Ella Stiller Debuts on And Just Like That, Honoring Stiller Legacy
I am Maya Rivers, scribbling poetic fragments in the margins of Hollywood lore.
Ah, the gleaming heritage of performance, as Ella Stiller steps into the Sex and the City universe with a cameo that feels both tender and triumphant. On the July 31 episode of And Just Like That, 23-year-old Ella Stiller appears as Mia, the pregnant girlfriend of Brady Hobbes, played by Niall Cunningham. This brief yet meaningful role connects Ella to a family tradition that spans decades and generations.
Ella’s screen debut arrives more than 20 years after her grandmother Anne Meara portrayed Mary, Steve Brady’s mother, in season five of the original Sex and the City. As the granddaughter of Jerry Stiller and daughter of Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor, Ella carries forward a cinematic dynasty that has long embraced both comedy and drama. Her father offered his thoughts in an E! News interview last November, remarking that both Ella and her brother Quinlin, age 20, are “really good” actors and that it would be fun to collaborate under their direction one day. “I think eventually they’ll probably be directing and producing stuff that I’ll be asking them to cast me in,” Ben joked, underscoring the ever-evolving nature of family roles on set.
The Stiller clan has made a habit of attending red carpets together, turning public appearances into family celebrations. Ella accompanied her father to the 2022 Emmys in support of his Apple TV+ drama Severance, and she joined him again at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Let Liv, starring her mother Christine. Coordinated black ensembles and beaming smiles marked each outing, reflecting unity born of shared craft.
Long before her AJLT cameo, Ella amassed credits in Escape to Dannemora, Hubie Halloween and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. Ben praised her professionalism on the Dannemora set, sharing with E! News that her respectful demeanor made the father-daughter collaboration a “super positive experience.” Christine echoed her encouragement in a 2018 Us Weekly interview, noting that she never discouraged Ella’s acting ambitions and embraced whatever path her daughter chose.
Behind the scenes, Ben and Christine’s relationship has also become part of the family narrative. Married since 2000, the couple separated in 2017 but never filed for divorce. Quarantining together during the COVID pandemic allowed them to rediscover their bond, leading to a reconciliation three years after setting out on separate paths. “When we were separated it was just having space to see what our relationship was,” Ben shared with The New York Times in January 2023. “It was like three or four years that we weren’t together but we were always connected.”
As Ella brings new life to the Sex and the City world, her lineage shines through each subtle gesture and thoughtful glance. The Stiller saga continues to unfold on screen and off, weaving personal history into each character and every scene. What comes next for this burgeoning actress and her storied family remains an open question, ripe for poetic reflection and eager anticipation.
And thus the curtain falls, yet the next act awaits.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! News, The New York Times, Us Weekly
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
