These 15 Celebs Have Such Oldest Child Energy

Everything Everywhere All at Once. Crazy Rich Asians. The Brothers Sun.If you don’t know Michelle Yeoh from classics like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Memoirs of Geisha and Tomorrow Never Dies, then she’s definitely been on your radar since she played Eleanor Young in Crazy Rich Asians and won an Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once. Yeoh gives *mega* oldest child vibes, having been quoted in Elle saying to her younger The Brothers Sun castmates, “Guys, I’m giving my 100 percent, and if any of you don’t, you know I can kick your ass. And I will.” And the oldest sib will absolutely make sure the younger ones fall in line. They also take plenty of responsibility…even if they don’t want to. A prime example: Yeoh told Harper’s Bazaar that when she was up for Best Actress at the Oscars, people were telling her she was “doing this for us.” “I remember the weeks prior, Asians all around the world, especially here, would come up and say, ‘Yes, you can do this. You’re going to do this for us.’ And I’d go [in a timid voice], ‘Okay … I’ll do this for us.’” They don’t need the spotlight, but when duty calls, the oldest sibling will be there for anything. (Although as the actual youngest of three half siblings, it makes sense that Yeoh is just as comfortable leading as she is grabbing the spotlight.)

Of course, the king, Denzel Washington, has oldest child energy. I mean, the acclaimed actor has been called the greatest actor of the 21st century by The New York Times. But the maven is also a director, and not only is he great at it—he also can’t get enough. “It’s my passion,” he said in an Oprah interview. “More than anything, I enjoy seeing talented people do what they do well. When you're an actor, you come out of your trailer, do your thing, and then go back in. Directing is about collaboration—the production, the costuming, the script, the actors. I love it. It brings me joy.” Sounds like skills an oldest child would have in their hat (even though Washington is actually a middle child): corralling a team, having the vision, keeping everyone on track—and on top of that, staying organized.

Though she falls between Prince George and Prince Louis, she has been known to school BOTH her brothers in etiquette. If that doesn’t say “oldest child energy,” tell me what else does. After all, you need gumption if you’re going to reprimand the future king (and your older brother) in public.

As psychologist Heather Hagen previously told me, firstborns are great at taking initiative, which only child Kerry Washington has most certainly done, often in the realm of social justice. From her 1992 monologue about AIDS to championing last year’s SAG-AFTRA strike, where she picketed in front of Disney—the studio that bankrolled Scandal, which minted her stardom—she’s not afraid to light a fire for things she believes in. And in typical oldest-child fashion, it’s about caring for others, not the accolade. “I don’t think a lot about giving myself credit or having pride about this area of what I do,” she says in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. “It’s more about service than anything else.”

Watch Sandra Bullock in an interview and I promise the oldest-child energy is just radiating off of her. (Fitting, because she’s the older of two.) Bullock is clipped and direct, and I always have the impression that despite the fact that she’s the one being interviewed, she is directing the conversation. In her interview with CBS Sunday Morning, every line was assured. “I don’t want to rely on work to fill me,” she says, confidently. “I just don’t see a lot other than everyone under my roof. It was never sexy, but it’s mine.” Bullock also shares that The Lost City, which she was promoting, would be her last movie for the foreseeable future. “I just want to be present and responsible for one thing. I just want to clean out the basement,” she tells correspondent Tracy Smith. Reorganizing life and getting priorities straight? Sounds like a textbook firstborn to me.

Firstborns want to get it right (they’re disciplined achievers), so when they don’t—cue the guilt. Kristen Bell confessed in an interview with Willie Geist, “[Dax] was like ‘Why don’t you talk about your anxiety and depression?’ and I had never thought about that before. And I immediately felt incredibly irresponsible.” On the flip side, because they are achievers, they have amazing executive function. So what does Bell do when she annually hosts over 20 people for Thanksgiving? Cater it, of course. “I have a secret to Thanksgiving,” she confessed to Jimmy Kimmel. “We’ve been hosting it for four or five years. The first year I hosted I cooked and it was miserable. What on earth am I trying to prove? So, I ordered food the next year. Game changer. Best Thanksgiving I ever had.” (What a pro oldest child move from Bell, who’s actually a middle child.)

When Angela Bassett was filming What’s Love Got to Do With It, she had a 5 a.m. call time and spent ten hours a day rehearsing choreography. “You had to be so focused and so determined. Pain was irrelevant,” the oldest child recalls in Variety. “Fear was real and physical pain and torture was just going to be a part of it. Every part of your body hurt and there was no time to eat anything.” Oldest children hold themselves to high standards, swayed by people’s (often their parents’) high expectations. They can also be perfectionists—so if dancing ten hours a day for weeks on end with no lunch break to speak of is the price for greatness, consider them committed. Indeed, Bassett carries the experience of that film with her to this day, saying in The Guardian, “I hope I try to attack every opportunity the way I attacked What’s Love – don’t shirk, don’t give short shrift to anything. If it is important enough to show up, then give it the full measure of your devotion. Or stay home.”

Firstborns are 30 percent more likely to land a management position, and it’s fair to say Reese Witherspoon is one of the ultimate boss ladies—though, surprise, she’s the youngest child in her family. The Legally Blonde actress has over 60 acting credits to her name, in addition to over three dozen producing credits. When she founded her production company, Hello Sunshine, Witherspoon fronted her own money for Wild, Gone Girl and Big Little Lies, all of which were smash hits.

“Hello Sunshine was created around the idea that media was largely dominated by male voices and male perspectives, so to be able to create opportunities where women are telling their stories in their own words, you’re just getting a better perspective of the human experience,” she explains in a Harper’s Bazaar interview. “I think about the limited experience of that expression that my mother had or my grandmother had from artists at that time, because women were so sublimated. It’s just a new time, a new era for women to succeed and excel, and I’m happy to be the rocket fuel they need.”

And, of course, she also runs the popular and influential Reese’s Book Club, which has catapulted many a female-centered story to The New York Times bestseller list. Not to mention her clothing line, Draper James, and parenting three children. Whew.

If firstborns are anything, they’re the role-models of the family, the ones the younger siblings look to for guidance and advice. And that sums up middle child Jennifer Aniston in her Variety Actors on Actors interview with Quinta Brunson. Brunson, the creator and star of Abbot Elementary, cites Aniston and her work on Friends several times throughout the video as having been an inspiration as the former was developing her sitcom. “That’s what was so inspiring to me, that you really stood on your own as a comedic character. You’re just so funny,” Brunson said of Aniston’s Rachel Green.

Regarding Tracee Ellis Ross, who has an older sister and three younger brothers, PureWow associate entertainment editor Nakeisha Campbell notes, “She has a very silly side that makes me think she could definitely have an older sibling, but she could also [have oldest child energy] because she's responsible—I suspect she has mama bear instincts with her younger siblings.” Indeed, Ross’s playful side comes out in her alter ego, Madame Hiver. But when it comes to her haircare line, PATTERN, she’s all business. “I created the company because the more I looked around, I realized I was not the only one. There was a vast community of people who were being underserved,” she says in an interview with The Guardian.

“Zendaya helped me set up my first apartment in New York,” Timothée Chalamet said in a group interview on Jimmy Kimmel when he, Zendaya, Austin Butler and Florence Pugh were promoting Dune: Part 2.

“The vibe was very teenage boy,” Zendaya added. “We just needed a few necessities…cups and plates and knives and forks…things to clean…you know. We needed some structure. We got him everything he needed. All the big boy stuff.” Who better than the oldest sibling to make sure the youngest (Chalamet is the baby of his family) has all the essentials? (Because frankly, having a bed frame doesn’t cut it.) While she definitely has oldest-child energy, Zendaya actually has five older half-siblings and one younger half-sibling—all of whom are very private and of which little is known.

As I previously assessed, Prince William’s personality has the hallmarks of the older sibling that he is. He’s achievement oriented and also lives a life very much guided by family expectation. (I’d say his brother, Prince Harry, fits the youngest child mold to a T.) Whereas Prince Harry quit the family business, Prince William has been a steady, responsible and constant voice for the monarchy—never more so than this year, as the family has been beset by crises.

Music mogul. Fashion icon. And now…hair care brand founder. Beyoncé’s success is truly unparalleled as her music continues to evolve with the release of her country album, Cowboy Carter, earlier this year. This middle child really brings the oldest child energy, with a calm and measured demeanor that says, “I’m in charge.” (Not to mention her performance alter ego, Sasha Fierce.) Though her in-person interviews have been scant in the last decade, the Queen exerts ultimate control via her social media profiles, where she decides when and what to share with fans.

The headline for Selena Gomez’s interview with TIME said she was “revolutionizing the celebrity beauty business.” If oldest children are achievement and success oriented, Gomez certainly checks all the boxes. Her company, Rare Beauty, is valued at a staggering $2 billion. She’s a successful recording artist and stars on the hit Hulu show, Only Murders in the Building. But the oldest of four is also a role model for millions, as writer Lucy Feldmen points out in the profile: “Her openness about her mental health has endeared her to millions of young people coping with the isolating experiences of anxiety, depression, and other disorders. And she has channeled all of that into her company, Rare Beauty, a rising player she bills as a beauty brand that, instead of selling an unattainable image, aims to help people feel good about themselves.”

The Harry Potter alumna’s character may have been the most responsible of the wizarding trio, but Watson’s influence reaches far beyond the silver screen. As The Guardian has enumerated, the actress (and oldest of five) holds a degree from Brown University, has served as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, is an environmental activist and a book club host. By all appearances, she seems keen to use her influence to inspire people to make better choices, whether that’s eschewing fast fashion or supporting gender equality. Role model material right here.