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A
This episode is brought to you by Sephora. I'm not going to say I'm an expert on beauty, but I do think it's good to know what works for you and what doesn't. And fortunately for all of us, there is Sephora. Their beauty advisors really get beauty from personalized recommendation to what's hot on social. They're experts so we don't have to be. And when you want the best in beauty, you go to Sephora for the good stuff you can't find anywhere else, like Kayali fragrances, endless shades of Haus Labs foundation, and the laneige overnight lip masks that everyone is obsessed with. Get beauty from people who get beauty only at Sephora. Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Good Hang. I'm really, really excited about this episode with the great Maya Hawke. We had such a good conversation. We used so many words, and I just love talking to her. And we talk about really interesting things today. We talk about growing up in New York City and being a kid there. We talk about her love of magic and wonder and a life of imagination. And we talk about joy and anxiety, the characters that we played together in Inside Out 2, and also how those emotions interact and connect in real life. So it was a great convo. And as always, we like to ask someone who knows our guest, a friend, a fan, someone who has a question that they think I should ask the guest before we start the podcast. So we are joining with Willa Fitzgerald. Willa is an actress. She's on Pulse right now, a medical show on Netflix. She was in Little Women with Maya Hawke. And most excitingly, she's joining us from Hungary, with which I believe is also where Budapest is. So, Willa, can you hear me? This episode is presented to you by Walmart. I'd like to say that I'm a pretty good gift giver, and for me, it's about making the extra effort to find the perfect gift. Walmart has the top brands we all love in one place. Nespresso, Nintendo, Apple, you name it. That's why it has to be Walmart. For all my gifts this year, guess better. Best gift giver award goes to yours truly. Get the brands everyone loves at prices you'll love at Walmart. Who Knew? Go to walmart.com or download the app to get all your gifts this season. I'm so grateful. Thank you for calling in from there and thank you for talking about the great Maya Hawke today.
B
My delight. My delight.
A
I know. Now tell me how you two met.
B
We met actually in Ireland doing little women in 20, 2017. And, I mean, we just fell in love. I think that would be. It was a love story. It was a love story for sure.
A
You. You both were. She was playing Jo, you were playing Meg. What was it like to play Meg? What did you bring to this Meg?
B
I feel like my. My personal mission was to bring a humanity to her because I feel like she's often sort of like the. She's like the too perfect sister a little bit, which is, I think, why people don't love her and relate to her. And she also feels a little bit, you know, out of our time in the sense that she makes very classically gendered choices with her life. And so I feel like my personal mission was just to, like, kind of elucidate why we should like Meg and why we should understand her as like, a really kind of relatable, lovely character. And I think we did it. I think we actually. I think we did manage to pull that off.
A
And here you are, two young actresses at the time joining this production. I think for Maya, it was her first big production. And what did you see in each other? How did you become friends?
B
We really just, like, bonded because I had already been working, but I was suddenly kind of entering a new phase of my career where I was getting to do this project that I was just so excited about. And it was her first job, and she was so excited about it. And. And we just, you know, we would, like, go to the. We were all staying at this hotel together outside of Dublin, and we would, like, go to the pool together or the steam room and just, like, talk about what really excited us about being actors. And we just, like, really kind of connected on, like, an artistic level. And also, I think on just a personal level, because I think we're kind of very opposite people in a lot of ways. I think that we both, like, learn a lot from the other person and the way that they navigate the world, because it's so different from maybe the way that we ourselves navigate the world.
C
World.
A
How are you different?
B
I think that. I think that I'm. I think, you know, the most, like, reductive. Two second answer would just be. I think I'm a very cautious person, and I think Maya is, like, full of just, like, a lust for life and a real sort of, like, verve that she just is unafraid in situations that I sometimes feel a little bit more unsure in.
A
I think Maya does a lot of things, you know, she does. She's on a Broadway show. She performs, records, music with a Lot of different bands, including solo stuff. She's, you know, she's writing, she's acting like she. To your point, it feels like she ventures and is adventurous in the stuff that she does.
B
What I admire about her so deeply is that she just kind of has this sort of, like, infinite curiosity and, like, well, of creativity that she seems to be able to draw on. She has, like, a real. She's really interested in just the world around her in a way that's, like, so kind of pure and, like, limitless.
A
So we're gonna get to the question you have for me to ask Maya, but just before we do, I wanna say congratulations on Pulse.
B
Oh, thank you.
A
I love a medical show.
B
Well, you know, Maya was a big reason of why I took that job.
A
Ooh, how come?
B
Because she loves Grey's Anatomy and she was the one who made me love Grey's Anatomy. And when I was calling her and I was like, I've got this, like, possible job. What do you think? I wanted to talk about it. And she was like, do it. Like, I will be the biggest fan of this show, please.
A
Has it been fun to play that kind of part and, like, get into the jargon and get into the vibe of what it would be like to be in an emergency room? What's. What's been fun about it?
B
I feel like it's like, it's one of the most. I feel like in those sort of situations where you're, like, really just playing at a job, it's kind of like the purest expression of, like, the childhood fantasy of being an actor where you're like, I am now a doctor and I can now save people's lives. Like, wow.
C
Wow.
B
And I think, you know, like, that's like, a really cool thing. But no, I loved it. I love. I do love learning new things and I learned so much. And I'm also just like a little nerd and, like, loved just going through, like, the. The big ass medical pamphlets that we would get given for every episode. And just like, you know. Oh, yeah, like, watching, like, cadaver videos of, like, the surgeries and being like.
C
Wow, medical school, do you.
A
When you. I always try to ask people who are on medical shows, when you cut, do you cut into fake bodies?
B
Real bodies?
A
Like, do you ever have to put a scalpel in? You know, I know that there's fake torsos and stuff. Do you do that?
B
Yeah, no, we. We had. Our, like, prosthetics person was from Walking Dead. Our prosthetics were like, next level.
A
They were like, we're gonna use some old zombies.
C
We're gonna get.
B
Yeah, yeah. They're like, we got this.
A
Okay, so thank you for getting on. And what question do you think I should ask Maya today? Do you have any thoughts?
B
I'm curious whether her sort of like, lust for life, her ability to be so interested in the world around her was something that she feels is innate to her as a person, or whether it's something that she feels like was cultivated either by herself, by her community, by her parents, and if so, like, whether there's a specific moment in which she, like, recalls seeing the world in that way from a young age.
A
You know what's great about that question is I think people really reduce the children of actors and artists in the way that they talk about, you know, what is it like being, you know, considered a nepo baby? You know, you're in the same profession as your parents when in fact, like, what is it like growing up with artists that are parents and how do they introduce you to art? And also, what is it like being a New York City kid? I mean, a lot of people don't know the feeling of growing up in the city and what that's like, what you get to see or what you don't get to see. You know, like, how does it limit you and how does it open you up? And I think that's a great question. Really well done. You seem like a woman in her 30s who has her shit together. Congratulations.
C
Oh my God.
B
Thank you. I mean, you know, it's all an illusion.
A
Really, really nice to meet you. It's such a pleasure. Thank you so much for the time and for helping me get to know Maya a little more. I really appreciate it, you guys.
B
So fun.
A
Thank you again. Bye.
C
Woo hoo hoo.
A
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C
Woo hoo hoo.
A
Maya Hawke is with me. Maya, I'm so happy to see you.
C
I'm so happy to see you.
A
You know, we haven't seen each other.
C
In person since Inside out two premier Shenanigans.
A
Dude, that movie.
C
I know. That movie made people so happy.
A
I know.
C
And feel so seen.
A
What have you had people come up and say to you about that movie?
B
I.
C
It's been one of the great honors. Like, my little sister was asking me the other day, she was like, do you get annoyed if someone asks you to do the anxiety voice or do you get annoyed? And I was like, not at all. Because sometimes if someone wants me to go put on like an ice cream scoop or a uniform, I'm like, I'm done with the ice cream scooper unit. But there was a while where that wasn't true. But with this movie, that character, I've had so many people feel so seen by it and like little kids feel so seen by it and it helped them understand their brain better. And like, I'll get a call from a friend's parent, like, from like a parent, a friend of mine who is a parent, not a friend's parent, and be like, hey, would you do a recording? Like, my kid's going through this hard time. Would you record something in the voice for my kid? And I'll be like, sure. And I'll turn on the little speaker and be like, hi. Oh, I know it's really scary when parents have to go to the doctor's office. And I know that it makes you nervous, but the thing is you just take deep breaths and trust that your daddy will be safe and that the doctors are gonna take great care of him. And like, I. And so I will do things like that. And I don't mind at all. I love it because it's so.
A
I know. I feel the same. I feel like you and I had a couple moments when we were doing press where we kept looking at each other like, whoa, this feels so much bigger than us. And the response of the movie was so beautiful. And I know that that is very rare to be in something good that people like, that people go to see. That is a good experience. Those don't always.
C
And that is good for the world.
A
And that is good.
C
That's like. It's so, so rare to have it hit all those benchmarks. It's like a rainbow.
A
I know. Plus a billion dollars, babe.
C
Well, that's what I'm saying. For something that makes a billion dollars and is good for the World. I don't think there's anything that does that. No, it's crazy.
A
No, I mean, it is so true. The word billion and good for the world doesn't go together of anything ever. What have you learned about anxiety in the past year? Your own or others? Because you played that character so much.
C
And I think with, like, the Joy anxiety relationship, it taught me a lot about showing love to that part of myself and, like, allowing other people to see it so they can show it love and that that is all actually a way to calm it down, is inviting it into the conversation, looking at what it thinks and is worried about and kind of addressing each point and then offering it a comfortable chair and saying, like, okay, you're invited. I'm not trying to shut you out behind a door. Because that, of course, just works it up even more. And so I think in giving. The biggest thing I learned from doing this and being allowed to be welcomed into the beautiful world of this movie is to give my anxiety a comfy chair. Yes.
A
It's so well said. And for people listening right now, like, everybody is so stressed.
C
I know.
A
Of course they are. Of course they are.
C
I mean, anxiety might be the defining emotion of our time.
A
It was so fun to work on those characters together because when the time is very scary, like these times, you know, you want to find a way to tune in, check out, help yourself, help other people. Like, you want to dip in and out. But when you're just getting someone going, like, toxic positivity, like, this is great. It's like, babe, things are bad.
C
Things are bad.
A
Things are real bad. So anybody listening, I want you to know that we know things are bad things bad.
C
But also if you shut Joy out completely, like, then you still need to welcome in some. Like, you're not helping anybody. If you shut out Joy completely.
A
Well, there's a beautiful moment in the movie, and it's such a testament to the work you did as Anxiety and the work the animators do and the work that Kelsey Mann did, the director and Pete Docter the producer and all the artists and Pete the creator and just all the writers. Meg, the When Anxiety does a small little gesture to let. When Joy is being finally called back, finally Riley, our character, has finally calmed herself down on the ice. She's talked to her friends. She's feeling a little bit like herself. She gets back on the ice, she starts skating, and Joy is being called back. And Anxiety does a little, I told you this, like, a little genuflect, like a little gesture of like, this way, like, for people listening, you can't see what Maya and I are doing, but.
C
We'Re doing a little, like, a little.
A
Like, your table is over here, man.
C
You go. Yeah.
A
It made me cry so hard. And I just thought, oh, like the tiny gesture of that is like, what we're just. We must try to do during this bananas foster time we're living in.
C
Yeah.
A
Because that is, I mean, whatever we can do, babe.
C
Well, and to make room for each other.
A
Yeah.
C
And like, and to make room to get off of our phones, which we were talking about before we started rolling, but to get off of our phones where we're just being bombarded by like, here's a funny video of a cat. Here's a video of the apocalypse. Here's a, like, here's a funny joke that is offensive. Here's a funny joke that's your humor, but would offend someone else. Here's another video of the apocalypse. Like, it's like to get out of that and into like, oh, here you and I are sitting with each other. We're looking each other in the eyes. We can still do this.
A
Yes.
C
We can still talk and be and make space for each other and like, you know, look at the people around us and that we have to make time to do that even as we make time to try to figure out what is happening.
A
I agree. And, you know, I kind of experience you as an old soul. Have you been told that?
C
I have been. There's been some ageist claims about my soul made.
A
You must get this a lot. People talk. They roll their ey about people's 20s. And what's good about being in your 20s?
C
Oh, what's good about being in your twenties? I mean, I'm already starting to have more random body pain, but I know I have less than I will have. So, like, it's a more pain free time.
A
Recovery is faster.
C
Recovery is faster.
B
Yes.
C
So that's good. I still, like, I can still. Yeah. Just general recovery. Bounce back from things more quickly. Emotional recovery, like independence, you know, it's like this kind of miracle window before insane amounts of responsibility, but after independence, where no one's telling you what to do. And that's the miracle of your 20s, right. Is that your responsibilities are there, but they're not usually kids and family. Or they can be, but yet. But they are. But you have this freedom and that's a cool window of time. And so bouncing.
A
That's a cool window is such a good way to say it. Maya, you're very wise it's true. It's like if only one can know the time they're in and appreciate the time they're in. It's hard to do.
C
Yeah, it is.
A
Yeah. Okay. Speaking of the time you're in, I wanna jump back to little Maya.
C
Yes.
A
Because I'm always really interested in what it's like being a New York kid.
C
I was kind of a sad kid or like set point melancholic, you know, like moody and emot and homey. But a New York City kid is awesome. You have so much stuff to look at and do. Like my favorite place to go was the Metropolitan Museum of Art Temple of Dendoor because of the mixed up files of Mrs. Bazilee Frankweiler. Do you remember that book? Of course. And the kids ran away. For anyone who hasn't read it, they run away and they live inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art and they sleep in the queen's bed and they steal money from the fountain and it's awesome. And I love that book. And I loved going to the Met and I love going to the Natural History Museum and I love going to the zoo. And there was just like so much to do. Activity based on a general. As like a little kid. And I loved that. And so many different ways to express all your weird interests. Like, I had lots of weird interests as a kid. I loved like dead insects. Like the ones that preserve dead insects. And I loved going to see them at the science museum. And I love rocks. And there was like, you know, just like so much exposure and different kinds of people you could decide to be.
B
Yeah.
C
And so much interaction with difference. And that was so cool and I think so rare. Cause so many people grow up in these little communities where it's like everyone feels the same. But in this city you're like interacting with humanity all the time and you get to decide who you are, which is great. And then you get to high school and it's like being in college for other people. Like, it is crazy. I went to more clubs between 9th and 12th grade than I have been since.
A
There's a lot of pressure for New York kids to be very interesting.
C
They. There's a lot of pressure to be interesting, to be adult, to be on the town. Yes, there's a lot, a lot of that.
A
Did you ever have like a 13 year old? Like, I'm in Studio 54 and I don't know how I got here like you did?
C
Yes.
A
Or you're just in a club and.
C
It'S like, yeah, little. I might be too young for this.
A
I'm too little for this.
C
Interesting. Seemed like a good idea at first. I'm proud of myself for getting in here, but now how do I get out? But I love it. I would do it. I would raise kids in New York. I think it's awesome. An awesome way to grow up.
A
To your point, there was an independence. You took the subway, you walked around, you kind of figured out life. What were some memories of that time when you felt, like, adult or grown up? Ooh, you know, a moment where.
B
Yeah.
A
You had, like, an adult moment.
C
Well, I realized in high school that I could cut class. Yeah. And that, like, that there was, like, no real ramifications to doing it. And so I started, like, just doing my own thing, like, during the day. And high school, I experimented with smoking cigarettes, which you shouldn't do and is bad.
A
Very, very bad.
C
Very, very, very bad. Very, very, very bad. Do not do it.
A
You look very cool. Don't do it.
C
Yeah, don't do it. Don't do it. But you look co. But I couldn't buy cigarettes because I was a kid. And so I would occasionally walk around to try to bum cigarettes off people.
A
This is what I'm talking about. This is what I picture a New York kid doing.
C
But I went to school in Brooklyn Heights. And the only people who smoke in Brooklyn Heights are construction workers and they smoke Newports. And I hated Newports. So I would take the subway to. This is a ridiculous story. To the East Village so I could bum Marlboro Golds off of. Cause people in the East Village smoke Marlboro gold. Like outside McNally Jackson bookstore. And so I would like, take the sub on my free period, my lunch break or whatever. I'd be like, I won't go to math today. I'll just take a double peer free period and I'll go take the subway to Greenwich Village or the East Village and bum a Marlboro Gold off some intelligent, handsome man smoking outside of a bookstore.
A
Some documentary filming.
C
Yes. Some documentary filmmaker sipping a cappuccino. And I was like, I am a grownup and this is an adventure.
A
Exactly the kind of story I picture just getting on the subway for a cigarette.
C
Because you have a preference. A neighborhood based cigarette preference.
A
I mean, during that time, there was probably a sense of you. When you knew deep down, even in high school, like, I'm not gonna worry so much about math. I'm gonna be an actor. Yes, I know what I'm gonna do. When did you know you were gonna be an actor? You know, when did you feel like I'm gonna really make this my job or my life?
C
I knew I was going to be, like, an artist of some kind. I think I was. I mean, I think I was really afraid of being an actor because my parents are both actors. And I got to see that, you know, they were as successful as one as I could ever have dreamed to be in that profession. And still had so much job insecurity and stress and highs and low moments. And I was like, I don't know if this seems fun. And like. And, you know, I had experiences of, like, going to school and, like, trying to leave my house with, like, an umbrella. Cause there was some article out and there was paparazzi around the house. And I was like, this seems. Eh. Yeah. Like, I don't know about this. And so it wasn't until like, 11th grade where I realized that there was nothing else that I was good at and liked. And I was like, you know, like, I just. I like this. I am good at. I feel like this is my community. Like, the other people who like this, I like them and they put up with me. Cause they'll put up with anyone that's great about the theater community. They will put up with anyone. Unless you're mean. So I just found my home and I was like, okay, I'll figure out that other stuff. This is what I wanna do.
A
Okay. This is a great. That's a great segue into our. So we do this thing at the beginning of each show where we talk to people who know our guests.
C
Oh, no.
A
And just to talk well behind their. And it always kind of helps me figure out if there's questions I should ask my guest. And also to get to know the guests more. And we talked to your friend Willa Fitzgerald.
C
She's the best.
A
She's the best. Now, you two met on the set of Little Women.
C
Still the greatest experience of my life.
A
Wait, tell us why.
C
It was my first professional job. I had to. I had to drop out of school to do it. And I was really worried about it. And it was like, whatever. I get to Ireland, we're in this town called Dunleary. I've just never had. Had an experience that's positive. It was the four sisters and the guy who played Laurie. And we fell in love with each other. And we were staying at this seaside hotel in this port town. And it was. The Royal Marine was the name of this hotel. And it was like walking distance from this farmer's market and these restaurants. And we just loved each other. And you know, it's gone for me now. I'm already so old, I can't stay awake forever. But do you remember when you were like 18 and 19 and you just didn't need sleep at all? Like, somehow I could work a full 14 hour shooting day and then be like, should we go out? Yeah, like, and then, like, you know, and then I'll learn my lines and then I'll go to sleep for two hours and then go back to where. I don't know how we did it, but it might have just been the raw joy of how in love with each other we were. Like, we were going to set on the days that we weren't working and being like, I have a note, you should try this in the next scene. We just.
A
It was just like acting, acting, acting.
C
It was just like acting. We love it and we love. And we're all. And it's Ireland and it's the ocean. And like, we did a moon spell where there was a full moon, and we bought crystals from this guy in town and we put the crystals in the moon and then we went skinny dipping in the port and it was freezing and it was like, just happy. It was happy.
A
So fun. That sounds so fun. I mean, she adores you. And she was talking about exactly that. Like, how you all connected so fast. And she was saying that there is this. You have this lust for life and that one of her questions was, do you feel like that's always been a na. Like it's kind of what we're talking about. Nature versus nurture. You're the daughter of artists. You're looking at. You want to be an artist? Do I want the life of an artist? What does that even look like? But there is always this little thing inside all of us from the minute we're born. Anyway, did you always feel like you had that some kind of lust for life? And her question is, do you think it was innate or was it nurtured by the environment that you were in? Or both?
C
I think both.
A
Yeah.
C
I think I've, like, always believed in magic and always believed in love in a really intense way. And I think that that was nurtured in me from a really young age. Like, my, you know, my parents are magical and like, my mom, like, you know, was this magical creature who, like, you know, would come home from work and she was, like, looking fabulous, but she'd take everything off and immediately put on like a big velvet skirt and gardening gloves and go outside and, like, teach me how to, like, pull up stinging nettles. To make soup. And like. And the soup would be a witch's potion. Cause it was good for you. And like, she just had this magic to her. And my dad would be like, we're gonna watercolor together and we're gonna make a masterpiece. And like, I'll do this blue and you do red, and we'll see what we create. Like, there was just this imagination fostered in me from a really young age. And I just, like, I believed I was really lucky to get that kind of love and that kind of exposure to seeing the world as a place where magic is possible. And I just. It's like the luckiest thing ever to have that happen. And I think it, like, I always think about it as like the Harry Potter, you know, in Harry Potter, how when his mom dies, she puts a spell on him that protects him from dying with love.
A
I kind of remember.
C
Okay, you kind of know this.
A
I've read all of them out loud. And I still.
C
Harry Potter's mom protects Harry Potter's daughter.
A
I remember the mother jealous because of course, the mother always has to die.
C
She always has to die for the kid to be on an independent adventure.
A
In every single story.
C
Yeah, okay. There's actually a whole theory about that, but set that aside. Yeah. About children's stories. And then you have to kill the parents and children's stories. Because that's how children become the unfolding of their own story.
B
Right.
C
They become little adults because the mother.
A
Lived long enough to see her child succeed.
C
God forbid. But I always feel like that period of time in my life where what my parents did gave me this magical spell, like, love spell, where, like, you know, then there were other different hard times in all of our lives. But that early he magic's protected.
A
Oh, my gosh.
C
And they do say that, like from like 1 to 5 or 1 to 3, like, is so much. I mean, it's a lot of pressure on young parents. Cause that time is so important, but like so much of your belief system about the world and how you feel. And if you feel safe and your attachment style is formed, like so early.
A
And are you. I mean. Cause I sense from you both introvert and extrovert.
C
This is true. Oh, my God. I got it right. You got it right.
A
So what tell me about. How have you figured that out?
C
Okay, I see myself as having three cups. There's the extraversion socialization cup, the alone time cup, and the with one other person having an intimate conversation cup. Ooh. And I need all three cups to be somewhat full to be functioning. Yeah. Like, if I've had too much parties work, like, not no alone time and just these two cups are full. Oh, I'm gesturing. And this is audiobook. It's okay.
A
The people you're making, you're gesturing cups.
C
I'm gesturing cups. But if I'm. Then I really feel bad and I need alone time. If I've got too much alone time and not enough socialization, I really feel bad and drained. So I'm always trying to look at my schedule and my life and be like, am I getting enough friend time in one on one? Am I getting enough alone time in. Am I getting enough energizing social outside in the world? Going to see a concert, going to see a play, going to something like, I need a little bit of everything.
A
I love the cups idea. I do something similar where I think about a refrigerator and I think about magnets. And then I. In the best day ever, all five magnets are on the refrigerator. But I try to get three. So it's like work, motherhood, friendship, you know, spirituality, wellness, some kind of care. And. And what's my fifth magnet relationship? So it's like, if you can get three out of five, it's like, today I was a good partner. Today I did some good mom stuff and I worked a little bit. Or it's like, no, today I took care of myself. Today I met with friends and today I gave my kids some good advice. Whatever is the magnets that you can put on there very rare to get five.
C
But you don't want to go too long without having a day that has. You don't want to leave one of them off.
A
You get a dusty magnet.
C
You don't want to get a dusty magnet. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
A
We could go. We could. We, you and I could sell the cup and magnet.
C
I was just thinking this. We could make. We could make these magnets.
A
We could do separate podcasts just about this.
C
And we could make billions, billions of dollars. And it would be good. Another good billion.
A
And it would be like with me today is. She's, of course, the inventor of the cup theory. She brought me that theory when I was working on my magnet project. And together we've got cups and magic. We're touring the world.
C
Yeah.
A
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C
Of course I will.
A
Great. Thank you. You can tell me off the air, but what was it like hearing series wrap?
C
Well, I want to hear what it's been like for you. Like what it was like for you on Parks.
A
You know, I think for people who don't know, right. So if you're an actor on set, you get like, that's a season ra. Like season four. All right. And you get your last shot. And often people will kind of clap and stand around and say stuff. But series rap is a big deal. And on a show like yours, which has been such a long journey for you and for everyone involved, and there's been strikes and there's been Covid in the middle of all of it. And everyone's gotten older and grown up, and everyone's been watching and watching and watching. Yeah. A good ad will make sure that. That. That that series wrap means something, that people are there and they're there for you. And, like, it's just a. It's a big moment.
C
Matt and Ross, who are amazing, wrote scenes that seem to have some connective tissue for the characters and for us. And on this last day of shooting, we got to film these scenes that had this beautiful connective tissue. And I actually think I, like, learned something about acting that day and being present emotion as a person and the emotion of the character and allowing those two wires to connect. And my life has been changed as an actor. The way that I act has changed since that series wrap day. And it was so emotional. I cried all day long from beginning to end in these kind of crashing waves. And I just love. I love everybody on that show so much, and. And it's been so. It's shaped me so much. And we've been on such a long, complicated journey together.
A
It started when you were what, 19?
C
I started out as 19, which is like, you know, lots of them started at, like, 9 and have been doing it for 10 years, and I've been doing it for 7 and started at 19. So, I mean, I got nothing on them.
A
But it's funny that you've been on a show for seven years and you still think you're the new kid.
C
Exactly. I do. I do still think I'm the new kid, but it was really emotional and. And I don't know if I'll ever have another experience like it.
A
Yeah. I mean, congratulations on that show. Your work is so good. That show is so great, and it really. I mean, just to. You know, I'm sure you can feel the anticipation growing. I can't even imagine the press junket you're gonna have to do when this show comes out of, like, it's gonna be bananas of how you're gonna be talking about, like, it. That show feels like. I don't know, that the audience has been through it with you too. It feels like the audience has also been through it.
B
Yeah.
A
I guess is the only way to say it, that the kids on the show and the audience have not had an easy couple of years.
C
No.
A
And there's something about it that feels very cathartic about the end of it. Yeah.
C
And I don't even know if I'm right about this, but I have always seen the Upside down as a metaphor for depression and anxiety and in some ways of life, like your teen years, it's really hard to be a teenager. And the hormones that get released, the new emotions that get released of depression and anxiety and self awareness and self consciousness, it's like a hard period of life to survive. And I've always seen the upside down as this portal that opened up to all those emotions for these young people and navigating one's way out of it and through community and bravery and friendship. It's really emotional. And the allegories to what's going on in the world right now are plentiful. And it means a lot to me to get to be a part of something like this because it's really a once in a lifetime thing. These adventure stories and these hero stories about kids and groups of kids grow up with this. They grow up simultaneously with you. And I'm so grateful. I just. It's such a special thing to get to be a part of.
A
That's so awesome. And you and your friends like Joe and Sadie are like doing music. You're on stage, you're all doing a bunch of things together at the same time. Can I talk about your music for a second? Because I be curious. Your relationship to. You're such a. You're such a talented and multi talented artist who can do a lot of things very well. Thank you. And like, what I imagine for you, what I picture in the future is us hearing you writing and directing and producing and doing so many things as well as acting and music. But right now you have two very big careers in what are sometimes feel like very disparate ways of participating in the arts. It's like if acting. Acting is one kid and music is the other.
C
Who's my favorite kid?
A
Yeah, who's your favorite kid?
C
Well, okay. The way I like to see, first of all, I don't always do a good job balancing. I don't. I don't have a favorite kid. I love creativity and I love storytelling and I see them as completely connected. And like if there was an outlet in the wall with two plugs, it's like different lamps that you plug into the same power source is how I feel about it. That said, I'm a much more trained actor than I am a musician and I'm a much more confident actor than a musician. Walking onto set or onto stage, like a rehearsal period is where I feel confident and comfortable and I feel like I know the rules and I know I like it there and I feel really grounded. Music is really scary and it terrifies me. Performing Live terrifies me. Writing terrifies me. What people are gonna make of my lyrics terrify me. It's all really scary. So it's the same power source. One of the lamps is a scary Halloween lamp that I don't totally know how it work. And the other lamp is like my favorite bedside nightlight or something that's like, this is my comfort zone.
A
And if you wanna listen to Maya's lamp workshop, you need to go to the Beverly Wilshire.
C
You need to go to Cups and Magnets.
A
Cups and Lamps and Magnets.
C
Cups and Lamps and Magnets.
A
No, it's so true.
C
You've got a whole product line just.
A
To put out, just to manifest, just for a second, for fun. Do you ever, like. Do you ever think about writing a musical?
C
No. Ooh.
A
Do you think about writing a musical?
C
Yes, but that's not what you were gonna say.
A
Oh, my God. But what musical do you wanna write?
C
I don't know.
B
Yes.
C
Okay. The answer.
A
So great. Write that.
C
Okay.
A
But do you ever have, like, a fantasy of being on stage singing and singing with someone who you like, you know, deeply? Like, do you have an artist whose voice, a musical artist whose voice you fantasize about harmonizing with and singing with, alive or dead?
C
You know, I have a lot of different people that I love of. I am terrified of harmonizing.
A
You are? That's the only thing that I can kind of do.
C
Really. It really scares me. I am not a good harmonizer and it scares me.
A
So what about forget the harmony, but.
C
Just sing it back and forth? Yeah. I would love to sing with Joanie. I mean, I would have to do a harmony, like a one note harmony while she danced all over the place. But I love Joni. I mean, this morning I was listening to Joni Judy Sill a bunch. And I love Judy Sill and I love Joni. And I'm obsessed with Adrian Lanker. And I am obsessed with Adrian Lanker, obsessed with Taylor Swift. And I'm obsessed with. I mean, I just love.
A
You love singer. I love singer songwriters.
C
Yeah, I love songwriters. I just think they're so cool. And it's like almost that fantasy is more like to get to write a song with someone, like singing it and performing it is less the dream. It's like writing a song with someone. That would be the dream.
A
Ooh, I love. Okay. And speaking of writers and artists you have worked with in films, you've worked with really talented, distinct voices. Wes Anderson, Bradley Cooper, Quentin Tarantino. That experience of getting on a set with someone who feels like they have a very strong sense. You like that. You like, like being in someone's simulation, basically. Do you like jumping in there?
C
Yes. I find it extremely fun and really relaxing.
A
Yes. You were in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with like five actors. You were all playing Manson. Manson, Manson.
C
Manson ish people. Manson esque.
A
And did your mom give you Uma Thurman as your mom? Did she give you any advice about working with Quentin?
C
Keep your shoes on.
A
Keep your shoes on. Keep them on, baby. And you're gonna try to get you a mom, baby. Keep em on. Keep those shoes on. Perfect advice. Perfect. Did she come to the set?
C
No.
B
Yeah.
A
It's weird to have your parents come to set. Yeah, I know. It's just. I don't even know.
C
I don't even find it weird. She just wasn't in town.
A
Well, I don't like it. We were New Yorkers.
C
It was la, right?
A
She's like, I'm not going to L. A. No, no. I have too many things to do.
C
I've been to that set. Cause I was a set kid. I think it's the best place on earth.
A
Okay, tell me about sets you were on when you were a kid.
C
Oh, oh, so many. I mean, one of the most memorable ones was the set of my super because I got to get into the flying suit and there's a movie that my mom did. It's really good and really funny, but she was a superhero and so she flew in it. And I got to be like, I got to get into the thing and fly across this studio. But really the thing I remember about sets is they all blur together. Except I love crafty and I loved the. It was like this safe little world where I could be alone so like, no one needed to be watching me. I could walk over to crafty and take cookies and M&Ms. And gummy bears and get them. And I could go watch the stunt people practice and then I could go watercolor in the trailer and I could go to the costume shop and help them sew. And it was just like Disneyland, basically, where I was independent and left alone and allowed to explore and allowed to just like park my butt at the monitors and watch take after take after take after take. And it's really where I fell in love with acting was backstage at the theater and on set. And so I think it was the most fun thing ever. What always shocks me is when I invite people to come to set that they don't want to come. And when they come, they get bored. I'm like, what do you mean? It's Disneyland. And they're like, you just did the same scene nine times from one direction and then moved the camera and are doing it nine more times. How on earth is this like Disneyland?
A
This is so interesting. I'm the exact opposite. People want to come to set because they seem like it's interesting. And I say it's not. It's boring.
C
Well, it's very true. And I will say one of my favorite things in the world generally is to be not busy around a busy person. So I still like to go with people to. Because it's where I'm the most at peace. Because all my cups are getting filled. I'm not alone. But I also. And there's tons of exposure to people if I want it. But I can be totally alone and not busy and just like reading my little book somewhere and it's fine. So it's got this like social, not social, privacy. All these different things all at once. And it feels so good to me. It's like such a nice way to spend time with someone. Especially like five minutes when they have a break. Hi, how are you? That was cool. That was good. Goodbye. I'm reading my book again. Like, it's. I love. So I think there's something I really love about visiting other people on set and having visitors on set when they feel like I do.
A
You brought up the cup system. And just Once again, for $59.99, you too can learn Maya's cup system. It comes with a workbook. There is a. We do a in person.
C
You have to watch a seven minute video before a paywall.
A
It's gonna be in Reno November 15th. We're very excited. Okay. And then the other question I wanted to ask you is. Cause, you know, you played anxiety. The world is anxious. You're really in touch with those feelings and you take great pride and I think in being part of like a big discussion about it. What do you listen to? Watch, read? How do you make yourself laugh? Like, what are you getting? Where are you getting? Where are you getting your joy from?
C
Where am I getting my joy from? Well, recently I got a lot of Joy from the 4th Wing book series. Stand up. It's fantasy. It's like Romantasy fantasy. Dragon college. Basically a dragon war college. And that was my escapism of choice, unfortunately.
A
You said so many things just now. Okay, so say again.
C
It's called the Fourth Wing is the name of the first book.
A
And it is a dragon college.
C
It's a war college. For dragon riders in a fantasy universe. It's romantic. It's very sexy.
A
I've been looking for a new. Fantasy is my new. Like, I never thought it would be a genre I'm into. I'm so into it.
C
I'm so into it. I felt the same way. I'm so into it.
A
Have you read the Name of the Wind?
C
No.
A
Okay. Patrick Rothfuss. R O T H F U S S. Rothfuss. Rothfuss. Rothfuss. He wrote a book called the Name of the Wind.
C
Okay.
A
And it is. It is a series. It's part of the King Killer Chronicles. And it's a fantasy novel. And it's basically just like. It's just the story of a child who grows up in an inn and how he becomes, like, this King Killer.
C
Cool.
A
But it's very school to train, to get to the thing I love.
C
Give me a training sequence. I love it. Make me into the person I was always meant to be.
A
I know. I love it, too.
C
Forced me to do it. Oh, my gosh.
A
I love that because. What do you like about the fourth wing? What did you like?
C
Well, there's incredible hardcore training sequences. There's a very hot, like, guy who's like, he's a rebel. And, like, maybe he's bad. Except obviously the bad guys are actually the good guys and the good guys are the bad guys. And you have to figure that out. And it's awesome. And he trains her. Cause he's like, their lives get wed together. Spoilers. And he's like, you have to live so that I can live. Yes. And so he's like, do sit ups. And she's like, okay. And it really works for me is all I can say.
A
Sit ups. Do sit ups.
C
Do sit ups.
A
You gotta have a strong core if you're gonna have a fighter. You got those dragons. Those dragons go right for your core. You gotta.
C
Yeah. And she's, like, stabbing him with knives. And he's like, yeah. Good job. Good job, good job. You know, it's amazing.
A
Do you read or listen?
C
I read those. I do. I do a lot of audiobooks, but I've recently been trying to get back into paper books.
A
Yeah. Yeah.
C
And so that's been bringing me joy.
A
Love that.
C
I watch piles of tv. I love comedy. Recently, I loved the studio. That was really fun.
A
So funny. It wasn't hot. I mean, the choice, the sartorial choices and that alone.
C
But incredible.
A
The way that character is so ridiculous. And my buddy Ike is in that. Who was so great, too, that episode where he kept getting thanked at the Golden Globes. Adam Scott was thanking him.
C
Is just extraordinary.
A
Fucking stupid and funny.
C
Also, the old school Hollywood party where Zoe Kravitz is like, old school Hollywood means there's drugs in the food. I love that one. Really got me. That's not what that should mean. She was so good in that episode. Yeah. So I've been doing that.
A
Do you ever, like. I mean, I guess Stranger Things is like. It's a new. It's like current fantasy. I mean, that's fantasy. But would you ever want to?
C
Yes.
A
Okay, great. I don't need to finish it because I think that what I'm getting, like, I really don't need to finish it because what I'm getting from our convo today is like, story, adventure, fantasy. The kind of bigness of life is what energizes you. You're excited about the next. Like, you're really looking forward. You have, like, a really big capacity for big swirly ideas.
C
I really love them. I mean, not to mention that, like, almost all of the best fantasy is about humans banding together to take over fascist regimes. Like, it's just a general theme of fantasy and, like, about the little guy rising up. And I. And I think that's partly why as a genre is kind of exploding right now, like, romantasy and fantasy people are really. It's, like, always at the top of the bestseller list these days. And I think it's because Community, it's always about, like, a unlikely band of maniacs and different people from different places that find each other and come together to try to build a new world that works better for them than it used to.
A
I just want to say that, like, getting the experience of talking about inside how to with you and getting to know you has been so. And I hope we get to make another one.
C
I would really like. I mean, I would like to do anything with you. It would be so wonderful. But I really hope we get to make another one. Cause I wanna see more of anxiety and joy learning how to work together.
A
I know. And they have the same physical symptoms and they. Look, they get things done. Okay.
C
They get things done and they're excited.
A
Some emotions like, to chill out, lie on the couch, and those are important too. But anxiety and joy are gonna, like, keep things moving.
C
Yeah.
A
Yeah. And I know they are. I'm so happy that you came today. I'm joyful that you came today.
C
I was anxious about it. No, I wasn't, actually. I was just excited. Thank you so much.
A
Thank you so much for coming. Maya, thanks for having me and love seeing you. You're the best.
C
Thank you so much. You're the best. You're the best. And I would do something with you even with our real flesh and blood bodies.
A
Okay. Yeah, we can do that too. I mean, I prefer animated, but yeah. Yeah, it's just a lot easier for me in terms of heroin.
C
I mean, also just the pajama pants aspect.
A
But if you do make a fourth.
C
Wing movie, I will. I will be the dragon. The be in charge of making it. Here's hoping, here's begging the world.
A
I will donate my body to be the dragon.
C
I will donate my body to dragons.
A
Thank you, Maya Hawke. That was such a great conversation. I loved it. And for this polar plunge, I just want to talk about books because we talked a lot, little bit about books and how they are bringing us joy. And I wanna mention again, a fantasy book that I love. It's called the Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Eagerly awaiting the next book, sir. So chop chop. So check it out and you know, get your dragons on. You can't ever have too many dragons. But thank you everybody for listening to Good Hang and bye. See you soon. You've been listening to good hang. The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss Berman and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by the Ringer and Paper Kite. For the Ringer production by Jack Wilson, Cat Spillane, Kaia McMullen and Alaya Zaneras. For Paper Kite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell and Jenna Weiss Berman. Original music by Amy Miles.
C
And I am the one who was.
A
A really good Hey.
Date: November 4, 2025
Podcast: The Ringer
Host: Amy Poehler
Guest: Maya Hawke
In this joyful, free-flowing conversation, Amy Poehler welcomes actress, musician, and writer Maya Hawke. The pair reflect on their shared experience in Inside Out 2, explore the complexities of joy and anxiety in real life and on-screen, reminisce about Maya’s creative upbringing in New York City, discuss the challenges and rewards of being an artist, and celebrate the importance of magic, imagination, and community. The episode is peppered with laughter, memorable stories, thoughtful insights, and a sense of genuine camaraderie.
"I think I'm a very cautious person, and I think Maya is, like, full of just, like, a lust for life and a real sort of, like, verve..." [04:31, Willa]
"I've had so many people feel so seen by it... little kids feel so seen by it and it helped them understand their brain better." [10:03, Maya]
"The biggest thing I learned... is to give my anxiety a comfy chair." [12:54, Maya]
"Anxiety might be the defining emotion of our time." [13:13, Amy]
"The tiny gesture of that is like what we must try to do during this bananas foster time we're living in." [14:56, Amy]
"I was kind of a sad kid or set point melancholic, you know, like moody and emot and homey. But a New York City kid is awesome. You have so much stuff to look at and do..." [17:32, Maya]
"I was really afraid of being an actor because my parents are both actors... I realized that there was nothing else that I was good at and liked. I feel like this is my community." [22:03, Maya]
"My parents are magical... there was just this imagination fostered in me from a really young age." [26:12, Maya]
"I see myself as having three cups: the extraversion/socialization cup, the alone time cup, and the with one other person having an intimate conversation cup...I need all three cups to be somewhat full to be functioning." [29:02, Maya]
"Cups and Magnets!" [31:04, Amy & Maya]
"I cried all day long from beginning to end in these kind of crashing waves... It's shaped me so much." [34:27, Maya]
"Music is really scary and it terrifies me. Performing Live terrifies me... But it's the same power source." [39:34, Maya]
"That was my escapism of choice... hardcore training sequences, very hot guy, good guys are bad, bad guys are good..." [47:45, Maya]
"Almost all of the best fantasy is about humans banding together to take over fascist regimes... an unlikely band of maniacs ... try to build a new world." [50:15, Maya]
"Getting the experience of talking about Inside Out 2 with you and getting to know you has been so..." [51:05, Amy]
"I would do anything with you... I wanna see more of Anxiety and Joy learning how to work together." [51:05, Maya]
"The biggest thing I learned from doing this and being allowed to be welcomed into the beautiful world of this movie is to give my anxiety a comfy chair."
— Maya Hawke [12:54]
"Anxiety might be the defining emotion of our time."
— Amy Poehler [13:13]
"Babe, things are bad. Things are real bad."
— Amy & Maya [13:42]
"I see myself as having three cups... I need all three cups to be somewhat full to be functioning."
— Maya Hawke [29:02]
"'Cups and Magnets!' ... and we could make billions, billions of dollars. And it would be good. Another good billion."
— Amy Poehler & Maya Hawke [31:04]
"I've had so many people feel so seen by it... and it helped them understand their brain better."
— Maya Hawke on playing Anxiety [10:03]
"I was kind of a sad kid or set point melancholic ... but a New York City kid is awesome. You have so much stuff to look at and do."
— Maya Hawke [17:32]
"Music is really scary and it terrifies me... But it's the same power source."
— Maya Hawke [39:34]
"Almost all of the best fantasy is about humans banding together to take over fascist regimes..."
— Maya Hawke [50:15]
| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|----------------------------------------------| | 02:31–07:24 | Willa Fitzgerald on meeting Maya, friendship, and Little Women | | 09:33–11:49 | Inside Out 2: Impact, voicing emotion, public response | | 11:49–15:17 | Anxiety & Joy: Lessons learned for real life | | 17:21–23:27 | Growing up in NYC, artistic family, childhood stories | | 28:52–31:16 | Introvert/Extrovert "cups" metaphor & Amy’s "magnets" | | 33:34–37:46 | Stranger Things final season, emotional wrap | | 37:46–39:41 | Comparing acting & music, creative process | | 40:09–50:57 | Artistic dreams, fantasy novels, escapism, the power of stories | | 50:57–52:16 | Closing reflections: collaboration, hope, and joy |
The episode is candid, whimsical, and often deeply personal, oscillating between laughter and heartfelt reflection. Amy and Maya’s rapport is natural, full of sly jokes, honest admissions, playful metaphors, and mutual admiration—offering listeners both entertainment and insight into the emotional inner life of artists.
Summary prepared for listeners who want the heart, humor, and wisdom of the episode—without missing a detail.