Photo: Alexi Lubomirski for Variety
Michelle WilliamsandLaura Dernare navigating parenting in the spotlight the best they know how.TheCertain Womencostars interviewed each other forVariety’s Actors on Actors series, where theytalked about being momsand how their own experiences with the industry inspire what they tell their children.For Dern, 55, that includes sonEllery, 21, and daughterJaya, who recentlycelebrated her 18th birthday. Williams, 42, is mom to 17-year-old daughterMatildaplus two children with husbandThomas Kail. SonHartwas born in 2020, and theywelcomed their second childthis year.“It’s crazy when you think about your own children, and you think about them being in these environments,” Williams said, while the pair discussed starting their acting careers “so incredibly young,” in their preteen years.She added of her own children, “And you’re like, ‘Well, no. Not in a million years.’ “Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Alexi Lubomirski for Variety"Jaya’s interested, and I’m like, ‘We can talk about it when you’re 18,’ which I remember my mother saying to me,” said Dern, whose parents are actorsBruce Dern and Diane Ladd.Williams went on to say that she has “always thought about childhood as being this really fertile time that, if it’s done correctly, you can keep drawing from it your whole entire life.““There was a very short period in my childhood that I feel that way about; it’s my childhood in Montana and the feeling of freedom,” continuedThe Fabelmansactress.After recounting memories from childhood of riding a horse bareback, Williams added, “That’s what I want. I want that feeling again.“RELATED VIDEO: Why Laura Dern Had Pretty Much the Coolest Childhood EverDern opened up more about Jaya’s thespian aspirations earlier this year onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show, saying she was excited for her daughter to eventually be the family’s third generation of actors.“There is something very moving about it,“The Sonactress explained. “Jaya’s 17 and I started very young at 11 but I’m so happy that she’s waiting and wants to go to schoolbut really knows in her heart she wants to act.““And maybe if she does, we’ll end up having the privilege of working together,” Dern added.HostEllen DeGeneresthen questioned why Jaya was waiting to start an acting career, considering Dern started at such a young age.“I’m basically making her wait,” theJurassic World Dominionstar admitted, noting that she “saw the consequences of not being in school” and having a normal childhood.
Michelle WilliamsandLaura Dernare navigating parenting in the spotlight the best they know how.
TheCertain Womencostars interviewed each other forVariety’s Actors on Actors series, where theytalked about being momsand how their own experiences with the industry inspire what they tell their children.
For Dern, 55, that includes sonEllery, 21, and daughterJaya, who recentlycelebrated her 18th birthday. Williams, 42, is mom to 17-year-old daughterMatildaplus two children with husbandThomas Kail. SonHartwas born in 2020, and theywelcomed their second childthis year.
“It’s crazy when you think about your own children, and you think about them being in these environments,” Williams said, while the pair discussed starting their acting careers “so incredibly young,” in their preteen years.
She added of her own children, “And you’re like, ‘Well, no. Not in a million years.’ "
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Alexi Lubomirski for Variety
“Jaya’s interested, and I’m like, ‘We can talk about it when you’re 18,’ which I remember my mother saying to me,” said Dern, whose parents are actorsBruce Dern and Diane Ladd.
Williams went on to say that she has “always thought about childhood as being this really fertile time that, if it’s done correctly, you can keep drawing from it your whole entire life.”
“There was a very short period in my childhood that I feel that way about; it’s my childhood in Montana and the feeling of freedom,” continuedThe Fabelmansactress.
After recounting memories from childhood of riding a horse bareback, Williams added, “That’s what I want. I want that feeling again.”
RELATED VIDEO: Why Laura Dern Had Pretty Much the Coolest Childhood Ever
Dern opened up more about Jaya’s thespian aspirations earlier this year onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show, saying she was excited for her daughter to eventually be the family’s third generation of actors.
“There is something very moving about it,“The Sonactress explained. “Jaya’s 17 and I started very young at 11 but I’m so happy that she’s waiting and wants to go to schoolbut really knows in her heart she wants to act.”
“And maybe if she does, we’ll end up having the privilege of working together,” Dern added.
HostEllen DeGeneresthen questioned why Jaya was waiting to start an acting career, considering Dern started at such a young age.
“I’m basically making her wait,” theJurassic World Dominionstar admitted, noting that she “saw the consequences of not being in school” and having a normal childhood.
source: people.com
