On the season 2 finale of Euphoria, we got to see a fiercer Lexi Howard played by 24-year-old Maude Apatow. Since then, fans have become curious about the actress' personal life, especially her Hollywood family. Some call her a "nepotism baby," but she actually worked hard to get where she is now. Here's everything you should know about her journey into acting and her relationship with her famous parents.
How Did Maude Apatow Land Her Role In 'Euphoria'?
Director Sam Levinson — whose life inspired Euphoria — wrote the role of Lexi with Apatow in mind. Still, the King of Staten Island star auditioned several times. "This opportunity presented itself, and I needed to take it," the actress recalled to Variety. "I love Sam; I adore the show. I am so anxious to get back." By the time she got the part, Apatow had already been on break from her studies at Northwestern University.
She also confessed that growing up, she was a big theater nerd who always wanted to act. "I was 12 or 13, and I thought, 'Holy s—, a person can do that?'" she said of watching Patti LuPone on Broadway in Gypsy. Like Lexi, the actress was also into school plays in real-life. She realized how much she loved being on set when she worked on her high school's production of Sunday in the Park With George. "Theater was my life," she gushed.
"It's really a big reason I decided I wanted to do this professionally, finding that community and those friendships who are still my best friends now," she continued. "I was so young, I don't think I really realized what was going on. Though I loved every part about being on set." She added that at an early age, she was already begging her parents to let her act more. "At 10 years old I was searching Broadway auditions, and my parents always told me I needed to wait until I was older," she shared. "I would get so mad at them, and I would scream and scream."
Who Are Maude Apatow's Parents?
The Euphoria star is the eldest child of director Judd Apatow and comedic actress Leslie Mann. Yes, she's genetically wired to conquer Hollywood. Her 19-year-old sister, Iris has also starred in their parents' films, Knocked Up, Funny People and This Is 40. Growing up, the couple only allowed their daughters to act under this rule: "You could work with us or with people we knew and trusted," said the senior Apatow of his daughters' first acting gigs.
He added that she wanted his eldest daughter to prioritize her studies before joining show business. "It was important to us that Maude got a great education and reasonably standard upbringing," said the patriarch, "while being able to pursue this here and there until she was done with high school." As much as the young Apatow landed her breakthrough roles on her own, fans still accused her of nepotism when Euphoria came out.
"There were like 8,000 tweets saying, 'Why the f— is Maude Apatow first in the credits!" she recounted. "Well, because it's alphabetical and my last name starts with 'A.'" However, she's aware of her privilege and how people perceive it. "I definitely get why people would be mad at me," she continued. "But I will literally spend the rest of my life trying to prove myself and work twice as hard."
What Do Maude Apatow's Parents Think Of 'Euphoria'?
Apatow's father admitted to getting emotional when he first watched her on Euphoria. "I'm just in a puddle... I'm just bawling and crying," he told ET. "I'm excited to watch it again, because it was really emotional watching it the first time, because of the show and also because of how amazing she was in it, I thought. You're always happy when your kids are doing well and have a job."
Mann is also a proud mom to the young actress. The comedian even gave Apatow some tips when she finally embarked on her own acting career. "My mom taught me to totally commit to everything, which sounds like a basic thing, but it's so important," Apatow shared. "And whenever I feel hesitant over something in a scene, I hear her voice in the back of my head — and I go for it."
Her dad also advised her to do more than acting. "I've always wanted to make my own work; I'm pretty hungry in that way," said the co-director of Don't Mind Alice. "The best advice I ever got from my dad was probably to write for myself and learn to create things for myself."
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