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Alexa Vernice Pacis

Academy Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr’s son, Mason Gooding, is following in his father’s footsteps. His most recent project, I Want Your Sex, is an erotic comedy thriller film directed by Gregg Araki and stars Olivia Wilde.

Now 29, Mason has a better understanding of what his father went through as an actor. Last month, on the Wildmen podcast hosted by Dylan Sprouse and Brenden Columbus, Mason opened up about the “speed-parenting” he received from his father, who would offer as much advice – and criticism – as possible, whenever he was home after being away for weeks.

This parenting method did not sit well with young Mason. “I didn’t really understand that relationship, because I was like, ‘You’re so positive and charismatic in these interviews, and then you come home, and it’s a different guy.’ And I didn’t get that correlation, or lack thereof,” he said.
But after becoming an actor himself, Mason now has a better sense of where his father was coming from. “All people fear the creep of time, and how it affects their relationships,” he said.
So what else do we know about Mason Gooding? Read on to find out.
He comes from a showbiz family

Mason Gooding was born on November 14, 1996, to Cuba Gooding Jr and his high school sweetheart, Sara Kapfer. The couple married in 1994 and welcomed three children – Spencer in 1994, Mason in 1996 and Piper in 2005. Gooding and Kapfer legally separated in 2014, citing irreconcilable differences, and filed for divorce in 2017.
Gooding Jr is a renowned actor known for his roles in films such as Jerry Maguire, Boyz n the Hood and Men of Honor. He won the Academy Award in 1997 for best supporting actor for his role in Jerry Maguire, only a few months after Mason was born.
Gooding Jr has been embroiled in multiple sexual misconduct scandals, pleading guilty in 2022 to kissing a waitress without her consent and settling a rape lawsuit in 2023.
Mason’s grandfather, Cuba Gooding Sr, was also in the entertainment industry. He was the lead singer of R&B band The Main Ingredient.
When did Mason Gooding start acting?

Mason Gooding was a boy scout in school and “a sort of dorky kid who wasn’t so socially adept”, he told W Magazine in 2019. His famous father presented him with two options: he could either go to university or pursue acting. If he chose to act, he would have to wait until he turned 18. But Mason did not follow his father’s edict and chose both paths: he enrolled at New York University, studying psychology and dramatic writing, which opened the door to the world of acting for him.
“I’m not very good at much else,” Mason told WWD in 2020. “Once I realised that was a viable career path, I was, like, ‘I don’t know if there’s anything else I’d love to do, but entertain and try and incite the way people view themselves through characters which I portray.’”
In his third year of university, Mason left school to focus on his acting projects full time. He starred in his first feature film, Booksmart, directed by Olivia Wilde, in 2019, and is now working with the actress-director again in I Want Your Sex. He has featured in a number of horror and thriller films, including three in the Scream series, and The Gates.
Who is Mason Gooding dating?

Mason Gooding is dating Dominican actress Emilia Tosta, who he affectionately referred to as “my lady” in an interview with InStyle in March. The couple debuted their relationship last October, when they appeared together at the Clarins & V Magazine Golden Hour Celebration. The pair have been posting romantic photos on social media ever since.
Mason was last linked to model Amenah Soares, who accompanied the actor to the Scream VI premiere in New York City in 2023.


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Fame and celebrity

Meet Mason Gooding, Cuba Gooding Jr’s son starring in I Want Your Sex

 Jerry Maguire actor Cuba Gooding Jr and his son Mason Gooding, who stars in I Want Your Sex. Photos: AFP, @masonthegooding/Instagram

Mason Gooding at the premiere for I Want Your Sex in Los Angeles in July. Photo: Reuters

Mason Gooding and Cuba Gooding Jr at Madison Square Garden in 2016. Photo: GC Images

Spencer, Mason and Piper Gooding with their mother Sara Kapfer in 2020. Photo: @sippyg/Instagram

Before I Want Your Sex, Mason Gooding worked with Olivia Wilde in Booksmart. Photo:  @masonthegooding/Instagram

Emilia Tosta calls Mason Gooding her “favourite person”. Photo: @emtosta/Instagram

Meet Ben Robson, who plays Oliver on Netflix’s Ransom Canyon

Ben Robson appears in season two of Ransom Canyon as Minka Kelly’s new love interest. Photos: @benrobson/Instagram

Ben Robson plays Quinn’s mysterious new love interest in season two of Ransom Canyon. Photo: @benrobson/Instagram

Ben Robson at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Photo: @benrobson/Instagram

Ben Robson played the physically daring Craig Cody in Animal Kingdom. Photo: @benrobson/Instagram

From left: Ben Robson with his date Leila George, as well as Louis Partridge, Olivia Rodrigo and Michael Gracey, at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Photo: @leilageorge/Instagram

Meet ex-ESPN analyst Ryan Clark’s supportive wife Yonka Clark – his college sweetheart

Yonka and Ryan Clark, pictured at the 2023 ESPYs, have been married since 2004 and have three children. Photo: Getty Images

“Why wouldn’t I smile when my brothers are out here fighting battles bigger than mine?” Ryan Clark said in a post after being laid off from ESPN. Photo: @realrclark/Instagram

Ryan Clark and his wife Yonka this month. Photo: @realrclark/Instagram

Ryan Clark and his wife Yonka met when they were just teenagers. Photo: @realrclark/Instagram

Ryan Clark and his wife Yonka (at left) fell in love at Louisiana State University. Photo: @realrclark/Instagram

Meet English actor David Jonsson, Marvel’s new Black Panther

Chadwick Boseman as the first Black Panther (left); David Jonsson (right) will play his son in the third film. Photos: Marvel Studios; @davidjonsson__/Instagram

Chadwick Boseman, the original Marvel Black Panther. Photo: Handout

“A privilege, an honour,” David Jonsson wrote on Instagram, on being named Marvel’s newest Black Panther. Photo: @davidjonsson__/Instagram

David Jonsson describes his heritage as Creole and hails from East London. Photo: @davidjonsson__/Instagram

David Jonsson wears Gucci and Cartier to receive his Bafta in early 2025. Photo: @davidjonsson__/Instagram

David Jonsson wearing Paul Smith and Omega in late 2024. Photo: @davidjonsson__/Instagram

Meet Heidi Grace Engerman, who plays Sidney on Netflix’s Ransom Canyon

Heidi Grace Engerman plays Sidney in Netflix’s Ransom Canyon. Photo: @heidiengerman/Instagram

Heidi Grace Engerman (second from left) celebrates Ransom Canyon claiming the No 1 spot on Netflix’s charts in the US. Photo: @heidiengerman/Instagram

Heidi Grace Engerman in 2024. Photo: @heidiengerman/Instagram

Heidi Grace Engerman at Cinque Terre in 2022. Photo: @heidiengerman/Instagram

Heidi Grace Engerman recently posed for a headshot by Matt Kallish. Photo: @matt_kallish/Instagram

Meet AnnaLynne McCord, the actress and anti-trafficking advocate crowdfunding her wedding

Millionaire couple AnnaLynne McCord and Danny Cipriani have been exposed for crowdfunding their upcoming wedding. Photo: @theannalynnemccord/Instagram

AnnaLynne McCord and Danny Cipriani have drawn flak for asking their wedding guests to pay for their upcoming nuptials. Photo: @dannycipriani87/Instagram

AnnaLynne McCord has said her conservative, religious parents were abusive to her and her sisters. Photo: @theannalynnemccord/Instagram

AnnaLynne McCord has talked publicly about surviving sexual assault and is an advocate against sex trafficking. Photo: @theannalynnemccord/Instagram

AnnaLynne McCord and Danny Cipriani met on the exclusive dating app Raya. Photo: @dannycipriani87/Instagram

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The Scream actor reunites with Olivia Wilde in Gregg Araki’s new erotic comedy thriller


The Scream actor reunites with Olivia Wilde in Gregg Araki’s new erotic comedy thriller.


Meet Mason Gooding, Cuba Gooding Jr’s son starring in I Want Your Sex

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Scream actor reunites with Olivia Wilde in Gregg Araki’s new erotic comedy thriller

The Scream actor reunites with Olivia Wilde in Gregg Araki’s new erotic comedy thriller