Barack & Michelle Obama's Daughter Malia Is Trying Very Hard To Avoid Nepo Baby Stigma
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It has to be hard to be the former President of the United States’ daughter while trying to carve out a place in Hollywood. Some critics may say it’s easy for Malia Obama because her name opens many doors of opportunity, but the 25-year-old screenwriter and director made a move that signals she wants to avoid any nepo-baby conversations.
Her recent short film, The Heart, premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January, and that’s where fans noticed the change. Malia stepped into her Sundance Institute’s “Meet the Artist” highlight video as “Malia Ann” — there was no “Obama” in sight. It’s her way of saying that she wants to be recognized for her writing and directing talents, not for her parents’ high-profile careers, which now include a production company and the 2020 Oscar-winning documentary feature, Higher Ground.
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Malia’s inaugural directing project did involve some high-powered connections, though. Donald Glover’s campy, Gilga, produced the film, but this happened after she worked on his Amazon Prime series, Swarm, where he raved about her work. He described her as “an amazingly talented person,” to Vanity Fair in 2022, who is “really focused, and she’s working really hard” to make a name for herself. “Her writing style is great. We can’t be easy on her just because she’s the [former] President’s daughter,” he said. Glover saw that flash of talent early on in her career, and she’s so far, delivered on his promise that she’s “gonna have really good things coming soon.”
The 44th president’s daughter had a leg up on some of her peers by interning on prestigious projects at a young age. During her high school years, she interned at the Weinstein Company and on HBO’s Girls, plus she was a production assistant on Halle Berry’s show, Extant, in college. But Malia avoids the spotlight as much as possible, she prefers her career behind the camera, unlike her telegenic parents.
The Sundance video is probably the first time many people have heard Malia’s voice since she was a teen in the White House. She describes her film as “an odd little story, somewhat of fable, about a man grieving the death of his mother after she leaves him an unusual request in her will.” This could be the start of a significant film career for her, but she wants to make it very clear that she’s not riding Barack or Michelle Obama’s coattails.
Before you go, click here to see the sweetest photos of Barack Obama with his daughters Malia & Sasha!
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