USA TODAY International Edition
New stars emerge from shadows of celeb parents
Hollywood always has been a place for multigenerational acting talents – Kirk Douglas made way for Michael Douglas, and Lloyd Bridges left the door open for sons Jeff and Beau Bridges – and there’s now a new crop of fresh faces from famous parents. h One of those is Lily- Rose Depp, the 21- year- old actress/ model daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis. She was Catherine to Timothee Chalamet’s King Henry V in the 2019 Netflix historical drama “The King” and has one of her biggest roles co- starring with Colin Farrell in the new sci- fi thriller “Voyagers” ( in theaters), about a spaceship full of young people born and raised in space to save the human race until their mission goes very wrong. ( Depp also is starring in the upcoming ensemble Christmas comedy “Silent Night” with Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode.) h The younger Depp’s emergence in Hollywood is in good company. Here are 10 other thespians from celebrity families you’ll be seeing on a screen near you soon:
1. Corinne Foxx
Jamie Foxx’s 27- year- old daughter has made a pretty good team with her father: She was the DJ on the musical game show he hosted, “Beat Shazam,” and is an executive producer on the Netflix comedy “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!” starring her dad that’s based on their real- life relationship. Corinne Foxx next appears in the upcoming A- list sports comedy “All- Star Weekend,” directed by and starring Jamie Foxx, and she also starred in the Disney+ football drama “Safety.”
2. Maya Hawke
While Hawke, 22, made her debut in the PBS 2017 adaptation of “Little Women,” the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke garnered new fans two years later as snarky ice cream scooper Robin Buckley on the third season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” Maya Hawke also appeared in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” played her dad’s onscreen daughter in Showtime’s “The Good Lord Bird” and co- stars with
Andrew Garfield as a woman seeking Internet stardom in “Mainstream” ( out May 7 in theaters and on VOD).
3. Michael Gandolfini
The 21- year- son of James Gandolfini got into acting after his Em
my- winning dad’s death in 2013. Michael Gandolfini snagged a small role as a busboy in the all- female heist movie “Ocean’s 8,” starred on HBO’s “The Deuce,” and appeared with Tom Holland in the recent Apple TV+ drama “Cherry.” His next role is one made infamous by his father: Gandolfini stars as a young Tony Soprano in “The Sopranos” prequel film “The Many Saints of Newark” ( in theaters and streaming on HBO Max Sept. 24).
4. O’Shea Jackson Jr.
In his film debut, Jackson played his dad, rapper Ice Cube, in the 2015 N. W. A. biopic “Straight Outta Compton.” He then stole scenes in supporting roles in a string of movies including the comedies “Ingrid Goes West” and “Long Shot” as well as sci- fi action film “Godzilla: King of the Monsters.” His next role, though, takes him to a galaxy far, far away: Jackson, 30, was announced as a cast member in Disney+’ s “Star Wars” series “Obi- Wan Kenobi,” which begins production this month starring Ewan McGregor.
5. Billie Lourd
The 28- year- old actress had a supporting role in the last three “Star Wars” films - and shared scenes with her mom, Carrie Fisher before her death in 2016. ( Lourd’s character Kaydel Ko Connix was a Resistance officer whose boss was Fisher’s legendary General Leia.) Lourd, who also stole scenes in 2019’ s “Booksmart,” recently signed on to star with George Clooney and Julia Roberts in the romantic comedy “Ticket to Paradise.” Before that, Lourd – who has starred in “Scream Queens” and various “American Horror Story” seasons for Ryan Murphy – next appears in FX’s upcoming “American Horror Story: Double Feature.”
6. Jack Quaid
Quaid’s first movie role was a small one in a big movie, 2012’ s “The Hunger Games.” Yet the 28- year- old son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid – who was a big- screen lead in the 2019 romantic comedy “Plus One” – has come on strong in recent years in the streaming space, as a goodhearted hero in Amazon Prime’s popular superhero show “The Boys” ( which is filming its third season now) and voicing a by- the- book officer on the Paramount+ animated comedy “Star Trek: Lower Decks.” He’ll be back in theaters soon, too, starring in the horror reboot “Scream” ( out Jan. 14, 2022).
7. Margaret Qualley
Qualley, the 26- year- old daughter of Andie MacDowell, garnered her first significant role on HBO’s “The Leftovers” ( 2014- 17), played a member of the Manson Family along with Maya Hawke in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and earned an Emmy nomination in 2019 as legendary dancer Ann Reinking in “Fosse/ Verdon.” Qualley co- stars with Sigourney Weaver in the new “My Salinger Year” ( on video on demand) and is taking on mother- daughter dynamics starring with MacDowell in the upcoming Netflix series “Maid.” Plus, she has scored upcoming roles in the psychological thriller “A Head Full of Ghosts” and Claire Denis’ “The Stars at Noon” with Robert Pattinson.
8. Wyatt Russell
Russell is no stranger to the big or small screens but his profile has been boosted mightily by joining the Marvel
Cinematic universe. Currently angering superhero fans as John Walker, the new Captain America of Disney+’ s “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” series, the 34- year- old son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn was a pro hockey player before kickstarting his Hollywood career with Richard Linklater’s throwback comedy “Everybody Wants Some!!,” the World War II horror film “Overlord,” an episode of “Black Mirror” and AMC’s “Lodge 49.” He next hits Netflix, co- starring with Amy Adams, Gary Oldman and Julianne Moore in the psychological thriller “The Woman in the Window” ( May 14).
9. Sawyer Spielberg
There’s no fresher face on this list than the 29- year- old son of legendary director Steven Spielberg and actress
Kate Capshaw. After hanging around movie sets as a kid ( he a teenage crew member on his dad’s last “Indiana Jones” film), Sawyer Spielberg spent a decade in the New York theater scene before finally making his movie debut in the new art- house horror film “Honeydew” ( in theaters now, on video on demand April 12). There’s more to come: Spielberg’s currently in England filming a secret TV series.
10. John David Washington
A former running back, Denzel Washington’s 36- year- old son first gained recognition on HBO’s “Ballers” and then earned Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations in 2019 for his role in Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman.” It’s been a rocket- ship ride from there thanks to a lead role in Christopher Nolan’s time- bending action film “Tenet” and the Netflix relationship drama “Malcolm & Marie” with Zendaya. He’s back on the streaming service later this year with Alicia Vikander for the thriller “Beckett” and signed on to be part of the stellar cast of David O. Russell’s upcoming drama with Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Zoey Saldana, Rami Malek and Robert De Niro.