TMS Discussion: Guilt-Tripping Nepo Babies Isn't Accomplishing Anything

(Mitchell Gerber)

By far the most asinine and tone deaf discourse to take over the Internet the past six months is supposedly shaming famous people who come from nepotism. Right away, this dialogue started off on the wrong foot. I’ve seen current it-girl Anya Taylor-Joy incorrectly labeled a ‘nepo baby,’ even though her family doesn’t have anything to do with the fashion or entertainment industries. Her parents are, however, wealthy if you take a quick look at her Wiki page. This is probably how Anya got to breeze into showbusiness from modeling without having to worry about moonlighting as a waitress or retail employee until landing the right audition. So surely, the real problem is privilege then, yes? No, because apparently a lot of people on social media can’t tell the difference between nepotism and privilege. A lot of the time the two go hand-in-hand, but there are people who don’t seem to understand this isn’t always the case. As a lifelong Drew Barrymore fan, you have no idea how often I have to correct [I’m assuming young] people online who think she was born and raised in a Bel Air mansion; and inform them that she and her mom were actually living in a five-room LA apartment while Jaid was making sure her daughter was showing up for auditions more than class most of the 1980s. Folk-pop legend Donovan is the father of actor-singer Donovan Leitch and actress Ione Skye, but has openly admitted in the past he chose to not be a part of their lives [how disappointing].

So, clearly, the celebs born into both nepotism and money should be more self-aware and acknowledge their advantages. Wrong, because the step up in life sometimes only requires the right surname or connection next to the skill for your desired career. Drew did admit that as a child she was asked about her legendary grandfather John Barrymore or her great-uncle Lionel and great-aunt Ethel, even though all three were deceased by the time she was born. Okay, so everyone affiliated with nepotism is part of the problem and needs to make reparations for all the others who have to work extra hard networking. But wait, Domhnall Gleeson is so talented and cute, I can’t judge him. And Jack Quaid is funny on Twitter ☹ And Laura Dern is so talented and in so many good movies, I can’t hate on her either. But Maude Apatow adds nothing to HBO’s “Euphoria,” and clearly only has a career because of her dad, so f*ck her. And Brooklyn Beckham and Kaia Gerber and—

The fact that people are criticizing nepotistic stars they dislike yet giving their faves with legendary relatives a pass should tell you how much of a joke this conversation is. The general consensus between ‘normies’ on social media is that “nepo babies aren’t a big deal as long as they’re talented,” but then Kate Hudson says literally the same thing and everyone loses it. I think it’s pointless to try to single out every famous person who comes from a showbiz family, because you’ll discover it’s hard to find someone working in entertainment and the arts who doesn’t have family, friends or a significant other already working there. The only reason most people don’t know Daisy Edgar-Jones or Joseph Gordon-Levitt were born into showbusiness is because their mom or dad isn’t super recognizable like Judy Garland or Kirk Douglas. The common nepotism more often comes from the unknowns behind the camera. Whenever people suggest anyone with a famous parent can be a superstar, I ask, why aren’t Stanley Kubrick’s daughters universally successful? Most probably don’t even realize Steven Spielberg’s daughter Sasha has had gigs as an actress and musician or that his other daughter Destry has been trying to get her own directing off the ground for a while. Pat Hitchcock had bit parts in some of her father’s classics, but didn’t act much on her own. The industry is made up more of families like the Livelys and the Mitchums than the Coppolas and the Fondas. Did you know Grace Van Dien—who played the cheerleader on this past season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things”—is not only the daughter of actor Casper Van Dien, but also the great-granddaughter of Robert Mitchum on her mom’s side? Me neither until last year, and then I quickly discovered nearly everyone in the family has experience working in the film industry. But the average person has probably only heard of Bob and to a much lesser extent Grace compared to the many successful Coppola relatives, including Nicolas Cage.

(Ron Galella)

It’s to the point where it’s impressive someone with a completely working class background makes it in the business, whether Charlie Chaplin and Cary Grant or Mary Steenburgen and Annie Potts. In an ideal world, everyone would get hired strictly based on talent and experience. But in reality, it’s also a big, convenient boost if you work with a person you know and trust [who hopefully already has the prerequisites]. If you actually take full advantage of the connections and put in the work to prove you would be just as good without them, then I don’t see a big issue. So like most people, I don’t care if a celebrity comes from nepotism and/or privilege as long as they aren’t an a-hole or come off obtuse. Suddenly acting like all Hollywood kids are supposed to be persona non grata while not wanting to give up liking some of them is just a waste of time. And like with #metoo, the music industry is getting off the hook with this discussion, though you could argue there are more showbiz offspring working in that medium [Toto? Wilson Phillips? The Strokes?]. So unless some famous successor literally says something ridiculous like, “I don’t believe nepotism exists,” I’m not going to sweat over someone’s background. There’s bigger fish to fry.