It can't be easy having the last name of a former President of the United States. He knows it well Malia Obama who caused a stir due to her decision to change her name. The former first daughter actually chose to sign as Malia Ann He gave up, at least in his professional life as a filmmaker, the last name of his famous parents, with whom he spent eight years in the White House. Under this stage name (which cannot actually be defined as a pseudonym, since Ann is her middle name), the 25-year-old eldest Obama daughter announced her first film The Heart at the Sundance Festival in Utah last year, which she then presented herself last January in person, leaving no further doubt as to who she should attribute motherhood to.
All “Nepo Babies”
A controversy immediately followed from alleged critics who suggested it could only be a case of nepotism, which was the latest ordeal that had been raising doubts about the abilities for several months the so-called “Nepo babies” of Hollywood – others include Zoe Kravitz, Kaia Gerber and Lily Rose Depp – build a successful professional life independently. In particular, it is said that the daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama would not have received funding or contracts in high-profile projects – such as as a screenwriter for the actor, rapper and producer Donald Glover – if she had not been helped by her mother's close circle of friends and father with the world of cinema also thanks to her production company Higher Ground, which won an Oscar in 2020 for “American Factory” and is supporting “Rustin'” this year, in which Colman Domingo is in the top five for best actor.
The widespread departure from the paternal surname
Last week, Malia's last name landed on The View. Whoopi Goldberg, one of the hosts of the ABC show, defended the girl's decision: “What do you care about what you want to call it? If she wanted to call herself Jeanette McDonald, she had every right to do so. If I can be Whoopi Goldberg, she can be the one who decides to go to hell” said the comedian, who changed her original name to Caryn Elaine Johnson. According to E!, Malia decided to change her name to create a distinction between her work and the family she belongs to. It's a trend, which was adopted by children and young people relatives of celebrities such as Nicolas Cage, who dropped the Coppola family surname, or Angelina Jolie, who dropped the surname of her father Jon Voight.
Projects after graduation
In The Heart, Malia tells “a sort of fairy tale about a man grieving the death of his mother after she leaves him an unusual request in her will.” The Obamas' eldest daughter has dreamed of working in film since she attended high school at Sidwell Friends in Washington. After graduating from Harvard in 2021, she appeared in the “Writers Room” of Swarm, a Glover series for Prime, and previously completed high-profile internships in various TV productions, including Lena Dunham's Girls at HBO, but also at the Weinstein Company . before former producer Harvey Weinstein was rocked by rape and sexual harassment allegations.
February 26, 2024