Famous parent(s): actor Denzel Washington
What it was like: “I’ve had the acting bug since I was, like, five,” John said. “But growing up I saw how people treated me differently when they knew who my father was, even the stuff I did on the field. Sometimes I’d rush for 100 yards and the headline would be, ‘Denzel’s son runs for 100 yards.’ That’s where the suppression of that bug came from.”
Famous parent(s): actor Stephen Baldwin; niece to actor Alec Baldwin
What it was like: “I’m lucky that I was raised so normally in a suburban town,” Hailey said. “If I didn’t have that normal childhood before I started doing this, I don’t know—I think things would be different…I don’t see myself as famous, I see myself as a normal person with a job that is not very normal. My work life is very out there and very public. But I do my best to maintain my privacy.”
Famous parent(s): singer-songwriter Lionel Richie; sister to reality star Nicole Richie
What it was like: “My dad, he thinks so out-of-the-box,” Sofia said. “He’s so weird and he can take my mind places that I probably wouldn’t go to and he opens me up to so many different thoughts. He’s my creative go-to.”
Famous parent(s): actor/producer Larry David
What it was like: “I didn’t even know my dad was famous, to be honest,” Cazzie said. “I was in elementary school when [Curb Your Enthusiasm] started, and by the last season, I was in high school, but I still don’t remember it really being on the air…It was never spoken about, never thought about.”
Famous parent(s): singer Diana Ross
What it was like: “I was beyond spoilt with love,” Tracee said. “My mother is a mother first and foremost. She really instilled in all five of her children, family first, care for other people, go after your dreams and never be afraid of authority figures.”
Famous parent(s): actors Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn; half-brother to actors Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson
What it was like: “What [Kurt] gave me, and my mom gave me, was the mindset that you’re an individual, and you make your choices individually,” Wyatt said. “Individuality is an important thing in this business—to not lose yourself. And those were the most important things that I got. There’s nothing about acting that they can really teach you. It’s just not the way it really works.”
Famous parent(s): singer-songwriter Phil Collins
What it was like: “At the beginning, [having Phil Collins as a dad] was the most interesting thing about me,” Lily said. “Now I’ve done eight films, it’s an afterthought. I get kids who say, ‘Oh, I love your movie, but my mum loves your dad.’ It’s really nice to be able to share that with him, but it doesn’t define who I am career-wise.”
Famous parent(s): actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman
What it was like: “My parents are wonderful and really supportive and have given me a lot,” Maya said. “And I feel really grateful to have their support. And they both loved [Stranger Things], and loved it before I was on it.”
Famous parent(s): filmmaker Judd Apatow and actor Leslie Mann
What it was like: “When I was growing up, my parents never let me act in anything that wasn’t with them. And I remember, as a kid, wanting to be on Broadway,” Maude said. “I really wanted to start working. And it was important to my parents that I finished high school and [was] mature enough to be able to handle myself in those situations without them. I’m really glad that I ended up staying in high school. I feel like when they let me start acting on my own, I was actually ready.”
Famous parent(s): actor Tom Hanks
What it was like: “When I was starting off, I was sort of lovingly naïve, thinking that [being the son of Tom Hanks] wasn’t as big a deal as it is…that I would get the benefit of the doubt that I was my own person…and that doesn’t happen,” Colin said.
Famous parent(s): actor Stellan Skarsgård; brother to actor Bill Skarsgård
What it was like: “I was like most people that age, trying to figure out what to do,” Alexander said. “And it was kind of: ‘F*ck it, Dad’s an actor, he’s super-happy doing it, maybe I should give it a go.’ I felt like, if I don’t try it now, there is a risk that I’ll look back 30, 40 years from now and think: ‘Why didn’t I? What an idiot!’”
Famous parent(s): actor/musician Lenny Kravitz and actor Lisa Bonet; granddaughter to actor Roxie Roker
What it was like: “When I was younger, I really wanted to prove to people I was a normal human being, that I was cool, chill,” Zoë said. “When kids were mean, the first thing they’d say is, ‘She thinks she’s so f*cking cool because her dad is famous.’ I just wanted to fit in.”
Famous parent(s): supermodel Cindy Crawford
What it was like: “I think it was only on my eighth birthday, at Disneyland, that I started to understand what was going on,” Kaia said. “I wanted to take pictures with the princesses, and everyone wanted to take pictures with her!”
Famous parent(s): actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith; granddaughter to actor Tippi Hedren
What it was like: “I was so consistently unmoored and discombobulated. I didn’t have an anchor anywhere,” Dakota said. “I never learned how to learn the way you’re supposed to as a kid. I thought, Why do I have to go to school on time? What’s the point when you’re living in Budapest for six months while your stepdad films Evita and you go to school in your hotel room?”
Famous parent(s): singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry and producer Cameron McVey
What it was like: “When I was in my teens, [I] was like, ‘I really want to do music,'” Mabel said. “I felt quite embarrassed by being my mum and dad’s daughter. I thought, ‘People will never take me seriously.'”
Famous parent(s): actors Robert Pine and Gwynne Gilford; grandson to actor Anne Gwynne
What it was like: “My first audition, professionally speaking, was for Gilmore Girls,” Chris said. “My father had gone in for an audition. I’d just graduated college and he told the casting directors that I was an actor: ‘My son’s coming back into town. Will you have him in for a reading?’ So nepotism at its best.”
Famous parent(s): reality star Lisa Rinna and actor Harry Hamlin; sister of model Delilah Belle Hamlin
What it was like: “The biggest lesson I’ve learned from my mom is that hard work pays off,” Amelia said. “And that the application of oneself will get you further than you could ever imagine. Also, that it’s all up to you and in your hands!”
Famous parent(s): actor Johnny Depp and model Vanessa Paradis
What it was like:”I grew up with the media circus,” Lily said. “My whole life. My parents were very calm about the photographers, the fans, and all that. But I understood right away that I hadn’t done anything to deserve that attention. No matter what happens, it will be there. I didn’t choose it. You just can’t take that too seriously. You need to live your life. And stay calm.”
Famous parent(s): filmmaker Kevin Smith
What it was like: “I’m constantly working hard and pushing myself out of my comfort zone to prove that I can and will work just as diligently as anyone else,” Harley Quinn said. “I grind twice as hard because my dad is a director and I need to show everybody that I can act and that even though I got here through him, I intend on staying put.”
Famous parent(s): actor Ernie Lively
What it was like: “I have a big, close, loving family, and they’re all from the South, but because so many of them are actors, everyone was very normal about it. It was just like any job to them,” Blake said. “They always came home and talked about it around the dinner table the way any family talks about work, but it wasn’t anything special.”
Famous parent(s): producer Quincy Jones and actor/model Peggy Lipton
What it was like: “[Fame] changed the dynamic of our household,” Rashida said. “People think [fame is] this wonderful, magical heal-all, and it’s actually the opposite. It can be a poison. It can be intoxicating and destructive.”
Famous parent(s): rapper and actor Ice Cube
What it was like: “Growing up with a famous father is both a gift and a curse, because there are certain people who instead of seeing me as an individual, will see me as a rapper’s son, and expect me to come to sets with a posse nine deep and show up late,” O’Shea said. “And I’ve always shown that I’m an utmost professional, showing up to my call time an hour early, making sure that I speak to everybody on set, anybody who’s engaging with me.”
Famous parent(s): singer Bono
What it was like: “My dad would have loved for us all to become architects. None of us are going to be architects,” Eve said. “I think it would have been an easier choice to do something that wasn’t creative because there is constant comparison but I don’t think any of us would be happy if we were doing something else.”
Famous parent(s): athlete David Beckham and singer-turned-designer Victoria Beckham
What it was like: “I had a lot of pressure on me,” Brooklyn said. “Every time I made a mistake everyone was looking at me. I just wanted to go in my own direction.”
Famous parent(s): actor/writer Carrie Fisher; granddaughter to actor Debbie Reynolds
What it was like: “I’ve always kind of lived in their shadows, and now is the first time in my life when I get to own my life and stand on my own,” Billie said. “I love being my mother’s daughter, and it’s something I always will be, but now I get to be just Billie.”
Famous parent(s): actor Kate Capshaw; stepdaughter to director Steven Spielberg
What it was like: “I was so hellbent on my own independence and how to make it on my own because everyone was aware of who my parents were—it was just there,” Jessica said. “I knew there had to be some way for me to figure out how to be who I was without always being Jessica Capshaw, comma so and so’s [daughter].”
Famous parent(s): actor Eric Roberts; niece to actor Julia Roberts
What it’s like: “I think it’s important to choose…to make decisions for yourself,” Emma said. “And that’s part of growing up in any career you have. I think you need to know what you like and what you don’t and how you want to build a career.”
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