At only 22 years old,Molly Ringwald‘s actress daughter MathildaGianopoulos has certainly accomplished a lot.
Mathilda, who Ringwald shares with husband Panio Gianopoulos, has followed in her famous mother’s footsteps and has embarked on her own career in front of the camera.
She made her acting debut in 2024, starring inThe Idea of You alongside Anne Hathawayand Nicholas Galitzine.
She has also had a successful modeling career, posing in a campaign for J. Crew and stomping the runway at New York Fashion Week during theAndrew Warren show over the years.
But the 16 Candles star, 57, has insisted thather famous name didn’t give her daughtera leg up in the movie industry.
She hit out at ‘ridiculous’ nepo-baby criticism last year, while praising her daughter for refusing to take her famous surname, opting instead for the less familiar Gianopoulos.
During a chat with Sunday Times magazine in April 2024, Ringwald said:’She and I are both emotional and headstrong.
‘When she was learning to walk, if we helped her for a couple of steps she would stop and say, “Do myself lone” and go back and do it again.
At only 22 years old, Molly Ringwald’s actress daughter Mathilda Gianopoulos has certainly accomplished a lot
Mathilda (seen with her mom in 2023) has followed in her famous mother’s footsteps and has embarked on her own career in front of the camera
‘That’s still her attitude today, including in her acting career. She took Gianopoulos, her father’s name, instead of Ringwald.
‘I said, “Are you sure? Ringwald is so much easier to spell and it might open some doors.” But she was adamant.’
Ringwald was critical of the condemnation heaped on children who choose to follow in a famous parent’s footsteps – notably those within the acting, modeling or music industries.
She added: ‘The nepo baby thing is ridiculous. Of course if you have a parent in the industry, it’s something that you’ve heard about and might be genetically predisposed to.
‘I’ve talked to Mathilda about navigating the spotlight but everyone experiences it differently.
‘Some people don’t mind living completely out loud. I’m not one of those people and I don’t think she is either.
‘We’re basically a family of introverts who have had to learn to be more extrovert because of what we do.’
Mathilda is no stranger to the public eye and has been attending red carpets with her mom since a young age.
She often documents her lavish lifestyle on Instagram, where she has over 7,000 followers
Her feed consists of posts that show her eating in lavish restaurants, jetting off on glamorous getaways and showing off her bold fashion choices
She often documents her lavish lifestyle on Instagram, where she has over 7,000 followers.
Her feed consists of posts that show her eating in lavish restaurants, jetting off on glamorous getaways and showing off her bold fashion choices.
Ringwald andGianopoulos started dating in the early 2000s and they welcomed Mathilda in 2003, before going on to marry four years later in 2007.
The actress also gave birth to twins Adele and Roman in 2009 at age 40.
Ringwald previously revealed that Mathilda was conceived duringher time starring as Sally Bowles in the Broadway production of Cabaret.
While reflecting on motherhood, the Pretty in Pink star told The Times that she believes her firstborn ‘was conceived in the dressing room at Studio 54’ back in 2003.
‘It’s so Mathilda to be conceived in such an iconic place,’ she mused.
The Golden Globe nominee went on to explain that she ‘always knew’ she ‘wanted to have children but it took’ her ‘awhile’ to start a family with her now-husband Gianopoulos.
Mathilda is no stranger to the public eye and has been attending red carpets with her mom since a young age. She’s seen with her family on the red carpet in 2014
Ringwald and Panio Gianopoulos (seen with Mathilda when she was young) started dating in the early 2000s and they welcomed Mathilda in 2003, before going on to marry in 2007
Ringwald previouslyhit out at ‘ridiculous’ nepo-baby criticism last year, while praising her daughter for refusing to take her famous surname
Ringwald (seen with Mathilda in 2023) was critical of the condemnation heaped on children who choose to follow in a famous parent’s footsteps
‘I was 36 when she was born. At that age the biological clock is a real thing and it had kind of become deafening,’ Ringwald reflected. ‘All I could think about was: must have kids.’
The mother-of-three noted that ‘the hardest thing about motherhood was realizing that’ her ‘time was not’ her own.
‘As an actress, I’ve traveled a lot and learnt to live with instability, but that’s not great for kids,’ she said.
‘That’s something I am always looking to improve on and luckily I have a husband who is a planner and is very stable.’
Ringwald shared a gushing tribute to Mathilda in honor of her 22nd birthday this week.
‘Happiest of birthdays to the one who started me on this whole adventure of motherhood,’ she wrote.
‘Your dad and I love you always and forever. You surprise, impress and entertain us with your brilliant mind. Enjoy this trip around the sun. You are one of a kind.’
