"Nepo Baby" calls out nepotism in Hollywood, with mixed reactions

[gabe_oakes]

This reminds me of the Ichikawa family in Japan. This family of Kabuki actors was founded in the 17th century and actors from this family are often considered among the best in the form, to this day.

[Doctor_Faustus]

@Brainspore

I’m sure that’s true also, but the opportunities afforded to children of Hollywood insiders aren’t always due to nepotism as we usually understand it so much as the fact that a parent who has “made it” in the industry probably has all kinds of useful insight about which acting classes to attend, how to book auditions, etc.

It’s maybe not overt nepotism, but it would be naive to assume that casting agents aren’t influenced by name recognition, both subconsciously and consciously. And that doesn’t even take into account that, as the article says in its title, getting an agent on the first place is probably the biggest hurdle in a Hollywood career, and one these people never had to worry about. Who isn’t going to want to rep the kid of a successful actor? It’s easy money, because you can be sure they will always get some jobs.

[Alvin_Goodman]

Paris Hilton and those Kasdashian girls all made their own careers separate from what their parent’s professions were.

If any of them gets calls for work though, it is likely more to bring in their celebrity status than their actual competence. There are much better DJ’s in the Yellow Pages than Paris.

Then you have Tony Goldwyn, who probably could have gotten a cushy studio-exec job, but instead has branched out to become a great actor and performer… he gets work because of his demonstrated talent, not because of his name.

[ChuckV]

@heckblazer

Louise Linton, wife of Steve Mnuchin, springs to mind as an example - I suspect she only got to write, direct and star in Me You Madness because of her husband.

I suspect that in that case her husband basically paid for (at least a good chunk of) the film.

[Luke_Thorham]

Being the child of a well known person comes along with a lot of social capital. Which is a very lucky thing to have. And according to award-winning researchers from the lastest ig-nobel prize success is largely determined by luck.

[VeronicaConnor]

@heckblazer

*His mother owned The Comedy Store and gave a lot of big name comedians their start. Shore’s career made a lot more sense when I learned that,

…and the end of his career is proof that connections can only take you so far. After six bombs in a row, Hollywood had finally had enough of him. The privilege is in that they gave him six chances.

He still performs at the Store sometimes and it’s… just sad. He shows up drunk, pulls his pants down, and then it goes downhill from there.

[ficuswhisperer]

@atl

Colin Hanks, as I understand, tried to do some acting (and he was in a few things) but switched to more behind the scenes stuff. No one is going to give Colin Hanks more than a couple of roles just because his old man is really talented.

He’s still active although he typically takes on smaller or supporting roles. I can’t fault him for being the son of a legendary actor, he’s quite good himself. Even his early work on Roswell showed he could hold his own.

In general I don’t take much offense to so-called “nepo babies”. If they aren’t very good at their craft, they won’t last long. They can only ride so many coattails until they are exposed or until they actually develop some talent. Sofia Coppola wasn’t all that great an actor, but damn if she didn’t find her groove as a great filmmaker.

I do really wish that the Smiths would stop trying to make Jaden and Willow a thing, though.

[Deborah_Caruso]

I recently saw a great example of poverty tourism in the movie ‘Where the Crawdads Sing.’ The book goes into great detail on the main character’s dire living conditions. In the movie, she is clean, neatly dressed and the ‘shack’ is quaint and well kept. Swamp mud never sticks above the ankles.

[gracchus]

Hollywood always cleans up poverty and working-poor life to one degree or another. It’s more jarring in the current context, both because fewer “above-the-line” staff than ever come from those backgrounds and because “authenticity” is supposed a big selling point for film and television.

That lack of authenticity ties into the base problem most people have here: the lack of honesty. Ultimately we’re not going to eliminate nepotism. What we want, however, is honesty: honesty about privilege and its advantages and pitfalls; honesty about meritocracy being a myth; honesty about the dysfunction of an industry that gives Pauly Shore or Tori Spelling or Jaden Smith or Lily Rose Depp (to give a few examples) chance after chance to prove their lack of talent where others who are truly talented will never have a shot at failing once.

[Mangochin]

Also mostly because the child of a lawyer will likely have parents who can more easily afford to send them to higher education.

Well off people have the money to send their kids for the acting, dancing and music lessons without worrying about having enough to pay a mortgage/rent.

[Mangochin]

@Alvin_Goodman

Then you have Tony Goldwyn, who probably could have gotten a cushy studio-exec job, but instead has branched out to become a great actor and performer… he gets work because of his demonstrated talent, not because of his name.

The late John Ritter is probably a better example. His father was a famous country music star and his mother a B movie actress. He was wildly successful for his talents at comedy to an audience relatively unaware of his background.