Barack and Michelle Obama ‘s elder daughter, Malia Obama, has often tried to stay away from the limelight , especially with the fame that she gets because of the work of her renowned parents. Quite recently, in fact, just this year, Malia decided to drop her famous surname and take a leap of faith with her directorial debut, The Heart .
Born as Malia Ann Obama, the 25-year-old dropped her surname as her work showcased her name, Malia Ann, in the credits of her work at the Sundance Film Festival. The middle name is dedicated to the budding screenwriter’s grandmother, who passed away while battling ovarian cancer. Malia has been working hard to earn a reputation for her art, and it seems as though she decided to drop her surname to reject any ‘nepo-baby’ conclusions.
Malia had previously worked in Donald Glover’s Amazon series, Swarm, as a staff writer. According to GQ , Glover said, “The first thing we did was talk about the fact that she will only get to do this once. You’re Obama’s daughter. So, if you make a bad film, it will follow you around.”
Malia Obama Makes First-Ever Red Carpet Appearance, Debuts Short Film at Sundance pic.twitter.com/JtRtahnap7
— Access Hollywood (@accesshollywood) January 19, 2024
At the same time , Swarm co-creator Janine Nabers told E! Online how Malia brainstormed interesting ideas: “Some of her pitches were wild as hell, and they were just so good and so funny. She’s an incredible writer. She brought a lot to the table… She’s really, really dedicated to her craft.”
Malia Obama makes her directorial debut at the Sundance Film Festival under new name, Malia Ann. The short film, titled ‘The Heart,’ is about a “lonely man grieving the death of his mother after an argument about groceries and an odd request in her will.” pic.twitter.com/Rkt3Ha7rqT
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) February 21, 2024
Meanwhile, Stephen Glover, the producer of Swarm and brother of Donald Glover, told Vanity Fair , “We can’t be easy on her just because she’s the [former] President’s daughter. Nah, she’s very down-to-earth and cool. So, it’s not a problem at all.” The Sundance festival sees over 14,000 entries and it selects around 100 to be showcased. Malia’s work has continued to shine as she treads her path towards success.
#WhoopiGoldberg reacts to critics of former first daughter Malia Obama for using a stage name as she made her directorial debut at Sundance Film Festival. pic.twitter.com/5kE08vrTlb
— The View (@TheView) February 24, 2024
Commenting on her debut work, Malia shared that The Heart was “an odd little story, somewhat a fable, about a man grieving the death of his mother after she leaves him an unusual request.” According to Hello Magazine , she continued, “The film is about lost objects and lonely people and forgiveness and regret, but I also think it works hard to uncover where tenderness and closeness can exist in those things.” When asked about future projects, Malia said, “We hope it makes you feel a bit less lonely or at least reminds you not to forget about the people who are.” Keeping her hopes high with gratitude in her heart, she concluded, “The folks who came together to make this film have my heart, pun intended!”
Meanwhile, Malia is already garnering fandom with her work and dedication in Hollywood. With the Obama family, several eyes are on the future projects by Malia Ann. It is also worth noting that several stars in the showbiz industry, like Angelina Jolie and Nicolas Cage, dropped their surnames and earned fame through their hard work and perseverance.