Maya Hawke Stars Opposite Mom Uma Thurman For the First Time in "The Kill Room"
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Uma Thurman and Maya Hawke may be mother and daughter in real life, but their latest film puts them on opposite teams. Nicol Paone's "The Kill Room" is an action-packed thriller revolving around an art gallery owner (Thurman), who finds herself entangled in a money laundering scheme alongside a hitman (Joe Manganiello), and his boss (Samuel L. Jackson). The three agree to use the art world as a coverup for their shady business deals, but their scheme quickly takes a turn, and characters like Hawke's start asking too many questions.
As part of their big plan, Manganiello's character creates paintings under the alias "The Bagman" in order for clients to purchase services without any suspicion. Much to everyone's surprise, his artwork sparks actual attention, along with interest in his identity. According to Entertainment Weekly, Hawke's character becomes "obsessed" with finding out who "The Bagman" really is, asking Manganiello point blank in the trailer, "Are you The Bagman?"
The 25-year-old "Stranger Things" star has previously acted with her dad, Ethan Hawke, playing his onscreen child in "The Good Lord Bird" miniseries, but this is her first time working professionally with her mother. Quentin Tarantino has also stated that he'd love to work with both Hawke and Thurman in the future. "The idea of casting Uma [Thurman] and casting her daughter, Maya [Hawke], and the thing would be f*cking exciting," Tarantino told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021, referencing a potential third "Kill Bill" film.
As the child of two famous actors, Hawke admitted that her parents were initially wary about her decision to follow in their footsteps. "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 said in a 2021 interview with The Guardian. "Once I was old enough, and it was clear they were my choices, they were very supportive." This role is the definite proof.
Ahead, find out more about Hawke and Thurman's first major project together, and watch the trailer.
"The Kill Room" Trailer
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"The Kill Room" Cast
Uma Thurman and Maya Hawke join a cast starring Joe Manganiello, Samuel L. Jackson, Debi Mazar, Dree Hemingway, Amy Keum, Candy Buckley, Larry Pine, Jennifer Kim, Matthew Maher, Tom Pecinka, and Alexander Sokovikov.
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"The Kill Room" Plot
After meeting hitman Reggie Pitt (Manganiello), and his boss, Gordon Davis (Jackson), art gallery owner Patrice Capullo (Thurman) decides to form a partnership to save her gallery. The three embark on a money laundering scheme, with Manganiello creating paintings under the name "The Bagman," and Thurman helping facilitate the shady transactions.
The plan goes a different direction, however, when The Bagman's paintings start to gain more popularity than originally anticipated. Eventually, Thurman also realizes that the money is being used for hitman services and not drugs, like she originally assumed, and she's left trying to find a way out.
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"The Kill Room" Release Date
"The Kill Room" will hit theaters starting Sept. 29.