The film that nepotism made: Leslie Mann's daughter Maude Apatow gathers fellow celeb offspring for new movie - with the cast a who's who of Hollywood's hottest scions

Daily Mail​

6 days ago

For many celebrity offspring in Hollywood, the nepo baby label is one they try to desperately hard to shirk.
Yet Maude Apatow - the daughter of actress Leslie Mann and filmmaker Judd Apatow - has embraced nepotism with her upcoming project, casting several stars who have had a leg up in the industry owing to their famous backgrounds.
Yet
Maude - who began acting at the age of seven with a role in her father's comedy film The 40-Year-Old Virgin - is set to make her directorial debut with Poetic License.
Her mother Leslie has the starring role in the movie, playing former therapist and soon-to-be empty nester Liz, who becomes the unexpected point of tension between two inseparable best friends as they fight for her affections.
The remaining cast list for the upcoming film reads as a who's who of Hollywood offspring - with no less than half the cast boasting celebrity relatives.
So, with nepotism seemingly the new normal, MailOnline details who made the cut in the Poetic License cast.
Maude Apatow
Daughter of Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow
Maude, 27, unwittingly found herself at the centre of the nepo baby discourse in 2022 when a X/Twitter user expressed her shock at learning the Euphoria star had two famous parents.
The viral tweet prompted a raft of fans to share other examples of nepo babies in the industry, with New York magazine going as far as to call 2022 'The Year of the Nepo Baby'.
Maude was among a slew of celebrities who have famous parents to feature on the magazine's front cover, which quipped: 'She Has Her Mother's Eyes. And Agent.'
The actress has previously confessed she was 'sad' to see the backlash, telling Net-a-Porter: 'At first it was sad. I try not to let it get to me because I obviously understand that I'm in such a lucky position.
'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.'
Notably, Maude landed her first film roles as a direct result of her father - featuring in his movies Knocked Up (2007), Funny People (2009), and This Is 40 (2012) during her childhood.
The films also starred her mother Leslie and sister Iris.
Maude went on to star in Euphoria, while Iris appeared on the Netflix series Love.
Last year, Maude teamed up with director Olivia Rosenbloom to launch Jewel Productions, a film and television production company.
The pair's first film in the works is the aforementioned Poetic License, but they already have plans to create another two movies.
Discussing the venture, the pair shared: 'We have both always been drawn to flawed and complicated characters and using comedy as a tool to tell their stories.
'We are so excited to launch Jewelbox and hope it can be a home for artists with distinct voices and perspectives to develop compelling original ideas.'
Cooper Hoffman
Son of Philip Seymour Hoffman
Cooper previously confessed his late father Philip Seymour Hoffman's legacy that had made him wary of entering the industry (pictured together in 2013)
Cooper, 22, is relatively new to the industry, making his acting debut in 2021 coming-of-age film Licorice Pizza.
His leading role was well received by critics and he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
The movie was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson - a longtime collaborator of Cooper's late father, Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Paul worked with Philip on five films: Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love and The Master.
While Cooper no doubt felt at ease working alongside someone who knew his father well, he previously confessed it was his father's legacy that had made him wary of entering the industry.
He explained: 'I don't think I ever really considered it a possibility. I was always kind of scared to enter that arena because my dad did it so well.'
The budding star opened up about being on set of Licorice Pizza, explaining, 'In a weird way, it felt almost like I was stepping into my dad's shoes.
'It really was this feeling of: Maybe this is what he felt like. It was this weird out-of-body experience. I felt incredibly close to my dad through the whole shooting process.'
Cooper has been mixing in showbusiness circles and is said to be dating Nico Parker - who will star alongside him in Poetic License.
Nico Parker
Nico - who is dating Cooper - is also relatively new to the industry, making her acting debut in 2019's live action reboot of Disney's Dumbo.
She has gone on to land roles in HBO series The Last of Us and the lead part in fantasy film How to Train Your Dragon.
And while many celebrity offspring attempt to distance themselves from their famous parents, Nico has confessed she is a 'proud' nepo baby.
While she previously admitted she was 'embarrassed' by her famous mum at school, she admitted she's 'reaped' the rewards of being the daughter of the BAFTA award winning actress and filmmaker husband.
In an interview with The Times, Nico said how neopotism 'needs to be acknowledged' and how she understood it can be 'annoying'.
She explained: 'I never want to discredit myself and what I've done, but I also want to give full credit to my parents.
'They've both had brilliant careers and I am really fortunate because I get to reap the benefits. Especially very early in my career, I think you walk into rooms in a different way because people know who your parents are.
'You do need to acknowledge it — if you don't, where does that leave you? I totally get why it's annoying.'
Nico went on to reveal her parents taught her how she is not more important than anyone on set, though she remained tight-lipped on their advice to her.
The actress said: 'In terms of acting advice, I keep that stuff close to the chest — that feels very much like mine and theirs.'
Jake Bongiovi
Son of Jon Bon Jovi
While he may not have directly followed in his father's footsteps, Jake's rocker dad has helped him open doors in his career.
The son of the Grammy winning artist Jon Bon Jovi, explained he learnt about how to handle fame as a result of his father.
Jake, 23, made his acting debut just last year in the romantic comedy, Sweethearts.
The star - who is married to Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown - previously said he has no plans to follow in his father's rock 'n' roll footsteps.
When asked if he fancied a career in music in an interview with Man About Town magazine.: 'I think I'll leave that to my dad! There's really no following the act there.'
He shared: 'There was always music playing in the house growing up, all different types of genres from all different types of worlds. But what spoke to me were the people on the screen, not the voices through the speakers.'
However, Jake said his father's experience in the industry has been hugely beneficial to him.
He said: 'Having my father's influence has been a wonderful learning curve. It's just great to hear it directly from a first-person source, their experience coming up through artistic expression.'
Jake reflected: 'As long as you can have your identity – who you are and what you originally set out to do – and keep that strong, that's the goal.'
Maisy Stella
Daughter of MaryLynne and Brad Stella
Maisy, 21, had her breakthrough role in musical series Nashville, where she starred alongside her sister Lennon.
Capitalising on their fame from the show the siblings toured together as country music duo Lennon & Maisy, performing mostly covers of songs.
It was hardly surprising the pair were keen to explore their musical roots as the daughters of Canadian country music duo MaryLynne and Brad.
Their parents played in various bands before forming The Stellas - finishing in fourth place on CMT series Can You Duet in 2009.
While Maisie is carving out a successful career in acting - recently receiving a Critics Choice Award nomination for her work in My Old Ass - she didn't grow up watching TV.
She revealed that her parents had banned TV from their home because they didn't want their children tuning in and tuning out, so instead they would create their own entertainment.
Maisy mused: 'My sister made a cardboard-box TV that I would get in, and she had a fake cardboard remote. I'd do a baking show, and then she'd be like, "Soap opera!" and I'd be like, "You killed my husband!"
'We would do that for hours. That was our entertainment.'
She revealed that their parents only caved and bought a television for the house once the girls had landed their roles on Nashville.