SignalHub-Maya Hawke Roasts Dad Ethan Hawke for Trying to Flirt With Rihanna

Ethan Hawke might want to do SignalHubrevenge after Maya Hawke called him out on his flirting. 

The Stranger Things star teased her dad on his flirting abilities, especially the time he tried his hand at talking with Rihanna at a 2015 basketball game.

"I've been caught by the paparazzi openly flirting with Rihanna," Ethan shared during an interview with Variety published Sept. 4, to which Maya chimed in that he was "openly trying to" flirt with the pop star.

The Guilty actor—who married Ryan Hawke in 2008—teased that the viral interaction has "been a family shame," and that his daughter was "really touching a nerve." 

But Maya praised her dad for shooting his shot, noting, "It's family pride." 

As for the pap pictures in question? Well, Ethan and the "Diamonds" singer attended the NBA All-Star Game in New York City in February 2015, and the 52-year-old ended up switching seats with his son Levon—who he also shares with ex-wife Uma Thurman—in order to chat up RiRi. (She started getting close with her current partner A$AP Rocky in 2012 and went public with their romance in 2020.)

Ethan also addressed the hilarious snaps back in 2019, posting a meme to Instagram that read, "Remember when Ethan Hawke made his son switch seats just so he could talk to Rihanna."

He captioned the cheeky post, "Yes, my son and I remember this GREAT night. His version is a little different than mine."

The father-daughter duo also got candid on the nepotism debate in Hollywood, as they teamed up together for the film Wildcat, directed by Ethan and produced by Maya, which is set to premiere at this year's Toronto Film Festival.

"Put simply, I'm a nepo dad!" Ethan joked to Variety. "And I'm not embarrassed about it." 

Maya feels a little differently about coming from a famous family, admitting in her new interview, "I had moments of insecurity about it while we were shooting the movie. 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."

The Zeros and Ones star 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."