Stranger Things didn't decide Robin's sexuality until filming 'episode 4 or 5', says Maya Hawke

23 July 2019, 17:32

By Katie Louise Smith

“If I can hope for anything it’s that maybe some people fell in love with Robin and that helped them fall in love with girls who love girls and boys who love boys.”

It is now a truth universally acknowledged that Robin (Buckley, as it was later revealed) was one of the best parts of Stranger Things 3. The brand new character, played by Maya Hawke, became one of the fandom's most beloved characters within the space of 8 episodes, thanks to her friendship with Steve Harrington and her coming out story.

In season 3, Robin became Stranger Things' first LGBTQ+ character when she came out as a lesbian to Steve in a toilet stall in the middle of Starcourt Mall. Fans immediately started praising how the show handled her character's storyline.

However, it's now been revealed that Robin's sexuality wasn't decided until over halfway through the production.

Speaking to Variety on the red carpet for the premiere of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood, Hawke spoke about Robin's impact on the fandom and how - and when - she found out that her character was a lesbian.

When asked about whether or not she expected such a positive reaction to her character in the show, Maya said: “I loved Robin, and I gave her everything I had, and I tried to make her as human and multidimensional as I could, and I wanted people to love her.”

“But honestly when you bring a new character onto a TV show that is already so beloved, it’s very rare that it’s received that well… and I’m so grateful that people fell in love with Robin the way that I did.”

She also went on to explain that she didn't actually know that Robin was queer until almost halfway through production on the season.

“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. It was kind of a collaborative conversation, and I’m really, really happy with the way that it went.”

That discovery was also reflected in Robin's red Converse, on which Maya "had written the word boobs and drew breasts." The hand drawn details are mainly hidden within the show but costume designer Amy Parris shared a picture alongside the behind-the-scenes podcast.

On the red carpet, Maya then went on to explain that she's not that active on social media but she's seen some posts about Robin's sexuality. She also hopes that her character's story can potentially help people "have empathy for people on screen that [they] wouldn't normally have empathy for in life."

She then added, “If I can hope for anything it’s that maybe some people fell in love with Robin and that helped them fall in love with girls who love girls and boys who love boys.”