Billie Lourd Has Clever Plan To Get Her Kids To Watch Grandma Debbie Reynolds’ Films

Oct 21, 2026 by apost team

Billie Lourd wants her children to experience the movies that made her childhood special, but getting them to sit through one of her favorites may take a little convincing.

Speaking to PEOPLE at the “American Horror Story: 13” PaleyFest NY event on Oct. 8, 2026, the actress opened up about her children, son Kingston, 6, and daughter Jackson, 3, and their current movie-watching habits. The two children, whom she shares with husband Austen Rydell, have been watching the same movies on repeat, leaving Lourd hoping to introduce something new to their rotation.

The actress has a particular title in mind, one that carries a special connection to her late grandmother, Debbie Reynolds. For Lourd, the movies she grew up watching are more than just childhood entertainment.

Lourd has also been thinking about the kinds of projects she wants to take on as a mother. Because her children are still too young to watch “American Horror Story,” she has explored family-friendly entertainment opportunities, including lending her voice to “The Smurfs” movie.

In July 2025, Lourd told PEOPLE that she imagined her children would be thrilled to see her in the animated film. That desire to make work her children can enjoy reflects a family connection that stretches across generations. Lourd grew up watching her grandmother on screen, and Reynolds eventually took on roles in projects that her granddaughter could enjoy as a young viewer.

Now, Lourd wants to give her own children that same experience. She hopes they will discover the movies that meant so much to her, including one featuring Reynolds in a role that Lourd considers unforgettable.

Getting Kingston and Jackson interested in the film, however, has been another story. And when it comes to sharing this particular childhood favorite, Lourd has a very specific plan.  

The connection between Lourd’s childhood and her children’s movie nights goes beyond her grandmother, Reynolds. Her late mother, Carrie Fisher, also shaped the cinematic legacy she hopes to share with the next generation.

On May 4, 2025, Lourd marked Star Wars Day by sharing an Instagram photo of Kingston and Jackson watching Fisher as Princess Leia in “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.”

Reynolds, meanwhile, holds a special place in Lourd’s childhood memories. The actress played Aggie Cromwell in the “Halloweentown“ franchise, a series of Disney Channel films about a young girl who discovers she comes from a family of witches.

In a conversation with PEOPLE, Lourd recalled that Reynolds began choosing family-friendly roles so her granddaughter could watch her work.

“And the sweet thing about my grandma is she later in her career started doing roles so I could watch them. She was in ‘Charlotte’s Web,’ she was in ‘Rugrats.’ She did ‘Halloweentown’ all because she wanted me to watch them,” Lourd said.

For Lourd, Aggie Cromwell remains one of the franchise's most memorable characters.

But introducing the films to Kingston and Jackson hasn’t been as easy as she'd hoped. Lourd admitted she was determined to get her children to watch the movies, even if she has to resort to a little parental persuasion.

“Moms out there will understand this, but I need them to watch ‘Halloweentown,’” she said. “I’m gonna bribe them with candy and popsicles and make them watch it because it’s one of my favorite movies of all time. Like (if) they would remake it, I wanna be in it. Aggie Cromwell is one of the most iconic characters ever.”

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