She's a trained death doula, got hitched to the Doof Warrior,
and has way more tattoos than you thought. Riley Keough is full of surprises.
Riley Keough's parents, Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough, divorced when she was 5 years
old. Consequently, she was shuffled back and forth between her parents,
which meant she moved around a lot. Though her hometown was Los Angeles,
she spent time in Florida as well as Hawaii. In other words, it wasn't exactly a stable home life
for the young Keough, who told "InStyle Magazine" that she never felt like she fit in anywhere.
"I mean I wasn’t fully aware of how big that was, I think, when I was younger"
Making the experience even more dizzying were her parents' very
different lives. She told "The Guardian,"
Instead of feeling deprived with her less-privileged father, she said that
she actually envied his simpler lifestyle. But her childhood was overall a happy one,
and she remembers the time spent with her dad fondly.
Riley Keough's childhood was far from typical. Aside from moving
around a lot and coming from a famous family,
her mother was involved in some high-profile relationships, including Michael Jackson.
"Not only that, Michael Jackson was your stepfather!"
"Wait!"
All of this played a role in shaping Keough, who told The Guardian she's had a more complex life
than most people are aware of. Keough's mom was married to Michael Jackson from 1994 to 1996,
so Keough actually spent part of her childhood at her stepdad's Neverland Ranch. Keough told
The New York Times Style Magazine that she "loved" Jackson and had a blast at the ranch.
She had less praise for her mother's 108-day marriage to
Nicolas Cage in 2002, however, telling the Times:
Riley Keough always had plans to become an actress, and spent her childhood performing
plays and making her own movies at home. But, as she told "InStyle Magazine," she also had a
very practical mindset about it. While she knew that she wanted to enter show business one day,
she also wanted a normal childhood, including the chance to finish her education. For these reasons,
she decided not to start acting professionally until she grew up.
"I am kinda surprised you went for the V-6 automatic.
The V-8's so much faster and you can really feel the road under you."
Keough probably could have been a child star had she wanted to go
down that path. The signs were all there: as she told "The Guardian,"
as a kid she'd stare into a mirror and practice crying on cue, joking:
"That's like the first sign that your child
is going to be an actor. Is she crying in front of the mirror?"
Though Riley Keough told "InStyle Magazine" that she "really wanted an education," school
wasn't exactly a pleasant experience for her. Coming from a famous — and wealthy — family
meant that she needed security to go to school. When the strain of
that got to be too much, she transitioned to home-schooling, a welcome change for Keough.
"I was at school which was just horrible."
"It is not horrible. That is fantastic"
Despite her desire for an education, she ended up dropping out before getting her high school
diploma. While you would think that her parents might have protested, she explained to The
Guardian that they didn't have much footing for an argument, seeing as she signed with an agent
within a week of moving to Los Angeles, and landed her first audition soon after. Still,
Keough has regrets about her hasty decision to forgo a high school diploma. In her interview
with InStyle, Keough blamed dropping out of school on her upbringing, saying:
While Riley Keough had her sights set on being an actress, she actually got her start as a model,
telling "Interview Magazine" that her parents tried to talk her out of an acting career,
calling it "a heartbreaking industry," to which she answered that she would "just
be a model then." Thus, Keogh made her modeling debut at the tender age of 14.
Keough told "Vogue" that she fell in love with fashion after seeing her mother gracing
the cover of the magazine. Keogh launched her career on the Dolce & Gabbana runway,
going on to model for brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and David Yurman. She was also the
face of the perfume Miss Dior Chérie. Although acting was her ultimate dream,
Keough enjoyed her time as a model, telling "Harper's Bazaar:"
Riley Keough is okay with being known as Elvis Presley's granddaughter,
but it's always been a bit of a surreal experience for her,
because Presley died more than a decade before she was born. In an interview with Variety,
Keough said that she doesn't even listen to her grandfather's music very much, and
you can't really blame her when you consider the "grief" she associates with his hits, explaining:
With Presley blood running through her veins, you might be wondering why Riley Keough hasn't put
out an album yet — especially when you consider that her mom and dad are both musicians. While
Keough took a different path to stardom, she did inherit some pretty impressive musical talent,
telling Variety that, while she doesn't sound like her famous grandfather, she does have,
what she calls, "kind of a country voice." Those talents will be put to good use on the
Amazon Prime series "Daisy Jones & the Six," set to release in March 2023. Featuring Keough as the
titular character, a singer in the 1970s, the actress learned guitar for the role,
telling Vogue that she was eager to expand her musical skills.
Riley Keough's talent has brought her more than a steady career. It also helped her
meet her husband, Ben Smith-Petersen. The two met on the set of "Mad Max:
Fury Road," where Smith-Petersen was working as a stuntman. The two didn't immediately start
dating when shooting began, but got together several months later while doing re-shoots.
"Your husband was 'Doof Warrior,' hanging off the front of the…"
"That's right!"
After that, things developed quickly. As Keough told USA Today:
The couple tied the knot in 2015 when Keough was 25, and they have been together ever since.
They don't have kids and Keough isn't sure she wants any, however, explaining to "The Guardian:
Her brother's death Riley Keough's younger brother, Benjamin Keough,
died by suicide in 2020. Keough was heartbroken by the death, telling The New York Times:
While Keough gradually pulled herself out of her grief with the support of her loved ones,
the loss of her brother is something that the actress will never truly get over. In
an interview with the "Just for Variety" podcast, she said that after the death of her brother and
"best friend," she tried to shed light on mental health by posting photos and videos
of Benjamin on social media. She explained that while a lot of people have preconceived
"ideas about suicide and what that looks like," she wants others to know that anyone could be
struggling. Keough added that taking away that bias around suicide was really important to her.
One way Riley Keough began to cope after her brother's death
was by becoming a death doula. A death doula is someone who assists the dying
person and their family through the end-of-life process. Keough announced
that she had completed her death doula training in an Instagram post, writing,
Keough spoke to The New York Times about becoming a death doula,
saying that it helped her to find healing in the aftermath of her brother's death, continuing:
Riley Keough is the type of person who likes to commemorate significant
events with fresh ink. She told The New York Times Style Magazine that
the many tattoos on her body are like a scrapbook. Among her tattoos are the
Gemini symbol and an image of the tarot deck's Hanged Man card. Keough said:
She also has ink dedicated to her late brother, Benjamin Keough, getting his name tattooed above
her collarbone after his death. And while many of her tattoos hold personal significance,
Keough admitted to "Flaunt" that some mean more than others. The tattoo of the word "nope" on
her right wrist, for example, is something she got on a whim while filming "American
Honey." As she explained, "Everyone was getting tattooed out of boredom, so I just got one, too."
"So you're a southern girl, a real American Honey like me. You know that song?"
Now, just how many tattoos Keough actually has is unknown,
but it's likely that the number will continue to grow over the years.
Unlike her role in the big budget "Mad Max: Fury Road," many of Riley Keough's star turns have been
in indie films, including "Logan Lucky," "American Honey," and "Zola." While she admitted to "Elle
Magazine" that she "loves art house movies," she's not opposed to starring in a blockbuster
franchise, either. Keough even said she'd have happily starred in the "Harry Potter" franchise
if given the opportunity, and is also a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, telling "Elle:"
"Why you on my twitter, why you on my facebook, why you on my tumblr?"
And if you needed more proof that she's not exclusively about highbrow fare,
consider what she watches in her down time, as she revealed to "Elle:"
2022 was a big year for the Presley family. Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis," about the life of
the King of Rock n' Roll, was released to critical acclaim, and generated lots of awards buzz. Austin
Butler even took home the Golden Globe for his portrayal of Riley Keough's famous grandfather,
as Keough's grandmother and mother, Priscilla and Lisa Marie — looked on proudly. And the Presley
women all had glowing reviews for the film, including Keough, who told Entertainment Tonight:
"You know, back when I was starting out,
some people wanted to put me in jail, even kill me, because of the way I was moving."
In June, 2022, Keough and her family immortalized Elvis' legacy at Hollywood's
Chinese Theatre in honor of the film's release with a hand and footprint ceremony.
On January 12, Riley Keough experienced another premature loss when her mother,
Lisa Marie Presley, died at age 54 from heart complications. Just two
days earlier, she had been at the Golden Globes.
Keough's grandmother, Priscilla Presley,
confirmed the death of her daughter in a statement to "People Magazine:"
While Riley has not yet made a statement, fans around the world have expressed their love and
support for her mother, who was not only the daughter of a legend, but one in her own right.