Lily Mo Sheen, Kate Beckinsale, and Michael Sheen.Photo:Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic ; Lewis Whyld - WPA Pool/Getty
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic ; Lewis Whyld - WPA Pool/Getty
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree forKate BeckinsaleandMichael Sheen.
The former couple welcomed their only daughter, Lily Mo Sheen, 24, in 1999, though they later split in 2003.
Now that Lily has grown up, she has chosen to follow in her famous parent’s footsteps and is pursuing acting — though her mother originallyenvisioned a different career path for her.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talentstar told PEOPLE in April 2022 that Beckinsale “definitely would’ve preferred” if she had become a surgeon. “I don’t think that was on the cards,” she joked. “You wouldn’t want me to be doing any surgeries. And I think she knows that!”
While Beckinsale advised her daughter to “be a doctor,” both she and Sheen “would’ve accepted whatever” Lily chose to do. “My parents are great about pushing me out and letting me fly and become the person that I want to be,” she said. “To become the actor that I want to be.”
Here’s everything to know about Kate Beckinsale and Michael Sheen’s daughter Lily Sheen.
She was born in 1999
Kate Beckinsale Instagram
Beckinsale and Sheen welcomed Lily on Jan. 31, 1999.
She was born into a family of actors, with both of her parents in show business. Beckinsale and Sheen had met four years prior while part of the touring production ofThe Seagull. The exes later starred in 2003’sUnderworldtogetherbefore separating.
She attended New York University
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Lily was accepted into college in December 2016 and enrolled at New York University the following year.
The proud parents couldn’t contain their excitement for Lily, with Beckinsale sharing photos of her, Sheen and Lily reacting to the admission news.
“The appropriate fatherly response when you find out your girl got into college: burst into tears, drop everything, rush over and pick up everyone even remotely involved,” Beckinsalewrote on Instagramalongside photos of Sheen lifting both her and Lily up. “We are so unbelievably proud of you . Fly fly fly ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️.”
She and her mom are close
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While Lily was away at college, Beckinsale shared a photo of herselfsniffing one of her daughter’s socks. “I think kids think when they grow up and leave home you have nothing to do all day,” the new empty nester wrote on Instagram. “When in fact one can have a rich and full life huffing one’s way through their sock drawer and wearing all their pants at once.”
But Beckinsale later admitted onGood Morning Americathat she only did that to embarrass her daughter.
“I said, ‘If you leave home, just know I’m going to be going through your underwear drawer, just huffing everything while you’re gone. I won’t be going out. I won’t have a life. I’m just going to be smelling your underpants and your socks.’ " She later clarified, “I’m not really.”
She did not see her mom for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic
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Lily and her motherwere separated for two yearsduring the COVID-19 pandemic. Beckinsale was also working in Canada then, and Lily could not visit.
“Two years of not seeing your child is to me the most preposterous thought,” Beckinsale said during an appearance onLive with Kelly and Ryanin 2021.
“Thank goodness for FaceTime and all that,” she added. “But we’re both panicking that we’re going to look really old to each other.”
A production ofHigh School Musicalinspired her to pursue acting
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In an interview withUSA Today, Lily said she knew she wanted to be an actress after playing drama teacher Ms. Darbus in a theater group production ofHigh School Musical.
“But I had the wig, and the outfit, and I remember there was a night when I was on stage and I was supposed to be scolding Troy or something, I got chills,” she told the outlet. “I was like, ‘I feel like her and it’s the whole look and everything.’ "
She added: “Being 9, I’m playing a 50-year-old woman. So it was amazing. It is transformative, and that’s what I really liked about it.”
She starred in a movie with Nicolas Cage
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Lily playedNicolas Cage’s daughter in the 2022 movieThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. She had also previously appeared in movies with her mom, includingUnderworld: Evolution,ClickandEverybody’s Fine.
The young actress revealed toColliderin 2022 that her parents were “very adamant” about her having an education and “some semblance of normalcy” growing up.
“I’ve just been trying to kind of learn how to be a human person, you know?” Lily said. “But when I moved to New York for school, that’s when I started auditioning again and trying my best.”
And despite having two parents in the business, Beckinsale said she only gives her daughter acting advice when Lily asks for it. “I’m not calling her up and saying, ‘Now, I’ve got a pearl of wisdom, get ready!’ " she toldEntertainment Tonightin 2021. “It’s been very important to me to bevery independent in that respect.”
Beckinsale added, “I think it’s really important to her to have her own thing and blaze her own trail and do her own stuff. So as much as it’s quite difficult not to kind of be poking into her business all the time, I really do respect that and I admire how much she wants to be independent from us.”
Beckinsale and Sheen are supportive of her career
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Lily had thesupport of her proud momat the premiere ofThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talentat SXSW in March 2022.
“The movie is bonkers and amazing and everyone is wonderful but obviously she’s my favourite. So excited to see you fly, little bird 💕💕💕💕.”
source: people.com
