David Duchovny and Tea Leoni's 24-year-old 'nepo baby' daughter West follows in parents' famous footsteps as she makes stunning appearance in Netflix drama Painkiller - five years after her dad landed her a role on The X-Files

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David Duchovny and Tea Leoni's stunning daughter, West Duchovny, is the latest in a line of 'nepo babies' to follow her parents into showbusiness.

The 24-year-old first started acting in 2018 when she landed a role in The X-Files alongside her dad - against her famous mom's wishes - but she spent years struggling to break into the industry.

Now, she has been skyrocketed into the spotlight thanks to her role in Netflix's brand new drama Painkiller, which premiered this week. 

The show tells the harrowing story of how the opioid crisis became rampant across the US. It stars Matthew Broderick as Purdue Pharma boss Richard Sackler, while West portrays Shannon Shaeffer - one of his 'Oxycontin Kittens' who goes out to sell the dangerously addictive painkillers to doctors.

David Duchovny and Tea Leoni's stunning daughter, West Duchovny, is the latest in a line of 'nepo babies' to follow her parents into showbusiness. She and David are seen in June

The 24-year-old (seen as a kid with her dad) first started acting in 2018 when she landed a role in The X-Files alongside her dad  but she spent years struggling to break into the industry

Now, she has been skyrocketed into the spotlight thanks to her role in Netflix's brand new drama Painkiller, which premiered this week

West appeared on the finale episode of season 11 of The X-Files, playing the role of a teenager called Maddy (seen)

According to the budding star, who spent her early years living in California before moving to New York at age 10, her mom did not want her to follow in their footsteps. 

In fact, she once revealed that her mother, who is best known for her roles in Bad Boys, Jurassic Park III, Spanglish, and Madam Secretary, spent years trying to encourage her not to get into acting. 

'My mom used to say to me, "Do whatever you want, just don’t be an actor,"' West revealed to W Magazine earlier this month.

Despite her mother's advice, West explained that she 'fell in love with it' after she participated in the school play during her senior year of high school.

'I'd never felt that way. Nothing came as effortlessly, not necessarily the talent, but the passion for it,' she dished. 'I knew if I didn’t shoot my shot, I would probably regret it forever.'

When she broke the news to her parents that she had developed a fierce passion for acting, she told WWD that her mom 'was definitely trepidatious' but eventually came around.

As for her dad, whose acting credits include The X-Files, Californication, Beethoven, Chaplin, and The Joneses, she said he was a little 'less' worried than Tea was.

'She grew up in the industry [during a time when] it was very difficult for women,' she explained.

According to the star, who spent her early years living in California before moving to New York at age 10, her mom did not want her to act. She's seen as a kid with her parents

'My mom used to say to me, "Do whatever you want, just don’t be an actor,"' West revealed to W Magazine earlier this month. She's seen as a kid

Despite her mother's advice, West (seen with her dad as a baby) explained that she 'fell in love with it' after she participated in the school play during her senior year of high school

When she broke the news to her parents that she had developed a fierce passion for acting, she told WWD that her mom 'was definitely trepidatious' but eventually came around

'I’m her daughter, and she was scared for me to enter that world. Now, I’ll call her if I want advice - they’re both super supportive now.

As for her dad, whose acting credits include The X-Files, Californication, Beethoven, Chaplin, and The Joneses, she said he was a little 'less' worried than Tea was

'I think it just took them a little bit to take me seriously because it felt so random. But [I told them], "No, guys, this is what I need to do."'

West's parents tied the knot in 1997, and they welcomed West two years later. They also gave birth to a son in 2002, before going their separate ways in 2014.

West started her career off by landing a few small roles in shows like The X-Files (alongside her dad) and The Magicians, as well as movies like The Report, A Mouthful of Air, and Linoleum.

She also acted in Hulu's psychological drama Saint X earlier this year, before landing her breakthrough role as Shannon in Painkiller.

West told W that she just wants to be taken seriously, which is why she's grateful that both Saint X and Painkiller are serious shows.

'She grew up in the industry [during a time when] it was very difficult for women,' she explained of her mom's hesitation. She's seen with her mom in 2013

'Now, I’ll call her if I want advice - they’re both super supportive now,' she added. 'I think it just took them a little bit to take me seriously.' She's seen with her dad in 2014

West started her career off by landing a few small roles in shows like The X-Files (alongside her dad) and The Magicians, as well as movies like The Report, A Mouthful of Air, and Linoleum

'Both the projects feel really meaningful and educational to a certain degree,' she explained.

She also acted in Hulu's psychological drama Saint X earlier this year, before landing her breakthrough role as Shannon in Painkiller (seen)

'It’s not just entertainment. It’s the best case scenario that these are my introductions to the industry, because I feel so strongly about both.

'It’s cool when art can incite action or make you feel like you want to do something differently. I want people to be angry [when they watch Painkiller].'

The 24-year-old admitted to WWD that she 'cried' when she audition for the new Netflix series because she had 'never felt that way about any character' she had played before.

And when the director, Peter Berg, asked her to have lunch, she 'literally peed her pants.'

And months later, when it came time to portray Shannon on screen, she said it felt even more personal than she ever expected.

'I think what I liked about her was there were a lot of these parallels between her entering the world of pharmaceuticals and me showing up to set on this huge project,' she added. 

West told W that she just wants to be taken seriously, which is why she's grateful that both Saint X and Painkiller are serious shows

The 24-year-old admitted to WWD that she 'cried' when she audition for the new Netflix series because she had 'never felt that way about any character' she had played before

And months later, when it came time to portray Shannon on screen, she said it felt even more personal than she ever expected

Producer Eric Newman described West as 'amazing' adding: 'She blew us away in her audition and is a bright light in our show'

'That sort of imposter syndrome and that fear, but also that desire to be great, and to do the best that you can do.'

Producer Eric Newman described West as 'amazing' adding: 'She blew us away in her audition and is a bright light in our show.

'Shannon is representative of the many adjacent victims of OxyContin who never even took it, and I think that’s an important story to tell. 

'To get a true sense of the destructive power of opioid, you have to go beyond just the number of deaths.

'You must imagine not only all the people whose lives have been touched by those deaths, but also the many unwitting players who took part in the opioid machine and must live with that. Shannon's telling the story of someone who buys into this and is exploited.'