Here’s what you need to know about Hollywood nepo baby and Gen Z star Stella.

Understanding Stella Banderas’ famous family

Stella was born in Marbella, Spain, in 1996. She has dual citizenship because her dad was born in Málaga and her mum in the US. Although Antonio and Griffith ended their nearly 20-year-marriage back in 2015, the pair still share a close relationship because of Stella, per People magazine.

Antonio and Griffith met when they co-starred in the 1995 comedy Two Much. When they announced their split, they described their relationship as “the beautiful time we have spent together”.

Why The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Lola Tung is set to be the next ‘It’ girl

Early fame roots

When she was just 3 years old, Stella made her Hollywood debut when she starred in the film Crazy in Alabama. The film was directed by her father and starred her mother. She and her half-sister played two of her mother’s children. Aww!

In an interview with Vanity Fair in 2022, Johnson described some of the funny moments during filming with a baby Stella. She said that when her stepfather Antonio called “action”, Stella would start crying.

Johnson and her mum have a close relationship, but she shared that Griffith likes to embarrass her by sharing throwback pictures of her when she was a child.

The surname change

Although Stella shares a close relationship with both of her parents, in 2021 she filed documents to drop her mother’s surname. According to Hollywood Life, the change meant Stella del Carmen Banderas Griffith became Stella del Carmen Banderas.

6 celebrity kids with extravagant luxury watches, from Rolex to Richard Mille

She told People magazine that she made the decision purely because she didn’t use Griffith when referring to herself or on documents. So, for the sake of convenience, she applied to have the name changed.

Her dip into modelling

Stella regularly catches fans’ attention with her bikini snaps on Instagram. She extended her modelling footprint when she graced the cover of Glamour Spain’s September issue. Hola reports she bagged her first modelling campaign in 2022 for the regenerated nylon brand 101p100.

Back in March, she caused a stir when she posted a simple image of herself modelling a crop top, telling her fans to shop at fashion brand Line of One in the caption. It is a friend’s label, per Hollywood Life, and the photo immediately got traction in the fashion world.

Why luxury fashion brands love nepo babies – and it’s not just about good genes

But despite her good looks and model physique, she describes herself as a multimedia storyteller in her Instagram bio. She’s proven her creative chops by sharing snippets of a short video series Portraits of the Divine Feminine on the social media platform. As part of her editing work, she has collaborated with major brands including Hermès Beauty and Matisse Footwear, reports People.

She’s a businesswoman

In 2021, Stella flexed her business muscles and founded her own health and beauty brand, Lightbound. The company released its first product, a perfume oil called Alma, soon after. At the time, she said it was a “genderless, handcrafted and sustainably packaged” perfume oil inspired by her upbringing in Málaga and Los Angeles, per People.

Griffith showed her support for her daughter, reposting the post about the launch and calling the perfume as “beautiful” as Stella.

Collaborations with her parents

In 2021, Stella and her mum were featured in a short film for Vogue and Bulgari. They both wore the brand’s jewellery and spoke about their relationship. Stella said that her mum always focused on having a good relationship with oneself and encouraged her to have open conversations with higher powers.

Is Hailey Bieber building a business empire to rival the Kardashians’?

Griffith, meanwhile, said it has been “incredible” to watch her daughter grow up. She said watching her going from being a scared little girl at times to starting her own business showed what a brave person her daughter is.

In the same year, Antonio directed and starred in the first Spanish language production of a 1970 Broadway show – Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company – and it was all done at a theatre he founded in Málaga.

His daughter Stella was a second assistant director for the production, and he’s spoken about how they would often talk shop while walking home from set.