Yahoo Finance The Way Mother-Daughter Duo Zoey Deutch and Lea Thompson Bond Is So Relatable
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Zoey Deutch didn't have your typical childhood. The star of Netflix's The Politician is the daughter of actress Lea Thompson (Back to the Future) and director Howard Deutch (Pretty in Pink), so when she and her older sister Madelyn were kids, visiting film and TV sets was as common as visiting the park. But despite growing up around actors and fancy showbiz events, Deutch reveals that her family held on tight to an extremely normal nightly tradition: cooking dinner at home.
"I have so much gratitude for my mom and dad making it a priority in our childhood to sit down and have a home-cooked family meal every night, when it was possible," Deutch tells HelloGiggles over a recent phone call. "And they made sure we always did the dishes together and didn't watch TV or be on our phones during dinner, but had a quality experience with our meal."
Courtesy of Zoey Deutch
These core values have stuck with Deutch over the years. Even now, at 26, the actress (who's also known for her roles in films like Set It Up and Before I Fall) says she still hears her mom's voice in her head when she orders takeout.
"Growing up, we never, ever ordered dinner in, because my mom always cooked," she says. "Honestly, I still feel guilty whenever I order in. I do it a lot, but I still feel like, 'Oh, but my mom!'"
Yet, like many of us, Deutch admittedly indulges in takeout from time to time; most recently, while shooting the upcoming American crime drama The Outfit in England, she took advantage of the convenience of ordering from Uber Eats (with whom she recently teamed up with for the brand's partnership with American Express).
"I was staying an hour outside of London and there literally wasn't a grocery store," Deutch explains. "So, I would Uber Eats my groceries and takeout, and also order a coffee every single day from London. Without it, I would have been in a dire situation."
Deutch wrapped filming The Outfit in early April and was back in the States just in time to get vaccinated before Easter, which she celebrated in L.A. with her family. At the time of our conversation, Deutch had just spent her first night at home with her parents, and not unlike many other 20-somethings, she says she got into a laundry-related debacle with her mom soon after her arrival.
"I brought my laundry over like a bad millennial and my mom was folding it and was like, 'What is wrong with you? You're a 26-year-old woman. Why am I folding your laundry?'" Deutch recalls. "And I was like, 'Mom, you should just feel so lucky I haven't been to jail!' and she was like, 'That's irrelevant!'"
This relatable bickering is showcased in the pair's most recent project, A Total Switch Show, an Audible Original podcast that follows a 23-year-old woman and her 54-year-old mom (played by Deutch and Thompson, respectively) who switch bodies—and are not happy about it.
"It's an ode to classic body swap comedies, but more of a NSFW ode to Freaky Friday," Deutch explains of the podcast, out now. "It's a hilarious, irreverent, fun, and absurd thing and there's a lot of cursing, which comes naturally to her and me. People might be surprised to hear that about my mom because she has a sweet girl, Minnesotan image, but she can definitely curse, as can I."
A Total Switch Show isn't the first project the mother-daughter duo has worked on together. In 2017, Thompson directed both of her children in The Year of Spectacular Men, which Madelyn, 30, wrote. The trio is clearly a busy bunch, so when they get the chance to hang out at home together, Zoey says they love to spend time whipping up recipes in the kitchen.
"We all cook differently, which is fun, because we can teach each other different things," Deutch explains. "My mom is like, 'whatever's in the fridge, we'll make it work!' My sister is more [regimented]. Cooking is meditative for me; I have a very scattered brain, and when you're cooking, you can't focus on one thing at a time—you have to be thinking about a million different things. So, there's a meditative state that comes in to play for me during that."
Cooking will definitely be involved in the Deutch-Thompson Mother's Day celebration this weekend. Zoey says she's utilizing her Amex Gold Card, which will give her four times the points on groceries right now, so she and Madelyn can cook a "feast" for Thompson. It'll include "Bolognese or chicken piccata,"Deutch reveals, with a side of their staple "Deutch Girls Salad," made up of romaine ("the way I clean my lettuce has gone so OCD overboard, thanks to TikTok"), carrots, celery, avocado, marinated shallots, and a homemade dressing that sounds delicious, TBH.
"We pride ourselves on even people who say they hate salads being like, 'Fuck, this is a really good salad,'" Deutch says. Turns out, acting isn't the only talent the Deutch women have in common.
