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‘Stranger Things’ star Maya Hawke says she advocated for Robin to be gay

‘Throughout filming, we started to feel like she and Steve shouldn’t get together.’

Photo of Kahron Spearman

Kahron Spearman

Robin Steve gay

Stranger Things 3 brought forth scarier monsters, pre-teen angst, and renewed arguments over “New” Coke. However, the most notable addition was the breakout of actress Maya Hawke as the rich, multidimensional character, Robin. Now a former jock turned ice cream scooper, Steve (Joe Keery) proclaims his affection for his co-worker toward the season’s end; however, Robin reveals to him that she’s gay. A surprised Steve takes the news with a newfound maturity and respect, and a nurturing, platonic friendship commences instead.

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However, in a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Hawke says the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things‘ showrunners, initially had characters’ arcs to culminate in a romantic relationship. According to Hawke, though, she and Keery had other plans for the progression.

“Throughout filming, we started to feel like she and Steve shouldn’t get together, and that she’s gay,” Hawke explained. “Even when I go back and watch earlier episodes, it just seems like the most obvious decision ever.”

Hawke said the Duffer brothers were open to the change and worked with the actors to rework this portion of the script.

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“The Duffer brothers and I, and Shawn Levy, had a lot of conversations throughout shooting and it wasn’t really until we were shooting episode four and five, I think, that we made the final decision,” said the 21-year-old daughter of actress Uma Thurman and actor Ethan Hawke. “It was a collaborative conversation, and I’m really, really happy with the way that it went.”

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