The Stunning Transformation Of Francesca Scorsese

Francesca Scorsese was born into Hollywood royalty in 1999. As the daughter of legendary director Martin Scorsese, Francesca quickly got involved in films. She got her start acting as a preschooler, appearing in her dad's film "The Aviator" in 2004. Francesca's mom is Helen Morris, Martin's fifth wife. Francesca is the youngest of Martin's three kids, and he was elated about becoming a dad again. "In the middle of the night, five weeks early, she came and I saw a lot of panicking," the director informed "This Life of Mine with James Corden" (via People). After being scared and worried, Martin's emotions quickly morphed to complete joy. "They handed me this little package and she opened her eyes," Martin recalled on the podcast. "This was like some special blessing of some kind. It suddenly changed all the values, what I thought was important in life."

Now that she's grown up and working in the entertainment industry, Francesca takes her illustrious heritage in stride. While some nepo babies have cringey takes on their lifelong fame, Francesca celebrates her connection to her dad with a sense of humor. "I just try to be the best nepo baby that I can be," she joked to Nylon in 2024. Jokes aside, Francesca's worked to carve out her own niche alongside her legendary dad, taking advantage of diverse opportunities in traditional TV as well as on social media. 

In addition to getting acting experience early in life, Francesca Scorsese gained familiarity with other production roles as a young child. At age three, she was already learning camerawork. "My dad handed me the camera and he directed me to shoot him," Francesca recalled to GQ in 2023. "It's so funny because you hear me breathing really heavy behind the camera, trying so hard to get the shot right."

Martin Scorsese was 56 when Francesca was born, and they formed a strong relationship by spending a lot of time together. This father-daughter bond also served as an unexpected positive influence on his career. "You start playing and getting into the fantasy of the kid, so you make up even crazier stories and suddenly we're making this movie! She's a lifesaver!" Martin explained to Parade in 2012.

As a child, Francesca and her dad enjoyed reading books together, and their love for "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" motivated Martin to adapt the story into a film. Francesca had a small onscreen role, and she also got to hang out and watch the various stages of the production. Beyond these hands-on experiences, she and her dad also had a weekly ritual of watching movies together, so Francesca was well-versed in cinematic history by the time she grew up.

After high school, Francesca Scorsese pursued a more formal film education by attending New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 2023. Martin Scorsese's also an alum of the school, graduating in 1968, as well as a former faculty member. As a college student, Francesca followed in her dad's directorial footsteps. In 2022, she directed the short film, "Crimson Ties." "Fish Out of Water" appeared a year later. Francesca also wrote both shorts.

Martin's iconic work as a director shaped Francesca's college instruction in unexpected ways. "A couple of my teachers had to change major parts of the course because they were about my dad," she explained to People. These professors didn't want her to have even a perceived edge over her classmates. Although she refrained from the temptation of homework help, Francesca actively records any pointers Martin offers during everyday conversations. "The best part of going into the same profession is that I have him," Francesca explained to The Hollywood Reporter in 2023. "He is the best teacher, guide, just overall mentor — and also, he's literally my best friend."

Previously, when she was a teen, Martin provided advice in a more formal context, writing her a letter online in L'espresso. Although he didn't know what Francesca's career path would be, he emphasized her importance in the creative process. "Tools don't make the movie, you make the movie," Martin wrote (via Independent).

Over the years, Francesca Scorsese has been introducing Martin Scorsese to various social media platforms. She believed it was a great way for fans to see the acclaimed director as a normal person. "He's very talented, but I also think people might benefit from seeing the other side of his life," Francesca told The Cut in 2020. "He's an incredible father and very, very sweet."

After getting him established on Instagram, she persuaded him to join her on TikTok in 2021. The venture began as a lark, but as they garnered lots of views, their partnership became more deliberate. Some of the videos are outright silly, like when Francesca quizzes her dad on acronyms or Martin hilariously narrates a video of his daughter applying makeup. "That — you can't fool me –- is nail polish!" Martin proclaims as Francesca applies lip color with a sponge-tipped brush.

Others have more subtle punchlines, like a video entitled "The Muse." Here Martin starts out sharing stories on working with A-listers, like his friend Robert DeNiro, before the camera cuts to show that he's interviewing a dog for a prospective film role. Silliness aside, Francesca's also realized the videos are a beautiful way to celebrate their close connection. "I realized that people not only loved him, but they loved our relationship," she explained to People. In addition to being heartwarming, these shorts have showcased Francesca's PR prowess and provided a new opportunity to publicize Martin's films. 

Francesca Scorsese has a close relationship with both her parents. In 2020, she shared a moving film she created about her mom on Instagram. Helen Morris was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease nine years before Francesca was born. Using photos and family videos, Francesca candidly narrated the ways her mom's illness has impacted her family, including unexpected hospital visits, periods of memory loss, and difficulty speaking. Francesca also mentioned other parts of her mom's life, including her career as a Vogue editor and her skills with multiple languages. "I wouldn't change her for the world . . . the disease doesn't define her," Francesca explained. "The fact that she's being beaten down by this disease every single day and still being able to be such an amazing mother to me is truly inspiring."

Morris and Martin were both super supportive of the finished film. "She just loves to see that I'm able to deal with my feelings about these things," Francesca later informed The Hollywood Reporter. She also noted that her dad thought making movies was a helpful strategy to process difficult experiences.

In 2024, Francesca provided an update about her mom's health on TikTok. In a pivot from her light-hearted videos with her dad, she explained that while her mom's Parkinson's disease developed slowly over decades, her mom now required significant care. Francesca then took viewers along on a visit to see her mom in the hospital.

In 2020 Francesca Scorsese had a starring role in "We Are Who We Are." The TV series was shot in Italy, and it was a significant experience for Francesca as she developed her acting skills and pushed past difficulties. "I'm terrified of heights and I had to zip line multiple times," she confided to The Cut. "I was really proud of myself in the end for doing all of these things that I probably wouldn't have done normally." She was also pleasantly surprised to learn the director cast her on her own merits without any knowledge she was Martin Scorsese's daughter. 

Three years later, Francesca added podcasting to her resume, when she co-hosted and co-produced "Treading Lightly." Across 14 episodes, she and Catrin Ody conducted interviews and discussed diverse subjects like dating, artificial intelligence, and films.

Then, in early 2024, Francesca and Martin teamed up on a Super Bowl project. Martin directed a Squarespace ad, and Francesca directed a behind the scenes film showing the production process. "It's borderline impossible with a big camera in everyone's face," she later commented to People. However, she was up for the challenge. Francesca's footage captured the feel on being on the set, including, "my dad doing his thing and all of the insanity that went into creating this [ad]." In addition, Francesca and Martin made the most of their onscreen charm and appeared together in a short video promoting the company's website-creation capabilities.