NEPO NO-NO’S HOW NOT TO RESPOND

By Maya Kayyal

We’ve all heard the different takes surrounding the nepotism epidemic. Some despise it while others applaud it. It seems that every day, a new child of nepotism, labeled ‘nepo-baby’ by the media and public, uses the spotlight to share why they believe they are above complaints of nepotism, spreading the same excuses thousands before them have worn to the bone. Of course, children cannot help who their parents are, but they certainly can do their best to recognize their privilege and help give opportunities to other talented performers attempting to make it on their own.

The amount of complaints against nepo-babies has skyrocketed along with the surface level responses to them. What many celebrities are missing, however, is that the public (generally) is not complaining about their parentage, but rather their ignorance to the amount of opportunities nepo-babies have been handed since their births. Many actors with actor parents share agents or perform in their filmmaker parents’ movies, and musician nepo-babies are offered record deals from the same label as their parents. A surprising number of SNL writers have also been the nepo-offspring of other writers. These are opportunities that would not be offered to a person without such connections. In all industries, nepotism erases authenticity, reduces diversity, and lowers quality performance rates. A talented performer without the same opportunities as a child of nepotism can only make it so far in today’s Hollywood.

Some celebrities try to cover up their nepotism, while others wear it with pride. Hailey Bieber, daughter of actor Stephen Baldwinm, caused quite a stir in the media for her questionable choice to flaunt her status. She was seen sporting a white crop-top with two bold words stamped across the front - ‘Nepo Baby’. This is an example of an ignorant response to very real concerns about the dangers of nepotism, as she is romanticizing privilege and using it as an excuse to brag.

Lily Rose Depp, daughter of actor Johnny Depp and singer/model Vanessa Paradis, as well as Maude Apatow, daughter of actor Leslie Mann and comedian Judd Apatow, have both made some questionable comments when it comes to their nepotism status. In an interview with Elle Magazine, Depp stated, “People are going to have preconceived ideas about you or how you got there, and I can definitely say that nothing is going to get you the part except for being right for the part.” Was Chanel right for the part in her first acting cameo at 14-years-old or was the opportunity handed to her because of her parents’ connections in the industry? Would she have been chosen as an ambassador for Chanel at 16 if her mother wasn’t a famous model? I think we can all agree that nothing is going to get you the part except for parent’s success.

Apatow stated in 2020 in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that she has “acted in so many of my parents’ movies, and people are going to say it’s nepotism. I mean, it’s not even an insult- well, it is an insult, but it is what it is. I’m gonna spend my whole life trying to prove myself as an individual, and that’s a chip on my shoulder.”

Apatow is a talented actor, but the issues with this statement are endless. People are going to say acting in a parent’s movie is nepotism because that’s exactly what it is. While it must be a lot of pressure for Apatow to be constantly proving herself because of her parents’ fame, it is a whole lot more difficult for someone else to get to her position without the plethora of cash and connections her parents provide her, and that’s a real “chip on the shoulder.”

In contrast, other nepo-babies acknowledge the platform they’ve been given and try their best to use it for good. Actor and director Destry Spielberg, daughter of director Steven Spielberg and actor Kate Capshaw, is a great example of this. In response to nepotism backlash, she tweeted, “I acknowledge that I was born with privilege! I own that through and through! I make it my mission to bring new talent into the industry [and] give opportunities to artists of all backgrounds. No one should be left out because of the connections they don’t have.”

Maya Hawke, daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, also recognizes the opportunities she’s received as a result of her parentage. She told People that “I’m very grateful for the fact that [my parents] made it so easy for me to do the thing that I love. I think I’ll get a couple chances on their name and then if I suck, I’ll get kicked out of the kingdom. ... And that’s what should happen. So I’m just going to try not to suck.” Hawke not only recognizes her privilege, but uses it as motivation to continue working hard at what she does rather than relying on her parents’ names (and succeeds).

Nepotism is unavoidable in all industries. CEOs will always promote their children, actors will always lend their children use of their agents, and diehard fans will always turn their heads away from the ignorance of their idols. What can change how nepo-babies use their given platform and their response to criticism? If nepos in the industry heard the criticisms made against them rather than immediately responding defensively, a lot of good could come of it.