Laura Dern, 55, is a proud mother as she presents her actress daughter Jaya, 17

Laura Dern looked like a proud mom when she showed off her teenage daughter this weekend.

The Big Little Lies actress posed with her 17-year-old daughter, Jaya Harper, who is a budding actress. The teen’s father is musician Ben Harper who was with Dern from 2005 to 2013.

The mother-daughter pair were seen at the 2nd Annual Academy Museum Gala at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

Her baby! The Big Little Lies actress posed with her 17-year-old daughter, Jaya Harper, who is a budding actress

Laura looked elegant in a ruby ​​red dress with gold heels and her little girl went for blue and black.

Earlier this year, Laura revealed that she’s making Jaya wait until she’s older to get into show business.

Jaya has already decided that she wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps in the acting profession, but is forced to focus on her studies for the time being.

while on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Laura, 55, explained that her own experiences becoming an actress at age 11 influenced her decision to keep Jaya waiting.

Cuties: The mother-daughter pair were spotted at the 2nd Annual Academy Museum Gala at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

Still a stunner: Laura looked elegant in a ruby ​​red dress with gold heels while her little girl wore blue and black

She confessed to Ellen that “something very touching is going on” her daughter’s desire to act as the career runs in the family.

Not only is Laura an Oscar-winning actress herself, but her parents Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd are also Oscar-nominated actors.

Laura shares Jaya with her ex-husband Ben Harper, with whom she also has a 20-year-old son named Ellery, who wants to be a musician like his father.

During Ellen’s show, Laura said of her daughter, “I’m so glad she’s waiting and wants to go to school, but in her heart she really knows she wants to act.”

Side by Side: Dern revealed she’s making her daughter wait until she’s older to get into show business; pictured in December at the West Side Story premiere

The Father: Dern and musician Ben Harper arrive at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards at Nokia Theater in 2008

Chitchat: She told Ellen that ‘something very touching is going on’ her daughter’s desire to act like the career runs in the family

Next Generation: During Ellen’s show, Laura said of her daughter: ‘I’m so happy she’s waiting and wants to go to school, but in her heart she really knows she wants to act’

Laura, who has starred in multiple films with her own mother, said, “If she does, we might one day have the privilege of working together.”

However, Laura also revealed that she was the one who insisted that Jaya wait a little longer before venturing into the entertainment industry.

The actress acknowledged that Jaya “often says, “You didn’t wait!” and yes, actually I’m making her wait.’

When Ellen asked if Laura wished Bruce and Diane had kept her waiting, Laura thought about the question and replied, “In a sense.”

However, she added that she “forced” her parents to let her act, “and I lied and I pushed and I lied about age.”

Family Business: Not only is Laura an Oscar-winning actress herself, but her parents Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd are also Oscar-nominated actors; seen in 2019

“To your parents?” Ellen joked, and Laura joked in response, “I told my parents I was 15 – they were very busy, they didn’t remember.”

Laura “keep pushing” to get into the company, but “also saw the consequences of not being in school, but just doing my thing.”

Even before she was 11 years old, Laura had small cameos in her mother’s films, such as the 1974 Martin Scorsese film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

Her first real role was a small part in the 1980 film Foxes, the directorial debut of Adrian Lyne who specialized in erotic thrillers such as Unfaithful.

When she was just 11, Foxes kick-started her acting career that led her to be emancipated from her parents at age 16, exempting her from the child labor laws that previously limited her daily working hours.