Cue the Artist

Some of my favourite photo shoots are those of actor mothers with their daughters when they first break into the business. Everyone is fascinated by their bond and whether the child will live up to the parents’ reputation. Same thing happens with siblings that are in the business. Even if they try to conceal any sign of competition or comparison, the press always seem to bring it up. Here are my top 5 family photo shoots and corresponding quotes.

Gwyneth Paltrow with mother Blythe Danner

“My playground was the theatre. I’d sit and watch my mother pretend for a living. As a young girl, that’s pretty seductive“. G.P.

Vanessa Redgrave with daughters Joely and Natasha Richardson

“I know the pressures of being the daughter of a great actress. But it’s inspiring. You learn so much that other people don’t get to learn until later on. My father being a director, I learnt a real work ethic.” N.R.

Sisters Emily and Zooey Deschanel

“I grew up believing my sister was from Neptune and had been sent down to Earth to kill me. My sister Emily convinced me of it when I was a toddler. I think she’d seen ‘Invasion Of The Body Snatchers’ and her imagination ran away with her.” Z.D.

Susan Sarandon and daughter Eva Amurri

“No matter who your parents are, you have to prove yourself — to others and yourself“. E.A

Cate Capshaw with daughter Jessica

“With Steven and my mom being who they are, I tend to think, what can I do that can even compare or make them go, ‘Wow’?” J.C.

Mother Meryl Streep with daughter Mamie Gummer

A gift for concealment is an asset for an actress with such a public pedigree. In previews of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, audience members could be heard whispering, She looks just like her mother! “In the smaller theaters, it’s sometimes the first thing I hear when I walk on the stage,” she says. “And I think to myself, Just get past this.”