Barack Obama has opened up about his daughter Malia Obama's decision to forgo the family name in her professional endeavors. For her maiden film venture, "The Heart," the 26-year-old writer and director opted to exclude "Obama" from her credits, instead adopting the moniker "Malia Ann," as previously reported by PEOPLE. Ann happens to be her middle name, which also shares a bond with her late grandmother, Barack's mother.
"I was like, 'You know they'll figure out who you are, right?'" Barack shared his reaction to the name change on The Pivot Podcast on Thursday, October 29. "And she responded, 'You know what? I want them to watch it first without any biases or preconceptions.'" He added, "Our daughters strive to carve their own paths without leveraging our fame."
During the interview, Barack revealed that both his daughters, including 23-year-old Sasha, are determined to forge their careers independently, rather than resting on their parents' laurels. "The challenge for Michelle and me is knowing when and how to offer them any assistance," he said. "They're incredibly sensitive and stubborn about this."
The former president, aged 63, explained that the constant attention Malia and Sasha have garnered since leaving the White House as they've grown older "drives them nuts." "Their stance is, 'We're not after all that fame,'" he continued. "They remain grounded."
Reflecting on the media scrutiny the Obama family faced during his presidency, Barack revealed that he "reached a consensus with the press pool." "I said, 'You can follow me around, discuss me, do whatever you need to. Just leave my children alone; they deserve to grow up normally. They didn't choose this life. Let them be kids,'" he recounted. "To the press's credit, they respected our wishes."
Just recently, Malia attended the 50th annual Deauville American Film Festival in France, where she premiered "The Heart." It was a novel experience for Malia, who was honored with the Young Spirit award at the festival. While speaking at the event, she admitted to feeling unfamiliar with the red carpet life.
"I'm thrilled. I've never done anything like this... so, naturally, I'm a bit terrified, but mostly just excited," the filmmaker shared with Paris Match in a clip posted on TikTok.
