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Will Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Kids Follow in Her Acting Footsteps? She Says…

Not only has Jennifer Love Hewitt's real-life husband Brian Hallisay appeared opposite her on 9-1-1, daughter Autumn made a cameo. She told E! News if more of her kids might follow suit.

By Meaghan Kirby May 20, 2024 4:52 PM
| Updated May 21, 2024 3:45 PM
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For Jennifer Love Hewitt, her entire party of five are fans of her show 9-1-1.

And not just because her real-life husband Brian Hallisay has appeared on the hit procedural over the years as her character Maddie's horrible late ex Doug. The couple's kids Autumn James, 10, Atticus James, 8, and Aidan James, 2, recently began watching the show and it's safe to say they are massive fans. But as to whether seeing their parents onscreen has sparked their interest in acting, Jennifer admitted it's a bit of a mixed bag so far.

"Atticus is very clear on the fact that he does not want to," she told E! News in an exclusive interview. "He finds it very nerve-wracking and he's like, ‘I do not want people to get upset with me if I mess up a line or something so I'm just not into it.'"

"Autumn, on the other hand, is ready to walk a red carpet tomorrow," Jennifer continued. "She is me when I was that age—which is really scary— but I can see it in her. I think she really wants to do it.

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Jennifer Love Hewitt Through the Years

That's not to say the 10-year-old is signing up for casting calls just yet. As the Can't Hardly Wait star added, "She's also got a really good head on her shoulders and she's kind of like, ‘But I don't want it to mess with my time at school and I want to go to college and I want to do this.' So, I think she's going to be more balanced than me."

Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

While the 45-year-old got her start as a child star, on shows like Kids Incorporated and Party of Five, when it comes to her eldest, she noted, "I'd like her to wait a little bit longer—not for any other reason but just I think it's beautiful to be a kid and like not have to deal with all this stuff."

That said, Autumn has gotten to experience life on the set of 9-1-1—which moved to ABC from Fox for season seven—alongside her parents.

"She was on 9-1-1," Jennifer explained. "She did play Doug and Maddie's daughter in one scene—which some people caught and some people did not—a flashback of what would have happened if Doug and Maddie had stayed married. So that was actually Autumn."

But ultimately, when it comes to her kids pursuing acting like her and Brian, Jennifer recalled the important conversations her late mom Patricia Mae Hewitt used to have with her.

"My mom's thing with me was always just like, ‘Is it fun?'" Jennifer shared. "She did a fun check in a lot with me. She was like, ‘Does it feel like work? Or does it feel like fun?' Naturally, there's long hours so it'll feel like work but she was like, ‘Are you having a good time?' So, I always tell my kids, ‘I work long hours and I work a lot. And I still love it—I still have fun doing it.' So, I think I would just tell them to do that for themselves. Check in. Work should feel like work, but it should also feel like fun." 

For Jennifer, that fun will continue this fall as 9-1-1 has been renewed for season eight. The final episodes of season seven air Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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