Judd Apatow Supports His Daughters in Showbiz: “They Should Attempt to Be the Boss” (EXCLUSIVE)

It runs in the family! During an exclusive interview with Closer Weekly, Judd Apatow opened up about having his and Leslie Mann's daughters — 19-year-old Maude and 15-year-old Iris — in showbiz with mom and dad! Fans of the family will recall they starred alongside their mother in Judd's flicks Knocked Up and This Is 40.

"I was lucky enough to work with Leah Donovan and see how she built her own career by learning how to write, direct, star, and produce — and I think that's what women in our industry need to do. They shouldn't have to jump in and try to get a job acting — they should attempt to be the boss or the one making the projects," he explained.

"I would encourage my children to learn how to do everything if they want to be in the business. My daughter Iris is one of the stars of our TV show on Netflix and is really quite an amazing actress. Maude is in a movie at Sundance his year — Affirmation Nation — and I always encourage anybody to try not to get a real job."

Closer Weekly caught up with Judd as he promoted his latest Netflix special, Judd Apatow: The Return — where the director and producer returns to stand-up comedy for the first time in 20 years. "I missed it. I was working with Amy Schumer on Trainwreck and she was going on these tours and it sounded like so much fun. It reminded me that that was my original dream, to be a comedian," he shared.

"I was performing in Montreal and there were people from Netflix there, and after the show they asked, 'Do you want to do a special?' I said, 'Okay, but give me another year.' I took a year to really focus on it and hopefully that paid off." It certainly did, Judd!

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