Malia Obama is striking out on her own, in more ways than one, by adopting a stage name as she embarks on her burgeoning filmmaking career.
Changing or altering one’s name is actually a Hollywood tradition that dates back decades, if not for the entire history of Tinseltown.
Therefore, while urbanites may register surprise that Obama removed her esteemed surname for career purposes, the movie industry merely shrugged because it is routine.
According to E! Online, fans jerked their heads back when Malia Ann flashed across the screen instead of Malia Obama during the credit roll. The Harvard grad made her directorial debut with The Heart, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival near Salt Lake City.
Speculators assume that the 25-year-old Obama is simply distancing herself from her lionized parents, Barack and Michelle Obama, who have become movie moguls themselves after launching their award-winning Higher Ground Productions company. However, Malia Obama may just be working to avoid being saddled with the “nepo-baby” (short for “nepotism baby”) tag that stigmatizes many others.
Many actors have changed their stage names besides Malia Obama
Charlie Sheen (and his father Martin Sheen) changed his surname from Estevez, which his brother Emilio Estevez decided to keep and made famous in the classic teen film The Breakfast Club.
For years, many movie fans did not know that Francis Ford Coppola, who directed The Godfather trilogy, had a sister named Talia Shire, who delivered critically acclaimed performances in the film as Connie. Shire also starred as Sylvester Stallone’s wife in the venerated boxing franchise Rocky.
Moreover, Coppola’s nephew Nicolas Cage dropped his famous last name before crafting his Oscar-winning career. The same goes for Academy Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie, whose father is renowned actor Jon Voight.
Malia Obama’s skills, not lineage, will earn her industry prominence.
Even though her career is in its embryonic stage, the elder Obama daughter has already garnered praise for her work ethic, professionalism and, most importantly, extraordinary writing skills.
While working on Donald Glover’s Amazon Prime show “Swarm,” co-creator Janine Nabers lauded Obama. “She’s a very professional person,” Nabers told Vanity Fair adding, “She’s an incredible writer and artist.”
Glover concurred with Nabers’ sentiments.
“I feel like she’s just somebody who’s gonna have really good things coming soon,” Glover told the publication. “Her writing style is great. We can’t be easy on her just because she’s the [former] President’s daughter.”
