Barack Obama reveals what he really thinks of daughter Malia dropping her famous surname

Barack Obama has revealed his thoughts on his eldest daughter dropping her famous surname when she made her directorial debut earlier this year.

The 26-year-old used the name Malia Ann on short film The Heart, much to the former US president's surprise.

"Her first film went to Sundance and all these fancy film festivals and she didn't use Obama as a director on the credits," the 63-year-old said on this week's Pivot podcast.

Watch the clip above.

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"I was all like, 'You do know they'll know who you are'."

"And she's all like, 'You know what? I want them to watch it that first time and not in any way have that [Obama] association'," he says Malia told him.

"I think our daughters go out of their way to not try to leverage that," he added.

Barack and wife Michelle Obama also have 23-year-old daughter Sasha together.

The former US president praised his late mother-in-law for helping the couple keep the girls grounded while they were growing up in the White House.

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But it appears it may have worked a little too well with the proud father-of-two telling the former NFL players on the podcast that his daughters don't want their parents' help.

"The challenge for us is letting us give them any help at all," Barack said.

"I mean they're very sensitive about this stuff. They're very stubborn about it."

Actress and TV personality Whoopi Goldberg defended Malia's choice to ditch her surname, after her move created debate following the movie's debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

"Apparently some folks online are criticising her for it, claiming everyone knows she's an Obama so it's pointless to hide it," Goldberg, 68, said on The View in February.

"If she knows she's an Obama, why do you care? Why do you care what she calls herself?

"If she wanted to call herself Jeanette MacDonald, she has the right to! If I can be Whoopi Goldberg, she can be whoever the hell she wants to be!"

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Malia has been promoting the short film, which she worked on with Donald Glover, across the year.

Most recently, the former first daughter appeared on the red carpet at the Deauville American Film Festival in September, wearing a plaid Vivienne Westwood corset and maxi skirt combo, paired with black knee-high boots.

The Heart tells the story of a sensitive man who is racked with guilt when his mother dies after they have an argument.

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