You remember Vada Sultenfuss. That messy-haired, death-obsessed kid from My Girl who broke everyone's hearts back in 1991. For a long time, the world just sort of froze Anna Chlumsky in that moment, but life moves fast. Honestly, while we were all busy quoting her old movies, Anna was busy building a completely different world—one that has almost nothing to do with red carpets or child stardom.
Today, she's a mom of two. And if you’re looking for her kids on a reality show or an Instagram "get ready with me" video, you’re going to be looking for a very long time.
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Meet Penelope and Clara: The So Sisters
Anna Chlumsky and her husband, Shaun So, have two daughters who are growing up in the heart of New York City. The couple, who met back in 2000 while they were students at the University of Chicago, have been remarkably disciplined about keeping their kids’ lives private.
Their first daughter, Penelope Joan So, arrived on July 11, 2013. If that date sounds familiar to TV buffs, it's because it was the same week Anna received her first Emmy nomination for her role as Amy Brookheimer in Veep. Talk about a chaotic week. Penelope’s name has some serious literary weight behind it; Anna has mentioned it was inspired by Penelope from Homer’s The Odyssey—a figure known for her incredible patience and faithfulness.
Then came Clara Elizabeth So, born on July 28, 2016. By the time Clara arrived, Anna was a pro at balancing the frantic schedule of a hit HBO show with the realities of toddlerhood.
The two girls share a room, which Anna has described as a "play-based" environment. It’s kinda refreshing, right? In an era where every celebrity nursery looks like a beige museum, her kids are just in there playing and "entertaining themselves," as she told Rose & Ivy.
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The "No Child Acting" Rule
There is a very specific reason you don’t see Anna Chlumsky's daughters in commercials or "extra" roles. Anna is pretty vocal about the fact that she doesn't think kids should be professional actors.
It makes sense. She lived it.
She’s often said that as a child performer, you’re basically just trying to please the adults around you. You don’t have a "craft" yet because you’re still a "non-formed human being." When asked what advice she’d give her daughters if they wanted to act, her answer was blunt: "Stick to school plays."
She wants them to have the one thing she lost early on: a normal, anonymous childhood.
A Different Kind of Parenting
Parenting for Anna isn't about being a "stage mom." It’s about structure, service, and a little bit of spirituality. She’s mentioned that her morning ritual involves pulling a tarot card to find a "guide" for the day. Sometimes the question is as simple as "How can I find peace today?" or "How can I be of service?"
Shaun So, her husband, is a huge part of this grounded lifestyle. He’s not an actor. He’s a veteran who served in Afghanistan and now runs his own business, The So Company. Because he comes from the world of military intelligence and entrepreneurship, the "Hollywood" vibe in their house is basically zero.
- Privacy first: They don't post their kids' faces on social media.
- Education over industry: The focus is on school and play, not auditions.
- Dual heritage: The girls grow up with a mix of Anna’s Catholic background and Shaun’s Chinese heritage.
The My Girl Perspective
Does having daughters change how she looks at her breakout role? Not really. To Anna, My Girl was just three months of her life when she was ten. She doesn't sit her kids down to watch her old movies on a loop.
She’s mentioned that kids are often treated like "idiots" in movies, and she’s determined not to let her daughters fall into that trap of being performative for the sake of adult approval.
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Basically, she's raising them to be people, not products.
If you're looking to apply some of Anna's "grounded celebrity" logic to your own life, start by reclaiming your morning. Instead of checking your phone the second you wake up, try a ritual that centers you—whether that's a tarot card like Anna, a journal entry, or just five minutes of quiet coffee. Protecting your "homestead," as she calls it, starts with how you handle those first few minutes of the day.