AceShowbiz - Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman's actress daughter dropped out of top performing arts school Juilliard to take on the role of Jo March in "Little Women". Maya Hawke insists she felt destined to play the role on the TV adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's beloved book, and when the part came to her, she decided school was over.

"For some reason, at that point, in my body, I needed to go and play Jo," she tells The Hollywood Reporter. "And it was the best time in my f**king life."

Maya still thinks she waited too long to get into acting, adding, "That wasn't an option for me. It wasn't like I was dragged around on red carpets. [My parents] wanted me to have a childhood, they wanted me to be in school."

"There are moments where I wish I had got into it [acting] earlier because then I'd be further along now maybe, but in general I feel very happy with how I got to have time on my own, at least a little bit outside of the public eye.

"When you grow up the way I do, you really get to see a very broad picture of what (acting) life is like, and I wasn't sure if it was for me."

However, the acting bug bit her hard after she was picked to play Ariel in a live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid (2018)".

That dream fell through after director Sofia Coppola was forced to step down from the project, but now Maya is primed to take over TV, playing Jo in "Little Women" and a new character in the third season of "Stranger Things", a role she still can't believe she landed.

Asked if she's a fan of the cult sci-fi show, she tells The Hollywood Reporter, "Are you kidding me?"

But her mysterious character is being kept under wraps - all Hawke knows is she'll be playing an "alternative girl".

Meanwhile, her first-ever onscreen role in "Little Women" premieres on May 13.