Like her costar and on-screen best friend since pre-school Zendaya, Maude Apatow has grown up in the spotlight. With the comedic actress Leslie Mann as her mother and renowned filmmaker Judd Apatow as her father, the 24-year-old Euphoria actress saw her film debut in 2007’s Knocked Up begging the question, “Where do babies come from?” Playing her real-life mother’s daughter in her father’s film, alongside her baby sister Iris, Maude’s first interactions with acting were surrounded by her Hollywood family.
With her father having given us stoner comedy classics like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, This Is 40, Funny People, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Bridesmaids, and The King of Staten Island, the writer, director, and producer has casted his eldest daughter in a number of his works. From starring in Knocked Up, Funny People, and This Is 40, all playing her mother’s daughter, Apatow most recently starred alongside Pete Davidson in The King of Staten Island.
Having starred in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix miniseries Hollywood and now in her sophomore season of Euphoria, the hit show sees Apatow’s acting chops in a more serious light. It makes all the sense in the world that the actress’ funny bone would shine through in her role as the responsible sister to Sydney Sweeney‘s Cassie, Lexi Howard. When the rest of the brigade of baddies step out in their most scandalous Halloween costumes in season one, Lexi comes dressed as the PBS painter Bob Ross, afro and glasses included.
Never holding back and showing no qualms about potential public embarrassment, Apatow’s parents constantly bring up the young actress on late night shows and interviews. With her debut appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2019, the talk show host ran a clip of her parents repeatedly airing out her dirty laundry, even bringing up her leave from university. To put a cherry on top, they sent in a home video of Maude performing the Broadway show Cats’ hit song, “Memory” from when she was about 9-years-old. While we’ve all experienced your typical parental embarrassment, ours definitely was not broadcast on any late night talk shows.
Based on teasers for this season of Euphoria, it seems her character Lexi will deservedly be given more time in the spotlight. With her pair of famously hysterical parents, Apatow’s roots will always be a defining factor of who she is in Hollywood, but her recent dramatic roles will continue to establish Apatow as a force to be reckoned with. As she continues to establish her own identity, Maude Apatow is making a name for herself. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for the young actress or her beloved Euphoria character this season.
