Sometimes, when you’re watching a show, one of the actors looks really familiar, but you can’t figure out why. When watchingWe Were Liars, this may have happened, and for good reason. Mamie Gummer, the actress playing Carrie Sinclair, is the daughter ofa true Hollywood legend.
Gummer is one of Meryl Streep’s three daughterswith her former husband, sculptor Don Gummer. Gummer has a successful resume in her own right and isn’t the only one of her siblings to take after her mother. Alongside her sisters, Grace Gummer and Louisa Jacobson, Gummer is building upon the family’s acting legacy.
We Were Liarsoffered a glimpse of Gummer and her on-screen abilities. It’s really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her talent and that of her entire family.
Long Before ‘We Were Liars,’ Mamie Gummer Started Acting as a Toddler
Born Mary Willa Gummer, Mamie Gummer is the oldest daughter of Meryl Streep and her ex-husband, Don Gummer. WhenGummer was just 20 months old, she appeared inHeartburn(1986) opposite her mother and Jack Nicholson.At the time, her real identity wasn’t known because she used the name Natalie Stern. Walter Goodman fromThe New York Timesnoted inhis review ofHeartburnthat, “In particular, Natalie Stern, an inordinately cute baby, is already accomplished enough to steal scenes even from Miss Streep.”
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After graduating from Northwestern University in 2005, Gummer took up acting under her real name. Her first movie role was inThe Hoaxwith Richard Gere and, in 2007, she played the younger version of her mother’s character inEvening. Slowly,Gummer made a name for herself, although she said in 2015, she didn’t realize how naiveshe was about the shadow her mother cast in Hollywood. Gummer admitted,
I’m continually struck by what I’ve done because it’s either the dumbest thing or the bravest thing, it just depends on the day and how I’m feeling.
‘We Were Liars’Star Mamie Gummer Appeared Opposite Her Mother Again In 2015, This Time Under Her Real Name
Mamie Gummer has spent time going from stage to television to film and back for decades. Her role asNancy Crozier inThe Good Wifepreceded a main part in the short-livedOff the Mapopposite Zach Gilford fromFriday Night Lightsin 2011. She played Dr. Mina Minard and, one year later, appeared again as a medical professional as the lead inEmily Owens, M.D.
NeitherOff the MapnorEmily Owens, M.D.,lasted more than one year. In 2015, however, Gummer was back onthe big screen with her mother, Meryl Streep, inRicki and the Flash. She played Julie Brummel, daughter of Streep’s character Linda Brummel (AKA Ricki Rendazzo). Their pairing added authenticity to thedifficult relationship between the Brummels, one that Gummer talked about in 2015. She toldThe West AustralianthatStreep intentionally kept her distance from her while they were filmingRicki and the Flash, explaining,
“I don’t really know if it was successful or if it was necessary but it made the movie you saw. Who knows… She didn’t tell me it was his intention to maintain the relationship off camera as well, soI ended up feeling left out and thinking my mum is just a big diva; she won’t speak to her co-stars. But then I got hip to what was going on.”
Gummer also said,
“A lot of great actresses have played my mother’s daughter but things just aligned and it felt like the right material and timing… It was an ineffable weird thing; I don’t know why this one and why now. It was just right…. it has been nice because it’s a celebration of that fact rather than trying to deny it or get around [who her mother is].”
Mamie Gummer’s Two Sisters Have Also Followed in Their Mother’s Footsteps
In addition to Mamie’s acting career,Grace Gummer and Louisa Jacobson created successful careers as the children of Meryl Streep. They have a brother, too, Henry Wolfe Gummer, who has had some small acting roles but is largely focused on music.
Grace Gummer has also stepped in to play her mother’s younger counterpart in movies likeThe House of the Spirits(1993), but is best known for her performances inMr. RobotandThe Newsroom. She has also appeared in several iterations of theAmerican Horror Storyfranchise alongside movie roles inFrances Ha(2012) and Beast of Burden(2018).
The Gilded Age Cast: Character Guide and Descriptions
With HBO greenlighting season two of The Gilded Age, it is the perfect time to look back at season one’s characters
Louisa Jacobson, who changed her professional name because there was already a member of the Screen Actors Guild named Louisa Gummer, shifted from Broadway to television inThe Gilded Age.Jacobson stars as Marian Brook, and, while she knew her parentage might lead to accusations of nepo baby status,the actress toldElle,
I just love [acting] so much… And I want it so badly. Nothing’s going to get in the way of that.
Having two sisters, especially ones with whom she has commonalities, may havebenefited Mamie Gummer on the set ofWe Were Liars.Candice King, who plays Bess Sinclair, sister of Penny (Caitlin Fitzgerald) and Carrie (Gummer),toldPeopleshe and her on-screen siblingsbonded quickly on the first day of filming. She assuredPeoplethat they are all “Much nicer to each other in real life than we are on television. I think we were able to be so unkind to each other [on camera] because it felt like a really safe space.”
