Hawke had the opportunity to work alongside his actress daughter Maya Hawke in the upcoming Flannery O'Connor biopic, Wildcat, which involved shooting her in sex scenes.
While simulating intercourse in front of your parents would be mortifying to imagine for most, the actor shared that was not the case. In a cover story for Variety featuring the father-daughter duo, it's noted that Maya, who plays the late novelist, has two intimate moments; one features a romp with Licorice Pizza star Cooper Hoffman, while another shows her getting felt up by Rafael Casal.
When asked if it was awkward to shoot those scenes, the 52-year-old joked, "We needed to take care of Rafael and Cooper."
He added, "I think it was weird for them." Speaking to his daughter, Ethan said, "We were so comfortable with it. I couldn't care less."
The Stranger Things star confirmed, "We made sure to have an intimacy coordinator on set for them. So that they felt safe and comfortable and not like they were being spied on…" The father interjected, "…by some creepy dad."
The Hawkes also addressed nepotism in the industry, with Ethan explaining that the movie was borne out of Maya's fascination with O'Connor's life story, rather than him finding an excuse to cast his own child. "Put simply, I'm a nepo dad," he quipped.
"I had moments of insecurity about it while we were shooting the movie," Maya confessed. "But the internet doesn't have a lot of nuances. My dad has been a massive teacher for me, and we want to work together. We like being with each other."
Her famous father, who welcomed Maya with ex-wife Uma Thurman in 1998, added, "If someone wants to criticize us for working together, that's totally fair. You have to let people have their opinion. You just have to try to do a good job when you're onstage."
The film had its world premiere on Sept. 1 at the Telluride Film Festival. It follows the Southern Gothic novelist's life as she returned home to Georgia upon her lupus diagnosis. It does not have a distributor and official release date yet.