Kate Beckinsale Says Daughter Wants to be a Writer

Flynet

Art imitated life recently for Kate Beckinsale‘s 9-year-old daughter Lily Mo Sheen when — in the film Everybody’s Fine, due out in 2009 – she made her acting debut, portraying Kate’s character as a child. Though Lily may or may not pursue a career in the entertainment industry, from the sound of things, it will not be in front of the cameras! "She told me that she enjoyed the experience, but would rather become a writer instead," Kate tells the December issue of Elle UK. She adds,

"She’s currently writing seven novels. Quite a girl, my Lily."

In the meantime Kate, 35, says that mom and daughter enjoy passing the time by watching humorous British advertisements on YouTube. She jokes that she’s hoping "to teach Lily about proper culture, and to make her realize there is a wider world outside all this."

Lily’s father is Kate’s ex-boyfriend Michael Sheen; her next movie, Nothing But The Truth, is due in theaters next month.

Source: Elle UK

Comments

They so remind me of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, which is totally awesome. Even in terms of physical resemblance. Makes me laugh.

- Jaycee on November 10th, 2008

My girl is like Lily Mo.Her dream career is to be a poet or a novelist.It’s always adorable to see children reading and enjoying themselves through books and imagination.

- eva on November 10th, 2008

Proper culture! Ha, that’s funny. I wonder if she means US versus UK culture or film versus say literary culture or Hollywood versus other cultures, etc.

- Lilybett on November 10th, 2008

lol that’s cute!

Lilybett, I have the magazine and she means UK versus US. She’s showing Lily funny UK ads.

I like how she wants to have Lily know about British culture and speak with a British accent. Both her parents are from there and even if she’s growing up in L.A. it will only do her good to know about her roots =)

- Alice on November 11th, 2008

In that case I would advice caution for Kate and other parents who are righteously proud of their heritage.Yes, Kate and Michael are British and that ties Lily Mo to the country and its culture quite closely.Her ancestors come from there so it is important for her to know about the UK and whenever possible visit, not as a tourist but as a person eager to learn and embrace what is admirable and interesting to her about the UK.

That being said,if the child is being brought up in LA then she’s and will be an American.It’s not so bad,I promise.An American with British ancestry.A past that of course needs to be recognize and celebrated but cannot (in any realistic way) erase the American part.

I am not advocating for melting-pot ideals where everyone acts the same, believes the same things and has the same sense of morality (that would really suck for everyone)but it isn’t fair to diminish what is invevitably Lily Mo’s own culture,American culture with proud hints of the UK.If you want your child to be the same nationality and culture as yours raise them in your country and in your community.

I am not an American.My husband was not an American.Still,I respect and cherish what is honest and respectable in American culture because my daughter is an American.The US is her country and as much as my heart and sould are in Chile and I want my child to be able to relate to Chileans and remember her rich family history,I cannot turn her into what she is not.

- eva on November 11th, 2008

eva, nothing in the interview made me think that kate is teaching lily to not like america. i’m not sure that her actions warrant some kind of caution against the pitfalls of raising culturally aware kids.

i am an american who was raised by foreign-born parents. i was surrounded by our culture/religion growing up (and now). but, by virtue of growing up in this country and going to school here, i naturally think of myself as an american. i never thought of myself as any less american for having a different culture. and, there is no rule saying that i can only be one thing.

it’s a shame that foreign-born parents are made to feel like they have to choose between their cultures and “american culture” or somehow their children will grow up unamerican. that notion is ridiculous to me. it is possible for lily to identify with being both american and british at the same time.

- Sarah on November 11th, 2008

I know this is tottaly off topic but, i can some how see lily dating the eldest beckahm boy. :p

- Lauren on November 11th, 2008

Sarah that was exactly my point.Sorry if it wasn’t clear. I think that Lily Mo can have th best of both worlds and feel unique and proud of being the daughter of two UK citizens in the US.What prompted my to write the comment was Alice’s info. that Kate meant UK culture by proper culture. That would mean that only one side of Lily Mo’s reality is appropiate and desirable while the other is well… not proper.
I am not afraid of sharing my heritage and past with my child or my students for that matter.In no way do I think that my country of origin makes my child anyless American.I however,choose to remain a citizen of my country of birth and leave it to my kid to be a citizen of the world.

- eva on November 11th, 2008

Lily making her film debut? She’s already been in two films – and has in fact already played her mother as a child once before (in the second Underworld movie.)

That aside, I’ve always liked Lily Sheen. She sounds like quite a character, and it’s sweet how besotted Kate is with her daughter, even after she’s outgrown the cute baby years.

- Molly on November 11th, 2008

Lovely. Wonderful to encourage this obviously bright girl in a field for which she has talent and love. Kudos!

- amanda on November 11th, 2008

I love this mommy and daughter duo, I bet they are so close and share ‘everything’

- Bren on November 11th, 2008

Eva, I think they’re writting acting debut because I’m fairly sure that this time she’ll have lines in the movie.

- Linny on November 11th, 2008

oh eva, I’m sorry if I didn’t explain it well, Kate was joking when she said proper culture, because the interview is for the British edition of Elle. So they always say the same things about her in British mags : Kate now looks totally the Hollywood A-list star but she stil feels British blah blah. She doesn’t tell Lily that British culture is more proper than American culture. She only shows her old ads that she liked when she lived there, just like you would share childhood pictures I guess.

She said in the interview that her driver is British and Lily’s nanny too but Lily goes to an American school and her (step)dad is American so she’s definitely in both cultures. She just wants to give her a chance to experience just as much of the one she’s not living in every day.

- Alice on November 11th, 2008

Her driver??? Why does she need a driver? What’s wrong with driving her own car? Or if she can’t drive, maybe her nanny could? Perhaps that makes more sense in the “proper culture.” In my world, driving and caring for your kids is proper culture!

- Snapper on November 11th, 2008

My kid is American but fully appreciates her British, Jamaican and Barbadian culture. She is proud of each country in every arena – sports, food, speech, travel etc. She is truly cosmopolitan and is even prouder to be American now that Barack Obama is the first black president.

Show your kids the world and they will respect it.

- britmama on November 11th, 2008