Maude says being a nepotism baby makes her want to work even harder
She’s not euphoric about social media’s label for her — but she’s determined to prove herself. “Euphoria” star Maude Apatow is opening up about how she felt being deemed one of Hollywood’s many “nepotism babies.” ”At first I was sad. … That’s fine (not being judged by your talent),” the eldest daughter, 24, of noted comedy writer-director-producer Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann, told porter in a new interview. “I try not to let it get to me because I obviously understand that I’m in such a lucky position,” continued Apatow. “A lot of people (in a similar position) have proven themselves over the years, so I’ve got to keep going and make good work. It’s so early in my career, I don’t have much to show yet, but hopefully one day I’ll be really proud of the stuff I’ve done by myself.”
Prior to her role as Rue’s (Zendaya) childhood best friend and Cassie’s (Sydney Sweeney) litle sister Lexi, on the HBO teen sensation, Apatow was best known for small roles in dad Judd’s films, including playing mom Mann’s daughter in “Knocked Up,” its spiritual sequel “This Is 40,” as well as “Funny People.”
She also had a recurring role in HBO’S “Girls,” executive produced by Judd, 54, and later, his Pete Davidson-starrer, “The King of Staten Island.” Prior to “Euphoria,” Apatow also appeared in “Assassination Nation,” writen and directed by the Emmy-winning series’ creator-writer-directorexecutive producer Sam Levinson. Apatow and Mann, 50, have also appeared together in multiple commercials for Jergen. Speaking to the Daily News in 2019, ahead of the freshman season of “Euphoria,” Apatow said she knew full well that her
Maude Apatow went to college and studied theatre at Northwestern University before her career kicked off
surname helped her score “amazing opportunities.” But similarly to her newest remarks, she said that pushed her to disprove the skeptics. “People will always say, ‘Oh, you only got that from your parents,’” Apatow told The News the time. “And it makes me just want work a thousand times harder to prove myself on my own.”
Maude went on to say that her dad — who is the mastermind behind movies like “Knocked Up” and “The King of Staten Island” — has shared some helpful advice with her over the years. “My dad always told me acting is tough because you never know what’s going to come next,” she shared. “He always encouraged me to write. You can shoot a movie and really hope it will work, but you don’t know how they’re gonna edit it. To not have any control of that is scary sometimes, so I try to do other things.”
The Los Angeles native went to college and studied theater at Northwestern University before her career kicked off. However, she never finished school, which also prompted a barrage of backlash online. “My mom made a joke that it was because it was too cold and all of these people tweeted, ‘You’re so privileged. That’s obnoxious.’ They didn’t know the situation. I would not leave a place because I was cold,” Maude told Vanity Fair in June 2019 about leaving Northwestern.