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Maya Hawke’s New Song ‘Driver’ Hints at Parents Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman’s Split: ‘I’d Give Everything I’ll Ever Have to See Them Happy’

Maya Hawke's New Song 'Driver' Hints at Parents Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman's Split
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Art imitating life? Maya Hawke seemingly used her parents, Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, as inspiration on her new album, Moss.

Related: Artists Who Dedicated Entire Albums to Significant Others or Exes

The Stranger Things star, 24, dropped her record on Friday, September 23, as a follow-up to 2020’s Blush. The penultimate track on the album, “Driver,” appears to reference her parents’ marriage and divorce in the first verse.

“I imagine my mom and dad / Loosely neckin’ in the back of a taxi cab / I’d give everything I’ll ever have to see them happy / Kissin’ just like that,” she sings. “And oh, I can watch it in the movies / I don’t wanna see it that crafted and clear / Wanna be the pervert driver / Gazin’ at them through a tilted mirror.”

As the song continues, Maya hints at how growing up with parents who weren’t together has impacted her own relationships. “Now I’ll tell you a secret / A secret that everyone already knows / You remind me of my father / Your attitude, your disheveled clothes,” she sings. “Thinkin’ of you makes me happy / Happy that my father, he got free / That even though it hurt me / He can be whoever the hell he wants to be.”

Related: Millie! Winona! See the 'Stranger Things' Cast's Dating Histories

The Texas native, 51, met Thurman, 52, on the set of 1997’s Gattaca. The pair tied the knot in May 1998, and Maya was born two months later. Ethan and the Kill Bill actress went on to welcome son Levon in 2002 before calling it quits the following year. Their divorce was finalized in 2005.

Despite being the daughter of Hollywood royalty, the Little Women star has been candid about her parents initially not wanting her to follow in their footsteps. “They were wary of the public life side of acting and the difficulties of that. They also tried to protect me from falling into acting,” Maya told The Guardian in October 2021. “They wanted to ensure I had a strong enough backbone, my own passion for it and work ethic. They didn’t want to cart me along every red carpet or have me do bit-parts in their movies.”

She explained: “Once I was old enough, and it was clear they were my choices, they were very supportive.”

Earlier this month, the New York native acknowledged in an interview with Rolling Stone that she has “massive advantages in life” thanks to her mom and dad’s fame. Although Maya confessed she has “no idea” how her life would’ve been if her parents weren’t movie stars, she also doesn’t want to take her privilege for granted.

“I feel like the only way to handle the nepotism thing — which definitely gives you massive advantages in this life — is [recognizing that] you will get chances for free, but the chances will not be infinite,” she told the magazine. “So you have to keep working and do a good job. If you do a bad job, the chances will stop. That’s my ethos.”

Related: Celebrities Who've Followed In Their Famous Parents' Acting Footsteps

Maya’s star is rising thanks to her role as Robin Buckley on Strangers Things and her recent Netflix hit Do Revengeand her dad couldn’t be more proud. “I loved the show,” the Boyhood actor told Entertainment Tonight in July. “I’m so proud of her, ’cause I think she does a great job, but I’m most happy for her that she’s surrounded by these other amazing, talented young people. … Stranger Things is a defining creative force for this generation, and so I’m so proud of Maya and I’m so happy for her, and I know it’s just the beginning.”

Following his split from Thurman, Ethan wed Ryan Shawhughes in 2008. The Columbia University grad briefly worked as a nanny for the Broadway star and the Dangerous Liaisons actress, but Ethan denied the former couple’s split was “remotely connected to Ryan” in a 2009 interview. The pair share two daughters.

The Pulp Fiction star, for her part, was previously married to Gary Oldman from 1990 to 1992. She got engaged to financier Arpad Busson in 2008, calling off their relationship in late 2009. They reconciled soon after but split for good in 2014.

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