Malia Obama, the eldest daughter of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, has made headlines with her decision to drop her last name from her professional film projects.
Malia Obama first dropped her last name last year, using her middle name, Ann, as her last name for the credits of a short film “The Heart”, which she wrote and directed. Her debut film was showcased at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024.
Additionally, she directed a Nike commercial that came out earlier this year, and she was also a writer on the Amazon Prime hit series “Swarm”.
In a recent interview, Michelle Obama opened up about her daughter’s choice, shedding light on the reasoning behind it.
Speaking to actress Kate Hudson and her brother Oliver on their podcast “Sibling Revelry”, the former first lady Michelle revealed that Malia’s decision to go by “Malia Ann” in the credits of her short film is a part of her journey to establish herself as an individual in the film industry.
Michelle explained that both she and Barack respect their daughter’s choice, understanding that she is trying to establish herself in the world without the influence of her famous last name.
She further explained that both her daughters, Sasha and Malia, “don’t want people to assume they don’t work hard,” or “that they’re just naturally handed things.”
“It’s very important for my kids to feel like they have earned what they are getting in the world,” she said.
The 61-year-old author attributed Malia’s decision to the natural process of young adults seeking to establish their own identities. As parents, Michelle and Barack have encouraged their daughters to be independent and make their own decisions.
Michelle shared that she and Barack have always given their children the freedom to explore and learn from their experiences.
The former First Lady emphasised that Malia’s decision is not about rejecting her family or her upbringing, but rather about finding her own path and establishing her own identity.
She noted that it’s common for children of famous parents to try to establish their own identities separate from their parents.
“Our daughters are 26 and 23, they are young adult women. But they definitely went through a period in their teen years…it was the ‘push-away’.
“They’re still doing that, and you guys know this of children with parents who are known,” she added.
Malia’s film project “The Heart” premiered at the Sundance Institute’s “Meet the Artist” spotlight video in February 2024, where she was credited as Malia Ann.
The “Meet the Artist” video series on the Sundance Institute website is a platform that provides filmmakers with an opportunity to introduce themselves and their films to audiences.
