There are plenty of famous kids who’ve successfully carved out a career in the same line of work as their celebrity parents before them — think Kaia Gerber taking up supermodel mom Cindy Crawford’s mantel, Billie Lourd acting after mom Carrie Fisher (who took up the career after her own mom, Debbie Reynolds), Miley Cyrus picking up the guitar and belting out hit after hit in dad Billie Ray Cyrus’ shoes, Laila Ali racking up knockouts like her legendary dad Muhammad Ali — the list truly goes on and on.
But what about celebrity kids who are just hitting adolescence and discovering how inspired they are by their famous parents — so inspired that they want to pursue the same career? Take Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr.’s daughter, for example. According to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum, 13-year-old Charlotte is keen to step on set and get in front of a camera, but the Scooby Doo Movie co-stars-turned-spouses aren’t so eager to introduce their daughter to the Hollywood life.
“We have rules in place — she can’t be in front of a camera until she graduates high school,” Gellar told The Hollywood Reporter in January 2023. The Do Revenge actress explained, “She says to me, ‘That’s unfair. You were a child actor.’ Yes, I was. But I was not the child of two famous parents.”
To learn about more celeb kids who’ve expressed interest in following in their famous parents’ footsteps and how those parents feel about their child(ren) joining their industry, scroll on.
A version of this article was originally published in May 2023.
Drake’s Son Adonis
In celebration of his son Adonis’ 6th birthday, Drake released the toddler’s first rap song and accompanying music video, “My Man Freestyle.” He’s still young, but maybe we’ll see more of Adonis in the music scene as he gets older!
LeBron James’ Sons Bronny & Bryce James
LeBron James has not one but two sons who are following in his footsteps with a potential future in professional basketball. Bronny signed on with the University of Southern California to play collegiate ball in May 2023, and just a few months later, his younger brother Bryce announced some exciting news about his future.
“Blessed to receive an offer from Ohio State #GoBuckeyes,” the high school junior revealed on X (formerly Twitter) in October 2023. While he’s likely to receive additional offers from other colleges before his high school career ends, it’s clear that both Bryce and Bronny are highly coveted players.
Viola Davis & Julius Tennon’s Daughter Genesis Tennon
Both of Genesis Tennon’s parents, Viola Davis and Julius Tennon, are actors, and after watching them work in the industry for her entire life, the teen wants to join the family business.
In December 2020, Davis spoke to Ellen Degeneres about Genesis’ aspirations. “She does want to be an actress,” The Suicide Squad star shared. “She says, ‘Mommy, I know how to live the words. I know how to breathe the words. I know how to remember the words.'” Davis joked, “And I said, ‘Well, you gotta remember how to go to school and at 18, you need to remember how to get out of the house and pay your own bills.'”
Rob Lowe’s Son John Owen Lowe
Rob Lowe and his son John Owen Lowe have starred alongside each other in several projects, and the elder opened up about what a “dream come true” it is to share the screen with his kid during a March 2023 interview with Entertainment Tonight.
“I mean, this is a dream come true, to be able to work with my son,” the St. Elmo’s Fire star said of their Netflix show Unstable. Complimenting John Owen on his blossoming success, Rob said his son “intrinsically has the most important thing that I think is the number one thing actors need to have, which is honesty.”
He continued, “Emotional honesty in front of the camera — you can’t fake it. He’s got good comic timing and hopefully he’s picking up some other good things from me,” the Parks and Recreation actor added with a laugh.
Thandiwe Newton’s Daughter Nico Parker
Thandiwe Newton’s daughter Nico Parker began pursuing major acting roles like her Westworld alum mom in 2019 with her big screen debut in the live-action Dumbo film.
During a 2018 appearance on Britain’s This Morning, per People, Newton described her daughter’s comfort on set from growing up in the environment, and she deemed herself “a lioness checking that everything is looked after” in regard to Nico’s blossoming career.
Reese Witherspoon & Ryan Phillippe’s Son Deacon Phillippe
Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe’s son Deacon landed his first acting role on Mindy Kaling’s Netflix show, Never Have I Ever. During an August 2022 conversation with Variety, The Office alum explained why Deacon was the “perfect” person to cast as one of the season 3 characters.
“He’s obviously so talented and he’s great-looking, and we just thought he would be great and he was excited to come and do it,” Kaling shared. “He’s just such a well-raised kid. He’s so talented, he’s so funny and fit in perfectly with the cast. The cast and the crew loved him and it was special to have him,” she gushed.
Elsa Pataky & Chris Hemsworth’s Kids India, Tristan, & Sasha Hemsworth
Thor: Love and Thunder was a family affair for the Hemsworths — and for several other actors involved in the Marvel movie. The Asgardian hero himself confirmed all three of his children with his wife, fellow actress Elsa Pataky, appeared in the third Thor film.
Hemsworth told Us Weekly in June 2022, “It was really cool. [The kids] really wanted to be in it. Taika [Waititi] had his children in there. Christian Bale had his. Natalie [Portman] had her kids, as well.”
While the couple’s twin sons, Tristan and Sasha, appeared as extras, their daughter India was cast in a slightly bigger role. “She plays the character of Love,” the Avengers star shared before adding, “It felt sort of like a one-off, fun family experience. I don’t want them to be child stars and actors. It was just a special experience we all had.”
Candice King’s Daughter Florence King
Unlike Chris Hemsworth, Candice King (née Accola) thinks it’s “epic” that her daughter has expressed an interest in acting. Florence, whom The Vampire Diaries alum shares with The Fray’s Joe King, joined her mom on set to film the finale of Legacies.
The proud mama shared an emotional post on Instagram to document the experience, writing, “You grew in mommy’s belly while I filmed scenes in front of that fire place… you were a little baby visiting mommy at work learning to crawl in front of that fireplace. What a truly epic day when we got to stand side by side in a scene together in front of that fireplace.”
Beyoncé & Jay-Z’s Kids Blue Ivy, Rumi, & Sir Carter
At just 9 years old, Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s eldest daughter, Blue Ivy, won her first Grammy award for her songwriting credit on her mom’s 2019 track, “Brown Skin Girl.”
Being the child of two of the world’s most influential stars, there’s been a lot of speculation that the award is just the beginning of Blue Ivy’s future career, and her dad hinted that he wouldn’t be mad if — or when — she and her younger siblings follow his and Bey’s footsteps into superstardom.
In a rare interview with the Sunday Times, the “Empire State of Mind” rapper said that while their priority as parents is to “make sure we provide a loving environment, be very attentive to who they want to be,” he’s open to helping his son and two daughters achieve any career goal they want to pursue, including music.
That being said, Jay-Z added, “What if my child doesn’t want to be in music or sports? I have no idea, right? But as long as your child feels supported, and feels loved, I think anything is possible.”
Although he hinted that he’d be thrilled to see his kids follow in his footsteps, the music mogul made it clear that he’ll never push Blue Ivy, Rumi, or Sir in any direction they don’t want to go in. “It’s easy for us, as human beings, to want our children to do certain things, but we have no idea,” he said. “We’re just guides.”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Son Charlie Hall
Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ son Charlie Hall began paving his own way in the acting industry in 2019, and he’s since landed a role on Mindy Kaling’s HBO Max show, The Sex Lives of College Girls. (We love how Kaling is out here nurturing these second-generation stars!)
Of his burgeoning success, Louis-Dreyfu told Entertainment Tonight, “It means that my children now really respect what I do for a living.” She added, “He’s really digging being an actor and he’s really good.”
Kate Beckinsale & Michael Sheen’s Daughter Lily Beckinsale
During an October 2021 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Kate Beckinsale opened up about how she supports her daughter’s acting career from a distance out of respect.
Of Lily, whom she shares with ex-husband and fellow actor Michael Sheen, Beckinsale explained, “I think, you know, it’s onerous enough to sort of look like me, you know, and me being her mother anyway and her having the same name. She’s been asked since she was about 3 months old like, ‘Oh, are you going to be an actress like your mother?'”
The Serendipity star continued, “I think it’s really important to her to have her own thing and blaze her own trail and do her own stuff. So as much as it’s quite difficult not to kind of be poking into her business all the time, I really do respect that and I admire how much she wants to be independent from us.”
David Tennant’s Son Ty Tennant
David Tennant’s son Ty Tennant is not only following in his dad’s acting footsteps but is also pursuing roles in the same fantasy genre. The elder Tennant is best known for his stint on Doctor Who and for his role as Barty Crouch Junior in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, while the younger Tennant landed the teenage Aegon Targaryen II character in the Game of Thrones spin-off, House of the Dragon.
Sarah Michelle Gellar & Freddie Prinze Jr.’s Daughter Charlotte Prinze
During a January 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sarah Michelle Gellar revealed how entranced her daughter Charlotte Prinze is when it comes to acting. However, she and her husband, fellow actor Freddie Prinze Jr., have firm stipulations for their teen when it comes to following their professional footsteps.
“We have rules in place — she can’t be in front of a camera until she graduates high school,” Gellar began. The Do Revenge actress explained, “She says to me, ‘That’s unfair. You were a child actor.’ Yes, I was. But I was not the child of two famous parents.”
Charlotte accompanied her mom on set for both Do Revenge and Wolf Pack to take in behind-the-scenes action, and production from both projects tried to convince Gellar to let her teen have a cameo. The seasoned actress stuck to her guns though.
“I’ll never stop her from being on a set,” she told THR. “But she’s just not going on camera while she’s living under our roof. There’ll be different expectations for her, so she needs to learn everything there is first.”
Laura Dern’s Daughter Jaya Harper
Like Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr., Laura Dern is making her daughter Jaya wait to pursue acting until she graduates high school.
The Jurassic Park star explained to Ellen Degeneres during a March 2022 appearance on her talk show, “I started very young at 11 and am so happy she’s waiting and wanting to go to school [even though] she knows in her heart she wants to act.” Dern added, “She does often say, ‘You didn’t wait,’ [but] I saw the consequences of not being in school, just doing my thing.”
Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon’s Twins Monroe & Moroccan Cannon
Mariah Carey has a feeling her twin son and daughter, Monroe and Moroccan, will be following in her musical footsteps. Of the kids, whom she shares with ex-husband Nick Cannon, the “We Belong Together” singer told E! News in December 2022, “Rocky is a technical genius. He could do anything he wanted, and I will support him.”
The Glitter actress continued, “He and Roe are both such creative geniuses! Honestly, their tone when they sing is so beautiful, and I’m so thankful that they inherited that from me. I can’t wait to see what and who they grow up to be,” she gushed.
Tim Allen’s Daughter Elizabeth Allen-Dick
Tim Allen’s daughter Elizabeth Allen-Dick picked up his acting reigns like a natural, landing the part of his daughter in the Disney+ spinoff series, The Santa Clauses, without even intending to score a major role.
The Wild Hogs star explained how it all unfolded to Entertainment Weekly in September 2022, sharing, “It’s difficult to believe, but it had very little to do with me. I wanted to put my youngest daughter as an elf, just so she’d see herself in a movie. But as she was reading for that, she read so well that they said, ‘We’d like to read her for more of a part.'”
“I said, ‘Whatever you want to do. I want nothing to do with it. I don’t want to pitch my daughter for a part in the movie.’ But she ended up moving to the high ranks,” Allen explained. “They loved how she read, loved it so much, because she’s playing a 13-year-old girl and she is 13. They ended up casting her as Santa’s daughter. It was a surprise but it became the most amazing experience,” he shared.
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