THE mockumentary Black-ish is hilarious, but it speaks of real-life situations that some black people experience. We meet a black family who have “made it” – they have moved from a poor neighbourhood to an upper middle-class one. The only problem is that the area is predominantly white and they have to adjust. The kids do it overnight, because kids adapt quickly, but the parents know a lot more about US history and are far more careful.
The show stars the hilarious Anthony Anderson (Law & Order, The Departed) and the much-loved Tracee Ellis Ross (Girlfriends) who work very well as a couple. It is quite a sight to see Ross in this one because apart from Girlfriends and a small part in Idris Elba’s Daddy’s Little Girls, she doesn’t do very big shows. To all those who did not know, she is the daughter of The Supremes singer, Diana Ross. Born Tracee Ellis Silberstein, she has changed that in time. The reasons are best known to her, though we can’t help but wonder if that also helped her to crack it in Hollywood because, honestly, with a name like Silberstein, who is going to look at you twice?
In fact, let’s look at a few examples of Hollywood actors’ offspring who are now on the scene, talented or not. We are not talking about the Willow Smiths, but the ones who have surfaced seemingly from nowhere yet might have had a nudge from high up.
Chris Pine
He might not be the new Brad Pitt, but he comes close. Pine has been in Star Trek and Unstoppable in which he starred opposite Denzel Washington. He might have made a name for himself, but the older people in Hollywood can’t ignore that he is the son of actor Robert Pine. You have seen Pine sr in Independence Day and CHiPs.
Also of note is that his maternal grandparents were Max M Gilford, former president of the Hollywood Bar Association, and his wife was actress Anne Gwynne. So without them, would Chris be as big? You decide.
Kristen Stewart
We know her mostly as Bella, the vampire and werewolf whisperer. As far back as 2002, Stewart was already giving impressive performances as a youngster.
She started out in Panic Room (opposite Jodie Foster) and several independent films. We would like to think this was because she was immensely talented, but we can’t ignore the fact that her father, John Stewart, is a producer and her mother, Jules Mann Stewart, is a script supervisor.
Daniel Radcliffe
All this young man will ever be is Harry Potter. Yet he’d been acting on the TV for a long time. He played David Copperfield in a BBC miniseries, making a name for himself. What they never tell you is that his father is a literary agent and his mom worked for the BBC in the casting department.
Blake Lively
You might want to think that Blake Lively came out of nowhere to grab a part in Gossip Girl, but the actress had some help because of her father, Ernie Lively. He got her into the 1998 production, Sandman.
Keira Knightley
This is a tricky one. On one hand some of us would like to think that with those looks, Knightley was destined to make it in Hollywood. But here is the reality: there are hundreds of Knightley look-alikes in one LA block. It does help, though, to have a mom like Sharman MacDonald, who is a Scottish playwright. She is the one who penned The Edge of Love, a film Knightley starred in. Do the maths.
• Black-ish airs every Monday at 7pm on Vuzu AMP (DStv Channel 114).