“I was playing a character that was distinctly unselfconscious” — Maya Hawke says a producer told her she was “prettier” with her mouth closed

Stranger Things star Maya Hawke during a recent episode on the Happy Sad Confused podcast opened up about the worst note she'd ever received from a director. Maya revealed that a famous Hollywood talent once told her that she'd looked "prettier" with her mouth closed.

"A director told me - actually, I think it was a producer, but they were in cahoots - told me I looked prettier with my mouth closed and that I should close my mouth after I speak more often."

The actress gave more details and admitted that she can be "kind of a mouth breather" when it came to playing certain characters since she believed that "jaw tension and mouth tension is so important to express what kind of person you are."

"Where you leave that, I think is really important. And I was really upset about being told that I should close my mouth more to look prettier, because I was playing a character that was distinctly unselfconscious."

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The actress didn't disclose the name of the director or the project the director was related to.

"I was annoyed about it" - says Maya Hawke about a director's comment on closing her mouth

While opening up about the "worst note" she'd ever received from a director, Maya Hawke mentioned that a director once noted that she'd look "prettier" with her mouth closed. The actress went on to elaborate that she was playing a certain character where the "jaw tension and mouth tension" was so important,

"That was the trait of the character - that they didn't care about looking pretty and they wrre unselfconscious - and so it was clearly just a desire of the aesthetic of the thing, and I was annoyed about it."

When Josh Horowitz asked Hawke if she made her displeasure known to the director, Maya Hawke revealed that she did. Maya Hawke is the daughter of Hollywood stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. She debuted as Jo March in the BBC adaptation of Little Women (2017) besides starring as Robin in Stranger Things.

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Hawke will be returning to the popular series for its final season later this year. The actress is also known for voicing Anxiety in Pixar's blockbuster Inside Out 2 and appearing in Wes Anderson's Asteroid City and Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

During an interview with CBS last year, Maya revealed that she has been writing music since she was a child.

Edited by Sohini Biswas

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“I was playing a character that was distinctly unselfconscious” — Maya Hawke says a producer told her she was “prettier” with her mouth closed

"I was annoyed about it" - says Maya Hawke about a director's comment on closing her mouth

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