The acting bug seems to be biting Reese Witherspoon’s kids too, as her son Deacon Phillippe just made his acting debut as a guest star of Never Have I Ever season three, which is out on August 12. He is not putting all his eggs in one basket, though, as he also is a budding music producer who released a single “Long Run” in 2020.

For this acting role, It turns out his mother’s working relationship on previous projects with Mindy Kaling got him the in to appear for a couple of episodes of the hit coming-of-age dramedy series on Netflix. Phillppe was considered for and eventually cast in the role of Parker, a friend of one of protagonist Devi’s potential crushes Des.

Never Have I Ever’s co-creator Lang Fisher told Entertainment Weekly that Phillippe’s name came up after Parker was written. But when he finally got on, “he was such a nice kid, which is funny, because the character’s really unlikeable.”

She added that he inherited at least some know-how from his mom and was “really, really professional on set. He was just a joy to work with.”

The collaborations won’t be ending anytime soon. Kaling is signed on to co-write Legally Blonde 3 with Dan Goor and Karen McCullah. Confirmed cast include Witherspoon, unsurprisingly, as well as Jennifer Coolidge, Allanah Ubach and Jessica Cauffiel.

When asked by Extra if she would cast Witherspoon’s daughter Ava Philippe, Kaling responded, “I think I can do anything, and if that’s something she wanted to do, what a joy to have her in that.”

She also heaped praise on Deacon’s guest performance in Never Have I Ever. “He is like his mom where after he wrapped, he sent me a handwritten note, thanking me for being on set,” Kaling recalled sweetly. “You could just tell Reese is his mom, you’re just like, ‘Oh, you’re a good person.”

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