Growing up in front of the eyes of the public isn’t something Malia Obama is not familiar with. Being the daughter of the former president of the United States, Barak Obama, she has spent her life under the limelight, and even today, the media is interested in her every move.
The 25-year-old just presented her directorial debut, The Heart, at the Sundance Film Festival. In the Sundance Institute’s “Meet the Artist” spotlight video, Malia Obama revealed she was going by the name Malia Ann, thus ditching her moniker.
Malia, who was born Malia Ann Obama on July 4, 1998, has her middle name honoring her paternal grandmother, who died from ovarian cancer at the age of 52 in 1995, and now, she has dropped her last name in favor of her middle name.
Speaking of the short film for which she served as both director and screenwriter, Malia said. “This is 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.” Further, in the YouTube clip of the short film, she wrote, “The film is about lost objects and lonely people and forgiveness and regret, but I also think it works hard to uncover where tenderness and closeness can exist in these things.”
The Heat isn’t her first attempt into the profession. Previously, the Harvard grad worked in the writers’ room on Donald’s Amazon Prime show Swarm, co-writing the fifth episode, “Girl, Bye.”
“She’s a very professional person,” Swarm‘s co-creator Janine Nabers said Malia in a January 2023 Vanity Fair interview. “She’s an incredible writer and artist. She made significant contributions… She’s very, truly committed to her craft.”
Swarm‘s executive producer Stephen Glover also spoke of Malia. “We can’t be easy on her just because she’s the [former] President’s daughter,” he told Vanity Fair. “No, she is really down-to-earth and cool. So it’s not an issue at all.”
Malia Obama isn’t the first celebrity who made the decision to ditch their family name. Other celebs have done that before, including Nicolas Cage, who changed his last name from Coppola, and Angelina Jolie, who dropped her surname, Voight.
For her directorial debut, Malia looked cozy, with minimal makeup, her curly hair down with small braids scattered throughout.
Pamela Anderson Reacts to Liam Neeson’s Romantic Confession—Is Love in the Air
Pamela Anderson has shared her thoughts on Liam Neeson’s recent praise for her, calling him “the perfect gentleman” to work with.
The two famous actors teamed up earlier this year to film a reboot of the classic cop comedy *The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!*—a movie first released in 1988, originally starring Leslie Nielsen.
It didn’t take long for *Love Actually* star Liam Neeson to publicly praise Anderson, describing her as “terrific” to work with.
In the upcoming *The Naked Gun* reboot, expected in 2025, Liam Neeson steps into the role of Drebin Jr., likely playing the son of Frank Drebin from the 1988 classic. While Pamela Anderson’s character hasn’t been revealed yet, fans know she shares several scenes with Neeson. In a recent interview with *People*, Neeson opened up about filming with the *Baywatch* star.
Neeson, 72, even admitted, “I’m madly in love with Pamela Anderson.” He added, “She’s just terrific to work with. I can’t compliment her enough.” He praised her professionalism, noting she has “no huge ego,” shows up “just to do the work,” and is both “funny” and “easy to work with.” Neeson believes Anderson will be “terrific” in the film.
Anderson has since responded warmly to his praise, showing mutual respect and appreciation for Neeson as a colleague.
Pamela Anderson recently returned the compliments Liam Neeson shared, describing him as an actor who “brings out the best in you” with “respect, kindness, and depth of experience.” Anderson, 57, recalled how Neeson “sincerely looked after” her during filming, even wrapping his coat around her when she felt cold. She called him the “perfect gentleman” and said, “It was an absolute honor to work with him.”
Neeson, despite some doubts about doing a comedy, confessed he wasn’t entirely sure if he could “carry it.” Anderson quickly offered her support, describing him as “humble” and noting it was “hard to keep a straight face” when they were on set together.
The *Naked Gun* reboot is based on an original story by Seth MacFarlane, with a screenplay co-written by Akiva Schaffer, Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, Mark Hentemann, and Alec Sulkin. Directed by Schaffer and produced by MacFarlane and Erica Huggins, the film is set to be released by Paramount Pictures on August 1, 2025.
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