Why ‘Euphoria’ Star Maude Apatow Once Called Her Dad ‘a Hollywood Dick’
Filmmaker Judd Apatow has a famous daughter — Euphoria actor Maude Apatow (Lexi Howard) calls him “dad.” The Trainwreck director has two kids with his actor wife, Leslie Mann. As a Hollywood family, both Apatow daughters make onscreen appearances in various projects. They also apparently share his unique brand of humor, as evidenced by one time Apatow’s daughter called him “a Hollywood dick.”
What Judd Apatow said about his daughters
Those who recognize Apatow’s name likely know him from several comedic hit films. His most popular include Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Bridesmaids. In addition to directing, Apatow is a writer and producer who began his career as a comedian.
In a 2017 appearance on Conan, Judd Apatow candidly spoke about his daughters. At the time, Maude and her younger sister, Iris, were teenagers. Her dad noted how unimpressed they were with his jokes.
He also shared his daughter’s sentiment that he’s a “Hollywood dick.” In this instance, she was referring to how her dad handled making a dinner reservation. But the over-arching “disdain,” as Conan pointed out, from the girls toward their A-list dad was downright hilarious. And anyone with teenage girls in the house can probably relate.
Maude Apatow could outpace her dad with ‘Euphoria’
The “Hollywood dick” comment was then. But today, there’s more to the Apatow father-daughter relationship. Despite her childhood dreams of becoming a “child journalist” (according to Today), Maude Apatow has followed in her dad’s show business footsteps. Both she and Iris Apatow appeared in Knocked Up, This is 40, and Funny People. Maude Apatow continued to work on projects produced by her dad, including Girls and King of Staten Island.
But now, she’s working on a more dramatic project. Maude Apatow’s portrayal of Lexi Howard resonates with the show’s fan base. Compared to Zendaya’s Rue, Lexis is a more relatable character for some teens watching. As an observer, she’s always looking in on the drug and sex-laden antics of those around her.
Judd Apatow is his daughter’s biggest fan
Despite the snide remark, Judd Apatow supports his daughter’s career choice. After all, he was the one who got her into it. “Like any parent, I thought my kids were more fun to watch than anyone else’s kids,” he told Variety in 2020. “I couldn’t have found them more amusing and funny.”
In the same interview, Maude Apatow downplayed her improvisational skills. But her dad disagreed, continuing to talk her up. “A lot of Maude’s finest moments are improvisations,” he said.
Judd Apatow referred to a notable scene from Knocked Up, where Maude’s character explains where she thinks babies come from, which he says was all her. “She doesn’t like to declare she’s strong at [improvising], but she’s actually amazing.”
Speaking to Dax Shepard on his Armchair Expert podcast, the creator gave some interesting advice to his daughter. “I want her to be deluded,” Judd Apatow said. He believes you must be an “insane person” to “make it” in show business. Apatow added that it takes “this bizarre level of confidence” to make it as an actor.
