Uma Thurman Opens Up About Entering the 'Sunset Period' of Motherhood

Uma Thurman is ready for the next stage of her ongoing parenting journey.

“It’s beautiful and there’s not that much time left in the day,” the actress, 55, told The Times in an interview published on Saturday, July 19, of parenting her three older children — Maya Hawke, 26, Levon Hawke, 23, and Luna, 13 — referring to this moment as the “sunset period” of her time as a mother.

“[It’s] shopping and driving and emailing teachers and all the things we do,” she added.

Thurman shares Maya and Levon with her ex-husband, fellow actor Ethan Hawke. (The pair were married from 1998 to 2005.) She shares Luna with French Financier Arpad “Arki” Busson, whom Thurman dated from 2007 to 2014.

Thurman — who started modeling at age 15 to pay for acting classes before she booked her first role on Terry GIlliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen when she was just 17 years old — says she has no real advice for her children, including daughter Maya, who have followed in her acting footsteps.

“Oh, [Maya] knows what she’s doing. She went to Juilliard, thank God,” Thurman told the publication. “She actually finished high school. And what I did learn [about mothering] is that nobody listens. So it’s really about being there for them rather than telling them what to do.”

Instead of trying to impart her acting wisdom on her kids, Thurman said she simply lets her daughter ransack her closet, which does feature a few of her most memorable 90s looks.

“There’s very little left of it,” Thurman says of her 90s and early aughts outfits. “She’s done a good job. I don’t spend a lot of my everyday life dressing up.”

Thurman admitted that she hopes to one day sit behind the cameras and direct a film, but for now is focused on trying to do it all — parent, work and prioritize her own self-care. To wind down from a busy day of being a mom and actress, Thurman said she does yoga and Pilates, goes on walks and cooks in the kitchen. She also enjoys some light reading.

“Now non-fiction is just too brutal,” she explained. “The world has driven me to romantasy. Really, really teenage stuff. It’s a great alternative to the newspapers right now.”

When asked if she could recommend any of her romance reads, Thurman declined, saying it was simply too embarrassing.

“I can’t tell you,” she responded. “It will make me blush.”