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16 Jan 2026 11:07
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    True Whitaker manifested her own acting career with crystals and her dad Forest's Emmy Award

    The 27-year-old star is the daughter of Hollywood legend Forest Whitaker and his ex-wife Keisha Nash, and she has clarified a storied told by I Love LA creator and star Rachel Sennott, who claimed True slept with the 2003 trophy - which he won for Door To Door - under her pillow to bring her luck with her audition for the HBO comedy.


    However, she told New York Magazine: "It's even worse: I took the Emmy outside with crystals under a full moon, and every time I walked by, I would pause and manifest next to it.

    "You can have your opinion on that, but it's too big to fit under my pillow."

    While some second generation performers might shy away from being labeled a nepo-baby, True insisted she has no shame around her family ties.

    She added: "My dad has mastered his craft and has really been so inspiring.

    "I'm not ashamed of nepotism in that way."

    She has even tackled the subject head on in I Love LA, in which she plays Alani, the daughter of an Oscar-winning director.

    While she could relate to parts of the story, the actress noted some aspects didn't resonate, such as another character who goes by a different name to keep her family connections a secret.

    However, True explained: "We've come from a slave background in America.

    "I'm proud of the way he's been able to make a name for himself."

    True grew up performing skits for her parents, although she went into acting later, after finding the passion after starting to study creative writing at NYU in 2017.

    She recalled one bold moment during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic when she was taking a remote musical theatre class through NY's Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

    She laughed: "I did a full performance of Just You Wait from My Fair Lady with choreography that I had come up with and everything.

    "Everyone else just sang their song with their computer in their lap. But you know what? You can't say I didn't go for it."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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