Riley Keough: Nepo babies, Addiction & Grief (FBF)

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2:33What is up, daddy gang? It is your founding father, Alex Cooper with Call Her Daddy. Riley Keough, welcome to Call Her Daddy. Thank you. I am such a big fan. Thank you for being here. Thank you for having me. Of course. I huge Daisy Jones and the Six. Oh, cool. like binged the whole thing and said really loved it thanks for watching my husband was like all right you could take a break I'm like no no it's kind of one of those where you just got to get I gotta go yeah I gotta get to the end it was awesome what was your favorite part of playing that role I think getting to learn like to sing and play guitar was my favorite part because it was that I think that's one of my favorite things about acting in general is learning like a whole new skill set and this one was like very in like normally you do a few rehearsals or do if you're you know training to do I don't know to be a dancer or whatever I don't know like I've never done something so involved like I haven't had to fully learn to like sing and play guitar uh so I found that really fun wait you were doing like full voice lessons we were doing yeah like we had band practice every day and it was like a year long.

3:52But we needed it. Like none of us, not none of us, a few of us had never picked up an instrument and or sang. Was there ever a point in your life that you would have considered a music career? Never. No. Never. No, I still would never. I'm not a singer. I feel like you have a good voice unless they auto-tuned it. It's fine. They didn't auto-tune it, but I have a fine voice. I just got by. But I I uh I'm a realist and I know I'm not a singer the fact that you're telling me they didn't edit your voice you have a good voice they didn't edit it I think you called them they're like oh babe that shit was auto-tuned I think they I don't think they auto-tuned I think the whole point was because it was meant to sound 1970s that you wouldn't do that yeah yeah you sounded gorgeous okay lean I I felt proud that I was able to do it because there was like a conversation about potentially getting like vocal stunt doubles or something.

4:51Oh my god. And so I felt really determined to make it work and I feel proud we made it work. You know, I don't think I'm like the best singer in the world and I, you know, that's fine. You made it work with flying colors. I made it work. I love how you're like, oh, like I, no, no, no, I like never sang. From my research, you and Dakota Johnson were in a band together in New York City. Don't lie to my face. This is so funny. This comes up so often. And like, I think that we need to do something here because yes, we were in a band, but the band was me and her sitting with her brother around a table in her apartment in New York with photo booth, like doing covers of songs.

5:30But here's the thing. Neither of us were confident singers. So we would just kind of like all sing together. Oh, so you were all competing for like the lead role. We were all the lead role. You're all the lead. Wait, what was the band called? Fokey Porn. Fokey Porn? Perfect for Color Daddy. Wait, I'm obsessed. I had a band at one point and I was like so committed. Did you really? Yeah, but it was so bad. What did you do? So, yeah, well, here's the thing. You know, I started as like the electric guitarist. Cool. But that is like loosely saying that. The only song I could do. A loose electric guitar.

6:05Yeah. I relate. I'm a loose guitar player. I like looked incredible holding it. Okay. But the minute I would get going, it was I was giving nothing. Right. I knew how to play the like, whatever that song is. I could do those like three little things. That was all I knew. Our band was called The Aliens. It was a big deal. It was in my basement. And then we changed it to Green Jelly. Cool. Were the other people in the band also loose musicians? Everyone was loose. okay everyone was loose okay we were kind of just there for the vibes yeah our sign was on like printer paper with like a little marker right it was edgy it was the thing i actually paid my neighbors at one point like 25 cents to come watch us perform wow they were upset that we wasted their time so like i'm a big band girl so dakota and i didn't get like that far into it we kind of like it lasted maybe like three days and uh then it was over the band broke up good to know good to know we how do you guys know each other like when did you become friends uh we became friends because we both grew up in LA and just there was some kind of I had a friend who was friends with her boyfriend and we met at like an in and out parking lot and then we went to all the same parties in LA at like 16, 17 and I'd see her out and about and then I became friends with her boyfriend.

7:36And then so I went to go see his band play and she was always there and she was like the coolest girl. The coolest. The coolest. She still is. She is. And then we just, I don't know, became friends. Don't you love when like people are obsessed with like celebrity friendships? We're like, no, no, no. Come on. Tell us more. You're like, we're just friends. We're like, we hung out. We're at In-N-Out, bitch. Sometimes we hang out and talk on the phone. I think because it makes people feel like closer to you guys of like you guys are obviously both like very cool interesting people and so I think to know that you guys are friends people like I'm like come on give me more tea I can give you tea I just don't really have any but if there's anything you can think of I'm gonna get I'm a tea giver okay okay good you did show up today and be like we don't have to cry I just don't want you to feel pressure I don't want you to feel pressure at all.

8:28If you hate any of my questions, let me know. We can pivot. Deal. Okay, good. How do you think? Hey, what? Hey, let's sit in silence. I do love that you were 30 minutes old, like early and you brought no one. Yeah. Can I tell you, I've had people come to my studio with like a whole 20 people, 10 people, five people. But the solo solo is a first. Here's my answer. I'm not like technically on like a press tour right now. So I'm not – I have no problem going places all by myself, you know? I love that for you. And I actually enjoy it. I am the same way whenever I go on a podcast, which is rare. I'm like, no one come with me.

9:13I'm going to let it rip. Yeah. Let God go with me. The cool thing about not having a publicist here is I can say whatever I want. For sure. Then she's going to call you after and be like, what was it? And you're like, I don't remember. We talked for almost an hour. Like, who knows? Just let it be. You know what I mean? It's fine. You're not going to get canceled from this. How would your friends describe you? Oh, my gosh. That's such a hard question. I don't know. I have no idea. Like, in what way? Like, how would they describe you? Like, if Dakota was in the room right now, like, what would she say about you?

9:44Oh, we should we could call her also. Do you want to? Let's call her. Hold on. That will be fucking funny. Go get your phone. So she didn't answer. Okay, let's call another friend. Okay. All you're asking is how would you describe me as a friend? How would you describe me as a friend? I'm on a show. Give me a good answer. So do you want them to be famous or not? I mean, famous is fun. Famous is more fun. They're like, I'll call John. It's so funny because people – I do this a lot where people will be like, how would your friends – or what friends could we speak to about you for this interview?

10:13And I give like all my closest friends and they're like, but what about like famous ones? They're like, no, no, no. We don't care about Cassidy. like we don't want you know yeah yeah yeah it's so funny okay should i try zoe kravitz yeah let's give her a go the nepo baby phone i'm upset okay okay oh my god hello hi wait you're on air

10:44call her daddy is brought to you by ritual let me tell you a little something i love summer Oh, I love summer so much. But when I tell you, I get so excited for my plans and then I'm like, oh my God, but then I'm going to eat and I'm going to be out and then I'm going to, oh my God, am I going to have digestion issues? Am I going to get bloated? Am I going to have discomfort? All of it. We don't need to live like that. Okay. Don't let your gut keep you from living your best life. Ladies with rituals, Symbiotic Plus, you only need one capsule a day for simple streamlined gut support. Symbiotic Plus is a complete biotic formula with clinically studied pre-pro and postbiotics in clinically studied doses to support a balanced gut microbiome.

11:25Probiotics are only able to stay in the gut for a few days or weeks at a time. So consistent use can help support the benefits we do not need. Guys, I'm telling you, I'm not going to dinners anymore. I'm not going to feel that way because of ritual. We need to take care of ourselves. So if this is your sign, if you're like, oh, Alex, you're so right. Summer's coming. I want to feel good. I Support a balanced gut microbiome with Ritual Symbiotic Plus. Save 25 % on your first month at ritual.com slash callherdaddy. That's ritual.com slash callherdaddy for 25 % off your first month. Enjoy, Daddy Gang.

12:09Call Her Daddy is brought to you by Sephora. From less is more days to full glam routines, everything you need for all things beauty is at Sephora. yep Sephora is where you will find the hottest newest products you won't find anywhere else the ones popping up in every get ready with me think summery fragrances like Kali Eden plush pear 23 eau de parfum next level makeup the skincare that keeps you glowing like it's your full-time job shop the newest hottest beauty only at Sephora hello I'm chewing sorry so what are you eating what are you eating I'm eating um toast I'm I'm eating raisin toast.

12:49So good. Sending raisin toast with butter. Okay, so I'm on a podcast and they asked me to call a friend to describe how you would describe me. As a friend. As a friend. As a friend. I would describe you as a ride or die. Like you are down for whatever. You will always show up all the time. You're very consistent. Like I feel like me and you will like not talk or see each other for like six months. And then it's like we just pick up where we left off. and I think you're really good at keeping secret gonna tell those on this pod actually um and you're incredibly loyal and you're funny you're funny as hell and you're honest keep going um you always text me back that's so cute and it's true you're welcome love you bye one more you're just like you're such a bitch you're a bitch really

13:58you're the nicest person in the world okay I love you

14:05I'm obsessed thank you for doing that first of all imagine if you're like I'm just kidding I'm not on a podcast I'm just like feeling needy today keep going yeah right okay those that feels pretty accurate i don't know i didn't really hear much she said i was loyal she said you were loyal i blacked out really good at keeping secrets you're like no no i am on air don't say anything crazy i got nervous of what she's gonna say no all of that was lovely okay and i when she said you were a bitch i'm like that is the complete opposite of what i'm getting you're you are very like gentle soul thank you um i think that i would say I would I am a loyal friend I I do really care about my friends and you know I love hope I think allegedly allegedly um okay let's talk about the book it is so fascinating like what you wrote about yeah um from here to the great unknown first of all just to like tell the daddy gang my audience.

15:03Like, how did this book come to be? This book came to be because my mother was in the middle of writing her autobiography. And in December, she came to me and said, you know, I need help. Like she couldn't, she didn't really, I think she just got to a point where she was feeling frustrated and she didn't like talking about herself. So writing an autobiography was difficult and she asked if I would help her. And then she passed away a month later. So I just found myself like it was just this thing that I had to do. So I just completed her memoir, which was, you know, very intense. How long did it take you?

15:50Oh my gosh. Probably Probably about a year. Yeah. Wow. Start to finish. How do you think like having that project to work on after your mom passed like helped you work through your feelings? Well, I think that when I started working on the book, it was only like three, four months after she'd passed away. So it was very like intense and I didn't really want to be doing it, to be honest. um it felt like this thing I had to complete and so I was a little bit resistant in the beginning and it's also like it's it's very out of my comfort zone to write a story or tell all the things like my family's personal all these vulnerable things about my family right um it's not something that I would do otherwise you know so it was there was a lot I felt very very resistant but ultimately I was doing it for her and it's what she wanted and I knew how much she wanted to finish her autobiography and share her story so people could understand her more and also so she could relate to people and she's been through so much and I think that largely why she did this was to kind of share her experience in grief and addiction and these very human things And so, yeah, so I would say that I did it, but I wasn't like really excited to do it.

17:18No, I think like hearing you even say that is interesting when you said like my natural reaction isn't to just like spill all family secrets. And I think just to clarify for anyone that is not like familiar with like your family lineage, like you are Elvis's granddaughter. Your mom was Elvis's only daughter. And so I get what you're saying is like it's a very famous family that you come from. So to write basically like a big book being like here's detail by detail what went down. Usually we don't get that from very famous families. Yes. And, you know, particularly in my family growing up and with my mom, she was extremely private.

17:59She hated talking to the press. She didn't want to be famous. Like she was born into a situation she really didn't enjoy. And growing up in the world we grew up in was very private, very secretive, very like everything was a security issue. Like there was no talking to friends about things like our family stuff was, you know, everything was very private. it so it was a lot of uh I had to push through that sort of uncomfortable feeling of like sharing all this information but the other thing is is like as a person I'm a very honest person and I also couldn't imagine so she like she was uncomfortably honest so I think I couldn't have imagined a version of her book where she didn't you know share all these things yeah and go all in.

18:52Yeah. Your baby photo was sold for$300 ,000 on the cover of People magazine. Like that is insane. What's insane is like$300 then was like$300 ,000. $300 ,000. It was like a million like close to a million dollars. Like you're so wanted. Well, well used to be. Can you like looking back at your childhood, obviously growing up in this famous family, what is something that was definitely not normal that like you got pretty used to because you were just like oh I thought this was our reality like all of it you know like if I if I like shared the day-to-day growing up it would probably be like you know crazy to give us a little come on well it was just a lot of like thing like it was very like high security and like for going somewhere it was like lots of people following us and very like intense and chaotic and like going through, you know, I don't know.

19:52Like, how are you so calm? I don't know. I'm not at all. You're like internally I'm burning. Internally I'm burning down all day. It's the external, you're keeping it all together. But internally? Yes. Okay, good to know. How would you have described yourself as a kid? I was very quiet, really internal. I wasn't, I got called shy a lot, but I actually wasn't shy. I just was very internal. Like I just didn't have a lot to say and just was, yeah, I was very quiet. I was like that actually most of my life until I started to realize that people would perceive that as rude. So I really pushed myself to, you know, come out of my shell.

20:41Like right now, I don't want to be talking. but I have a camera in front of you. Gotta be here. Hi everyone. Oh, that's so interesting. So if like you're in, if you're going through something in your life, whether it's like a fight with your partner or a friend, like do you just go silent? No. No. No, no, no. I'm very, I'm very emotional. I'm just not somebody like at a dinner party. Got it. If a lot of people are talking, I prefer to listen. It's just that. It's not like I'm like internalized. I'm very open with my emotions. Got it. Got it. I'm just not like a big chatter. Love. Yeah. Love. Welcome to an hour sitting down with me.

21:19Let's go, girl. I am now. I wasn't. I've grown. I've changed. You're doing great. I don't know. I hope. Where am I? The book obviously switches between like your mom and her perspective and then yours. How do you think you guys were similar as teenagers? Wow. I think I also had a moment of like she had like her rebellious moment. I also had that like where I would sneak out and you know hang out with people I shouldn't wasn't allowed to and getting arrested and you know you got arrested I did I've never said that you're like wait this is why I'm publicist where's my publicist come in no one's here to save you wait that's kind of like I I was arrested once yeah is a good mugshot I never saw it what I know you need to make t-shirts I know I was a minor so luckily I think it was like so it's like an underage yeah a lot of people that I know got those those were like I was like so terrified to get one because I like needed to go play like soccer and if you had one you couldn't play it was a whole thing right but like I was there you got you got a mug shot you didn't get I didn't get a mug shot but now in hindsight I'm like oh would have been like a little edgy so I had an edgy moment no um if we're just drinking it was for oh god i can't say this my public it was for breaking and entering where um so it was actually can so i went to a party at my friend's house okay but i didn't know that it wasn't my friend's house it was a house for sale um and so most people like the police came and most people like got away and then about 10 of us got arrested.

23:09My mom was pissed. Did she try to like get it not in the papers? No she was like this is on you girl. Yeah oh my god luckily it didn't get it wasn't in the papers. Was your mom someone that would punish you like are you getting grounded? I was grounded oh yeah I was grounded for like three months and I was grounded on my like 16th or 15th birthday or something yeah that's tough i was grounded and she was in las vegas and i had to call her and tell her to come back from vegas and pick me up in prison i've never told anyone this mom i'm in jail she's like i'm on the strip bitch what no so she she's like i can't get there so she sent my aunt to come get me.

23:58And so, you know, I had a moment. I had a moment like a moment as a teenager and she also did. Love. Yeah. Okay. You write a lot about like the different relationships that your mom had romantically throughout your childhood. When you were five, your parents got divorced because your mom wanted to marry Michael Jackson. How was this explained to you as a kid like that they were getting divorced so my mom I was like we were in Florida and I was sitting on her lap and she said I'm me and your dad are getting a divorce and I took like the way I received it was that he wasn't my dad anymore um and it was like it's so memorable to me because I just was destroyed I didn't understand what a divorce was so I just thought like he's not my dad now.

24:50But the great thing was shortly after, like they were so close and they really cared about keeping them, you know, our family dynamic the same. So he was at our house and staying over. And so he was there a lot. So I think I kind of forgot about it, which was. So you got to see like a very loving relationship between the two of them, even though they got divorced. Yeah. Like a really unique, like it was a very unique experience, especially in the 90s, you know to have both of your parents sort of like brother and sister really close living together he lived with us for a lot of my life when my mom had other partners and other uh husbands um he would live in the guest house and so my what was modeled to me was when you break up with someone you stay friends with them um and like I really like apply that to most of my relationships because that was kind of all that I that was what I saw with my parents.

25:49And it was really beautiful. I mean, they were they were like best friends and I don't know if they should have been married. We when you break up with someone or they break up with you and you're staying friends with them, have any of your past relationships been like, Riley, like we broke up. Why are like, are you still trying to stay so amicable? And are people ever confused by like how amicable you are? no because I think that like it was never a forced thing I think I just I don't know how I did it that there were there was like one relationship that there was you know no friendship there but for the most part all the other ones I don't even know it wasn't I wasn't like consciously thinking about it we just ended up friends it's just kind of like how you were raised to think that's how you go about it which is probably in hindsight like a I don't know do do we think it's a better way to go about it?

26:42Like, my feeling was always like, this is a person that I love that I spent a lot of time with. Why wouldn't I have them in my life? Yeah. If, you know, unless it was like some like crazy unhealthy situation. Yes. Of course it's uncomfortable for a minute, but I think ultimately if it's someone that I really cared that much about, then I'd want them in my life somehow. We just skirted past the big name, Michael Jackson. Okay. Let's go back for a second. so on top of like your family already being obviously so famous how did your life get even crazier when michael entered the picture because he had his own slew of like paparazzi and people following him and a media empire essentially our life wasn't crazier because that was already that already existed like the press and the crazy the paparazzi and you know all that um but her life i think when she saw michael's life there were things that he had that she didn't have like she didn't have a plane at the time or you know things like that and so her she want she then was like oh i'm i should have a plane and i should have a you know this and that and so our life in that way kind of got bigger got bigger because she before that she was with my dad and my dad, their life was very simple.

28:00Not with the press and the craziness, but in terms of like at home, like she didn't have 10 million assistants and, you know, she didn't need all of that. And I think that changed. How did your mom try to protect you and your brother from the paparazzi during all this? It's so funny because I get tagged in these photos all the time where we're wearing like a hat and glasses. And I'm like, what does that do? It's so weird. Stunning. like like a hiding I don't know like I guess they attempted to hide our faces but it was like impossible what is the most like extravagant thing Michael did for you and your brother there was a lot of like um closing down things for us um well it was kind of like the only way that our family could do things like uh if we wanted to go to a toy store or like something like that like or ride rides or you know so so it wasn't I don't know if it was necessarily done for us or for just for like our family situation where we had to shut the you know the toy stores and stuff but there was one memorable time in London where um we were in the toy store so it was just my brother and I in the whole toy store and we were just like going floor to floor to floor and like filling up our thing and yeah that was the first thing that comes to mind but I don't know if it was for us or just like the way that our life was you know call her daddy is brought to you by sephora from less is more days to full glam routines everything you need for all things beauty is at sephora yep sephora is where you will find the hottest newest products you won't find anywhere else, the ones popping up in every Get Ready With Me.

29:49Think summery fragrances like Kayali, Eden, Plush Pair 23, Eau de Parfum, Next Level Makeup, the skincare that keeps you glowing like it's your full-time job. Shop the newest, hottest beauty only at Sephora. Call Her Daddy is brought to you by Tinder. When you're into someone on Tinder, you start picking up on the little cues, like casually asking their birthday so you can look up their zodiac sign or hearing a song they love and thinking, okay, wait, this actually tells me a lot about you. That's why Tinder has astrology mode and music mode. It's an easy way to break the ice and start the conversation, daddy gang.

30:24Explore all the possibilities for yourself. Tinder, it starts with a swipe. Download Tinder today. Must be 18 plus. It's so interesting like hearing that because now I know obviously you have a daughter growing up with such lavish things around you. Have you thought to yourself like that was so normal to you? And like, how are you going to parent differently than how your mom parented you? I think she was such a, she was an amazing parent and she wanted us to have, I think like her father did these amazing experiences all the time. For me personally, I want, I think that the problem there could be for some that when you're used to so much, it's hard to find joy in simple things.

31:11And so I really want my children to be able to find joy in just, you know, playing in the backyard and doing normal kid stuff and not need like elephants and circus and, you know, like all these things all the time. So that's probably what I would do differently. But I think her intention was really you know wanting to to give everything she could to her kids have you had a hard time like finding happiness in the simple things since you were around such wealth and big moments i think that there was a time in my life where i was like oh we're not gonna you know let me think of a good example of this like like even going to dinner growing up was like 50 people It was like a big deal.

32:02Everything was a big deal all the time. So there was more of like a loneliness that I experienced in my 20s when our life was a bit different. I was just used to having so many people around and everything being so intense that I felt a little bit lonely when my life was smaller, I think. I think that's like a relatable concept. I think like I always talk to my friends who when you get older and you're like life is changing and families and Thanksgivings, like even if you look at what we see in like Hallmark movies and everything, like the bigger seems happier, right? Like a big family at a table and everyone is there.

32:45And when you have a smaller unit, it feels like this isn't as fun. This isn't as when really like it could be more intimate and you can have stronger connections. And it's not it doesn't mean it's not fun. Yeah. But there's this. It's that it's that exact phenomenon, but like probably just a little different. But yes, it's like probably the same feeling you'd get if you, you know, came from a huge family and had big family gatherings all the time. And then it was just, you know, you or you moved somewhere and you're just like, what? This feels lonely. Absolutely. Obviously, finishing because I have to acknowledge it with the Michael stuff, like obviously before your mom's relationship with him, there were allegations of abuse and that he assaulted children.

33:32Then your mom went on to marry him and you spent a good amount of time with him. Like, were there any adults in your life that were like, wait, I don't know if you should be spending time at Neverland. I don't know if we want you to be there. Like, was your dad nervous? I was never told anything. So even as it's and it's actually not something I ever asked as an adult. Why do you think? I don't know. I think it just like was what it was. Like, I didn't. I don't know. It just never came to mind, I guess. I would imagine that my dad was really heartbroken and reading the news and I'm sure that I'm just imagining of course I would imagine he said all kinds of things to my mom you know that we didn't know about but nothing like the the way my parents parented was very much like we don't fight around the kids we don't ever say anything around them there was no like we didn't know anything we didn't know about any allegations we didn't know nothing we had no awareness of that as an adult when you look back on that time of your life like how do you feel about it now um I mean the one thing I know is that they were in love and that their love for one another was genuine you know um because I was there and I remember everything else like I don't know because I wasn't there for, you know.