Barack Obama's Surprising Take on Daughter Malia Dropping Her Last Name Professionally
Former President Barack Obama has opened up about his feelings about his daughter Malia dropping her last name as she pursues a film career.
At the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Malia Obama made her directorial debut under the name Malia Ann, choosing to drop the Obama surname for her film, 'The Heart.' This decision, intended to create distance from her high-profile family name, didn't come as a surprise to her father.
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During an episode of 'The Pivot Podcast,' published on Tuesday, October 29, the former Commander in Chief shared, "The challenge for us is letting us give them any help at all," Barack observed, adding, "I mean they're very sensitive about this stuff. They're very stubborn about it." In an attempt to address the significance of her name, Barack shared a conversation with his daughter. "I was all like, 'You do know they'll know who you are,' " he recalled. But Malia responded with confidence: "You know what? I want them to watch it that first time and not in any way have that association."
"I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that," Barack explained. The sisters are also cautious of the attention that fame brings, per Barack, who noted, "Now, as they've gotten older, there's been some paparazzi stuff going on, and it drives them nuts. We're not looking for all that."
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Throughout his presidency, Barack prioritized a "semi-normal" upbringing for his daughters, even negotiating privacy for them with the press. "I basically made a deal with the press pool... Leave my children alone because they have the right to grow up. They didn't choose this," he shared. Now, Barack, 66, proudly observes his daughters' maturity and achievements: "They've turned out amazing... I can't brag about them enough."
Malia's talent has caught the attention of notable creatives like Donald Glover, who worked with her on 'Swarm.'
"I feel like she's just somebody who's gonna have really good things coming soon," he said, per 'Vanity Fair' back in March 2022, adding that her writing style stood out even without special treatment. "We can't be easy on her just because she's the [former] president's daughter."
