Ethan Hawke has revealed "regrets" over his daughter Maya Hawke's "really hard" childhood.

The Before Sunrise actor features alongside Sydney Sweeney in a new conversation for Variety's Actors on Actors. During the chat, Ethan reflected on the challenges his 27-year-old daughter had faced in the past.

He told Sydney: "There were a lot of things about her childhood that were really, really hard and complicated, and things I regret for her."

Ethan failed to elaborate on the difficulties Maya had experienced. However, the Stranger Things actress previously admitted that growing up in the public eye with famous parents - her mother is Ethan's ex-wife Uma Thurman - had taken its toll on her.

Elsewhere in the conversation with Sydney, the 55-year-old Hollywood star revealed he always knew Maya would follow in his footsteps and pursue an acting career.

He recalled to Sydney: "I knew when she was about four that she was gonna be an artist. And I knew that she was gonna be a very good one. That was her safe place, watercolouring, dancing, singing all throughout her childhood."

Ethan's prediction proved to be true after Maya appeared in 2019's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, before securing a regular role as Robin Buckley in the Netflix hit series Stranger Things. She also lent her voice to the character of Anxiety for 2024's Inside Out 2.

While some parents might have felt concerned about their kids harbouring a desire to act, Ethan was confident it would work out for his daughter.

The star shared: "I remember some teacher said, 'Maya, are you happy?' 'Cause they were worried about her.' And she said something to the effect of, 'Do you really think that's the question?' I thought, 'I love this kid.' She was about 13."

He added, "So, I never worried about her going into the arts, because I knew that was gonna save her life."