Behind the Scenes: How Celebrity Parents Win Over Their Kids with Their Projects
Discover what famous parents such as Kristin Cavallari, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Chris Pratt reveal about their children's reactions to their success in the entertainment industry Find out how their kids feel about their parents' projects that made them household names
Celebrity parents, including Kristin Cavallari and Sarah Michelle Gellar, gained fame on television and have shared their children's reactions to their projects. Cavallari, known for her appearances on MTV's Laguna Beach and The Hills, revealed how her three kids came across the shows.
According to the Uncommon James creator, when her ex-husband Jay Cutler put on a video of her from high school, she cringed the whole time. She shared that although her children may stumble upon it when they're older, she won't be actively showing it to them. Despite her successful career, her family doesn't seem to fully grasp the extent of it, as they don't get excited about watching her on TV shows. However, they did enjoy it when she gave them a shout-out during one of her hosting gigs for awards shows.
Gellar, in partnership with her husband Freddie Prinze Jr., worked together on various films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scooby-Doo. They got married in 2002 and had two children, Charlotte and Rocky. Recently, the actress revealed why she decided to reduce her family's consumption of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the series that catapulted her to fame.
Gellar revealed to Us in July 2021 that she carefully selects which episodes of the supernatural series her children watch due to their young age. Although they have made it to season 5, their attention has been diverted to other shows. Despite this, Gellar still admires the impactful message that Buffy conveyed even after its conclusion in 2003.
The concept of high school horrors being represented through vampires was one of the things that drew me to Buffy. The show's metaphorical approach to the topic was intriguing. However, there were limitations to how far the show could take it due to being on network television.
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Celebrity Parents Share What Their Kids Thought of Their Projects: From Kristin Cavallari to Cole Hauser
Renowned personalities like Kristin Cavallari and Sarah Michelle Gellar, who gained fame through TV shows, have been open about their children's opinions on their work. They have been vocal about what their kids think of their projects, making them some of the biggest critics.
Cavallari, known for her appearances in MTV's Laguna Beach and The Hills, recently shared how her children came across the shows. According to the Uncommon James founder, her ex-husband, Jay Cutler, played it for their kids a few summers ago, finding it amusing. Though Cavallari herself cringed throughout, she acknowledged that her children will likely discover the shows on their own as they grow older, but she won't be the one to prompt them to watch it.
In December 2021, the Colorado native shared that her family hasn't fully grasped the extent of her career, expressing to Us, "They don't understand that they can tune in and watch me on a TV show. They used to enjoy watching me host awards shows, but now I think they just don't care." Meanwhile, Gellar has worked alongside her husband Freddie Prinze Jr. on various films, such as I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scooby-Doo, and the couple has two children named Charlotte and Rocky.
Gellar explained her decision to pace her family's consumption of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the series that propelled her to fame. "Since my children are still quite young, I have to carefully select which episodes we watch," the Wolf Pack actress revealed to Us in July 2021. She went on to confirm that they have made it up to season 5 but are taking their time with the rest of the show. "We're slowly making our way through it, but they've also become interested in other programs," Gellar added.
"I recently had a realization about what made Buffy so great - it effectively used the concept of the terrors of high school, with the vampires representing those fears metaphorically," praised the Golden Globe nominee in September 2022. "But due to the limitations of network television at the time, we could only push it so far."
Scroll down for other stars who shared their projects with their kids:
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Jenna Dewan
Everly's reaction to seeing her mother and father, Channing Tatum, in the 2006 movie Step Up was underwhelming, to say the least. Dewan revealed to Us that her daughter simply said, "Can we watch something good?" It seems the film didn't quite capture Everly's attention.
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Matt Damon
"My teenage daughter and I have different tastes in movies," shared Damon during an interview on Late Night With Seth Meyers in April 2023. "She enjoys teasing me about not wanting to watch any of my films, especially the ones that have received good reviews. It's funny because if I get bad reviews for a movie, that's the one she insists on watching."
Isabella, the daughter of Damon and Barroso, renamed the movie "The Great Wall" to simply "The Wall" since she did not find anything particularly great about it, according to the actor. Damon and Barroso have three other daughters together.
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Chris Pratt
In March 2023, Pratt revealed how his eldest child reacted to him playing the lead role in the Super Mario Bros. Movie.
"After doing an early sneak screening, I brought Jack and some of his friends along, and they were absolutely thrilled," shared the actor from Parks and Recreation, who is a co-parent to Jack with his former spouse Anna Faris, during an interview with ET Canada. "As soon as we got home, Jack immediately started playing Smash Brothers on his Nintendo Switch. The kids were really excited about it."
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Josh Peck
"I had the opportunity to work on a Disney+ show called Turner & Hooch last year, and it's a fantastic family-friendly action-comedy. Unlike some of my previous and subsequent work that mostly involves two people talking in a scene, Turner & Hooch has a massive dog that drags me around while I chase after the villains," shared the Nickelodeon star in an exclusive interview with Us in March 2023. "The show has enough thrilling sequences to keep my son Max engaged while watching it."
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Jason Sudeikis
During a March 2023 interview on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Jason Sudeikis, the former Saturday Night Live cast member, shared that his son, Otis, is a big fan of seeing him as Ted Lasso in the FIFA video game. Sudeikis revealed that whenever Otis sees his character in the game, he comments, "It looks like you, but you're so mad." As a father, Sudeikis found it heartwarming that his son didn't view him that way in real life.
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Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley, the actress known for her role in Pride & Prejudice, shared in March 2023 that her daughters aren't big fans of her work. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Knightley revealed that her younger daughter, Delilah, didn't enjoy The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, saying "You should be dressed in rainbows, and why are you so angry?" As for her eldest daughter, Edie, she was "far too terrified" to watch Pirates of the Caribbean and commented, "I don't like you in that, you're too pretty. But don't worry, you're not anymore."
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Keri Russell
In a 2023 interview, the lead actress of Felicity reminisced about sharing the show with her daughter. However, her daughter was unimpressed and even grossed out by the show's content. The actress found it amusing that her daughter found the show "cringy" and was surprised that she did not enjoy watching her college experiences and romantic encounters on screen.
The actress shares son Sam with boyfriend Matthew Rhys and daughter Willa and son River with ex Shane Deary.
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Cole Hauser
"Our daughter was initially confused by the on-screen kiss between Cole and Beth [Kelly Reilly]," shared Hauser, who portrays Rip in Paramount's Yellowstone. Cynthia Daniel, Hauser's spouse and mother of their children Steely, Ryland, and Colt, disclosed to Us in January 2023 that their daughter is uncomfortable with witnessing such displays of affection.
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Jinger Duggar
The former TLC personality said she has let her daughters watch her reality show 19 Kids and Counting.
"I believe the reason for my unease with the promotional process is because television has been such a significant aspect of my life. I have spent the majority of my life in front of the camera. Recently, during a crew's visit to our house for filming, my two-year-old daughter was playing in her playroom and upon seeing the cameras, became frightened," shared the Arkansas native, who is married to Jeremy Vuolo and has two daughters, Felicity and Evangeline. "This experience was intriguing to me as it was a stark contrast to my own childhood where playing with the boom mics and other equipment was a norm. However, my daughter is not accustomed to it. It's fascinating to observe the difference."
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Sarah Michelle Gellar
Gellar shared a heartwarming anecdote in July 2021 about her children's unexpected interest in her work on Masters of the Universe: Revelation. Despite their usual disinterest in her projects, Gellar's kids eagerly watched the series with her and were insistent on seeing the rest of the episodes.
The Cruel Intentions star also revealed that her children loved Prinze Jr.'s 1999 hit film She’s All That.
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Tori Spelling
"When my children were younger, I used to play episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210 for them. It was funny because they would recognize other cast members like Jennie Garth and Ian Ziering, but they couldn't pick me out," shared Tori Spelling in an exclusive interview with Us in November 2020. "I realized it was because I was watching an episode where I had blonde hair instead of my usual red. It was a bit of a shock to see that my own kids couldn't recognize me." Spelling also mentioned that her children were more interested in the one-season revival, BH90210.
"Our fans grew even more enthusiastic about the show during the release of BH90210," she added. "It was heartwarming to see our children bonding and spending time together in Vancouver. It felt like the torch had been passed to the next generation, as we were once young actors who formed close bonds on set. Now, our kids have done the same and it's a joy to see them all together. Not only are Jennie's and my children friends, but the entire cast's kids have formed a special connection."
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Kristin Cavallari
In November 2020, the Very Cavallari star revealed to Us that MTV played Laguna Beach and The Hills a couple of summers ago, but only for a few minutes. She mentioned that her children are not particularly interested in watching her shows.
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Christine Taylor
The Hey Dude alum, who shares Ella and Quinlin with husband Ben Stiller, admitted her kids didn't enjoy the beloved Nickelodeon series.
"My kids were less than thrilled when I put on an episode for them. Within ten minutes, they were looking around and clearly not engaged," she shared with Us in January 2023. "The slow pace and lack of constant action or upbeat music made it difficult for them to stay interested. While they may not have been hooked on the entire series, they did get a taste of the first episode."
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Tiffani Thiessen
Thiessen revealed that her daughter, Harper, thoroughly enjoyed her previous project and even wanted to continue watching it. During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2018, Thiessen shared that Harper was particularly enamored with the characters played by Thiessen and Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and already showing signs of being "boy crazy."
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Mario Lopez
Lopez, who starred alongside Thiessen in Saved by the Bell, shared that his own children surprisingly do not enjoy the show. "They weren't trippin' on it," he revealed to Us in 2018. "I tried to show them, but I don't think they're into it."
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Soleil Moon Frye
After becoming a star on the 1980s sitcom Punky Brewster, Frye was excited to share certain episodes with her family. In 2016, she told Us that although her family had seen bits and pieces on YouTube, it was their first time watching a full episode together. While on a road trip, Frye listened as her kids watched the show in the background and reminisced about past experiences. She even got nostalgic herself when the Andy Gibb episode aired, confessing to her children how she had a huge crush on him and they could watch it develop on screen.
