Maude Apatow’s Name Started as a Joke Based on Leslie Mann’s Favorite Movie
Growing up with parents Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann, Maude Apatow couldn’t avoid comedy and show business if she tried. With a significant role in HBO Max’s hit show Euphoria, the 24-year-old has a bright future if she sticks with the family business. As the young ctor branches out on her own, an inside look at the family shows how comedy continues to open doors in the Apatow household.
Maude Apatow got her name from a joke
Considering Leslie Mann met Judd Apatow during an audition for the screwball comedy The Cable Guy, it’s not that surprising that jokes have been a foundation of the family. Born in 1997, Maude Apatow’s name came from an inside joke between her parents and wasn’t intended to be permanent.
In an interview for Wired, Mann said she got the name from her favorite movie, Harold and Maude. The 1971 dark comedy about a young boy dating a 79-year-old woman has become a cult classic over the years.
But even though the name Maude was initially meant to be temporary, it stuck for the long haul. Maude Apatow ended up tied to comedy before she was even born.
Leslie Mann has appeared in movies with her daughters
When Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann had a major Hollywood breakthrough in the mid-2000s with hits like Knocked Up, the couple also knew where to turn for casting young talent. Maude and her younger sister, Iris, ultimately portrayed Mann’s character’s daughters in Knocked Up, Funny People, and This is 40. “We hired them because we don’t like other people’s children,” Apatow joked in the Wired interview.
As they stepped in front of the camera at an early age, Maude and Iris received plenty of sage parental advice about Hollywood dreams—particularly from Mann. Mann insisted that they learn how to generate their own content if they want to have a promising career in movies.
Speaking to Popsugar, Mann explains that she told her daughters to “Write your own stuff, make your own stuff, direct your own stuff, which you can totally do nowadays even if you have no money.”
Maude Apatow’s parents are proud of her work in ‘Euphoria’
The big test for Maude came when she was cast as Lexi in Euphoria. While her first roles were in very familiar territory, Maude branched out with small roles in Netflix miniseries Hollywood in 2017 and a couple of indie films. She also appeared on the comedy series Girls, executive produced by her dad. But with two seasons of Euphoria, Maude now has a big role entirely outside of her parents’ space.
The senior Apatow has also expressed how incredible it is to watch Maude on Euphoria. “I’m just a puddle,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “I’m just bawling and crying.” But Judd retains his patented sense of humor, even while he admits watching Maude makes him emotional. When Maude was promoting an episode of Euphoria on her Instagram, Judd commented, “I will watch right after I finish ‘Yellowstone.'”
As reported by Variety, Euphoria has already been renewed for at least a third season, with Apatow expected to return alongside the rest of the cast. On top of having a breakout moment in Euphoria, Maude is also slated to be one of the main stars of Pantheon, an upcoming animated series from AMC starring Paul Dano (The Batman) and Taylor Schilling.
