Celebs Who Don't Want Their Children To Become Actors

Being a celebrity may come with fame and fortune, but we all know that there are plenty of downsides, too. The pressure to always look perfect, the lack of privacy, and the endless negativity on social media, can take their toll on a celeb. 

For example, during an event for Elle in 2017, Jennifer Lawrence revealed that she was once told she needed to lose fifteen pounds in two weeks for a role. A producer even had her stand next to women thinner than her "as inspiration for my diet" (via People). For George Clooney, being famous, believe it or not, has several setbacks. "The big house on a hill is isolating," he told Esquire (via People), adding, "There's no other way to say it. There are restrictions to this kind of fame. I haven't walked in Central Park for 15 years. I'd like to, you know?"

Having experienced both highs and lows that come with fame, it wouldn't be surprising if these two stars had their children stay away from showbiz. In fact, several celebs have opened up about not wanting their children to follow in their footsteps. The stars on this list have shared that they would rather have their children live a normal childhood than try to become the most famous person in Hollywood. Understanding that being in the spotlight isn't always as glamorous as it seems, these celebs are saying no to their kids becoming famous just like them.

Angelina Jolie has had a long and thriving acting career but doesn't want to see her six children follow suit. In 2014, while still married to Brad Pitt, she told The Sydney Morning Herald, "We're hoping, I think, that the kids don't become actors. We want them to be happy and do whatever they're interested in, but I think we're hoping to show them so many other ideas and other options that they won't want to act," she said. Despite this, three of her children had minor roles in her film "Maleficent," while a then five-year-old Vivienne starred as young Aurora. 

Jolie seemed to have persuaded her children to venture into other careers besides acting. In 2018, while filming "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil," the actor told People that none of her children wanted to work alongside their mom. "None of my kids want to be actors. [They're into] business, humanitarian affairs, things like that," she said.

In fact, People reported that her oldest son, Maddox, was attending South Korea's Yonsei University, where he was studying biochemistry. Jolie's older daughters, Zahara and Shiloh, have found interest in their mother's humanitarian efforts, while her son Pax, has worked side-by-side with Jolie as a movie set photographer. 

Christina Applegate welcomed her only child, a daughter named Sadie Grace, with her husband, Martyn LeNoble, in January 2011. Though the couple were engaged at the time of Sadie's birth, they eventually wed in 2013. Applegate, diagnosed with MS in 2021, is very close to her daughter, even mentioning their mother-daughter bond when she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (via People).

"The most important person in this world is my daughter," Applegate shared. "You are so much more than even you know. You are so beautiful and kind and loving and smart and interesting, and I am blessed every day that I get to wake up and take you to your school ... You are my everything," she added. Despite being so close-knit, including having Sadie on the set of Applegate's television shows when she was a child, the actor has strict rules regarding her daughter's future. 

Applegate refused to let her daughter become a child star and has previously stated that Sadie is not allowed to act until she's eighteen. "She can study acting until she's 18, and then if she wants to have that as a job, then she has the right to make that decision. But under my roof, you train, and you become the best that you can be," the "Bad Moms" star told People, adding, "And also, have a good education because ... the chances of being successful in this business are really, really [slim]."

Matt Damon isn't fond of having his daughters, whom he shares with his wife, Luciana Barroso, take up careers in Hollywood. With an industry known for gender inequality and having women constantly objectified, the actor hopes his children won't be interested in working in showbiz.

During a roundtable discussion for The Hollywood Reporter, Damon shared his insights about his daughter's following in his footsteps. "I would try to steer my daughters away from acting. Women are in a different business than we are. It is just brutal for women. For us, the roles get really good at 40 and beyond. And that's really when you start doing your best work," the actor said. During the same interview, Damon shared how becoming famous instantly changed how people treated him. "When we started [writing] 'Good Will Hunting,' I was 22 and Ben [Affleck] was 20, and it came out when I was 27 and he was 25," he said. "It's not that you change. The world changes its relationship to you. So your entire reality shifts, and that's a jarring experience and hard to prepare for." 

Damon and Barroso are parents to four daughters. Barroso was already a mother to her daughter Alexia from a previous relationship when the couple met. They tied the knot in 2005 and later welcomed daughters Isabella, Gia, and Stella. 

When "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" actor Alyson Hannigan welcomed her first child with her husband Alexis Denisof in 2009, she was adamant about having her daughter, Satyana, live a normal childhood. When Celebrity Baby Scoop (via Oh No They Didn't) asked if Hannigan would allow her daughter to act at a young age just like she did, she said, "No. I really want her to have a childhood that is about climbing trees, playing in the grass. I worry about raising her in L.A., because you see these little kids that are obsessed with things they really shouldn't even be aware of. I really would like her to have a normal childhood, whatever that means. But if she wants to go into showbiz when she is an adult, I'll support her."

Fast forward to 2020, and a mother of two after welcoming her second daughter, Keeva, in 2012, Hannigan still stuck to her guns about child actors. However, she was more open to her kids pursuing an acting career if they expressed a serious commitment. "I certainly want them to be children for as long as they have, but they love going to premieres and stuff like that," she told Us Weekly. She added, "As long as they're just kids, I'll support whatever they want but they'll have to really, really want it. They have to prove that they want it."

Many actors have gotten a leg up in Hollywood thanks to their famous parents. So it wouldn't be a surprise if Emily Blunt and John Krasinski's two young daughters, Hazel and Violet, find themselves wanting to be just like mom and dad. However, during a June 2023 interview with Harper's Bazaar UK, Blunt was adamant that her kids choose different career paths. 

Discussing the pressures of Hollywood on women, she said, "My toes curl when people tell me, 'My daughter wants to be an actress.' I want to say, 'don't do it.' Because it's a hard industry, and it can be very disappointing. A lot of people tell you not to take things personally — but it's completely personal, especially when you're being judged on how you look. So you just have to endure that side of things.'" 

In 2021, Blunt told the Sunday Times that she wanted to keep her children's lives as normal as possible. "I don't want my kids to feel any more important or special or that there's a glare on them any more than other kids. If they can remain oblivious for the longest time, I'd be thrilled. They don't even want to see what I do. They don't even like it when I put on makeup. They don't like any of it! They just want me to be their mommy." Despite this, Blunt did reveal to E! News that her daughters were fans of their dad on "The Office."