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Gen Z actor Maya Hawke says ‘anxiety might be the defining emotion of our time’
It’s no secret that as a result of constant economic and societal upheaval over the past two decades, many young people today are feeling lost, scared, anxious, and most of all, lacking hope for the future. In a wide-ranging conversation on Amy Poehler’s podcast “Good Hang,” released Tuesday, 27-year-old actor Maya Hawke opened up about anxiety and the unexpected power of voicing one of the most resonant animated characters in modern film.
Hawke, who voices the character Anxiety in Disney-Pixar’s 2024 film “Inside Out 2,” told Poehler, who voices the character Joy in both “Inside Out” movies, that “anxiety might be the defining emotion of our time.” Her comment came during a discussion about what she had learned from playing the frazzled orange character in the blockbuster sequel, which earned more than $1.67 billion at the global box office to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Hawke, the Gen Z daughter of iconic Gen X actors Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, explained how portraying Anxiety fundamentally shifted her relationship with her own anxious thoughts. “I think with like the joy-anxiety relationship, it taught me a lot about showing love to that part of myself,” Hawke said. “And that is all actually a way to calm it down: inviting it into the conversation.”
Hawke said the biggest thing she learned from making the film was “to give my anxiety a comfy chair.”
Poehler agreed with Hawke’s assessment about anxiety’s prevalence in contemporary life. “Everybody is so stressed,” Poehler said on the podcast.
“I mean, anxiety might be the defining emotion of our time,” Hawke replied.
The conversation comes as mental-health challenges affect a significant portion of younger Americans. Recent research shows nearly half of Gen Z report feeling anxious frequently, with 47% of those aged 12 to 26 saying they often or always feel anxious, according to a 2023 Gallup survey. A 2025 study found 46% of Gen Zers have received a formal mental-health diagnosis, with anxiety being the most common condition.
Hawke told Poehler that playing Anxiety has been meaningful because of the responses she has received from audiences.
“I’ve had so many people feel so seen by it and, like, little kids feel so seen by it—and it helped them understand their brain better,” she said.
She added she doesn’t mind when fans ask her to perform the Anxiety voice, even for personal messages to children struggling with difficult situations.
“I’ll get a call from a parent,” Hawke said. “And be like, ‘Hey, would you do a recording, my kid’s going through this hard time, would you record something in the voice for my kid?’ And I’ll be like, ‘sure!’”
The film’s approach to mental health resonated with professionals as well. Mental-health experts praised “Inside Out 2” for normalizing anxiety and showing that difficult emotions serve a protective function rather than being something to eliminate.
During the podcast, Hawke and Poehler also discussed the importance of making space for both joy and anxiety during challenging times. “You’re not helping anybody if you shut out joy completely,” Hawke said.
You can watch the full conversation with Maya Hawke and Amy Poehler below.
