Barack Obama shared his thoughts on his daughter Malia choosing to drop her last name for her directorial debut.
The former president mentioned that he cautioned her that removing her surname wouldn’t erase her connection to her well-known parents.
“Her first film went to Sundance and all these fancy film festivals, and she didn’t use ‘Obama’ as a director on the credits,” he said during an episode of the “Pivot” podcast.
“I was all like, ‘You do know they’ll know who you are.’”He explained that Malia wanted viewers to experience her film, “The Heart,” without the influence of the Obama family name.
“And she’s all like, ‘You know what? I want them to watch it that first time and not in any way have that association,’” Barack, 63, added.
The proud father of two, who also has daughter Sasha, 23, with wife Michelle Obama, further emphasized that his daughters are not interested in leveraging their status for personal gain.
Malia recently attended the Deauville American Film Festival in September, where she promoted her short film on the red carpet.
She wore a stylish plaid Vivienne Westwood outfit that featured the brand’s Sunday corset and an asymmetrical maxi skirt.
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