In more recent years, Hollywood has been attempting to find many ways to make itself more progressive. This comes not only in regard to the stories it allows to be told on the big and small screens, but in who audiences see acting in the roles as well. For example, when it comes to the roles of characters that are of a certain racial background, status, and the LGBTQ+ community, fans have been calling for the members of these groups to represent these characters. This allows for the stories to be rawer and gives these actors achance to represent their own communities on screen. This has been happening more and more, but within the vast industry that Hollywood is, there are still hiccups. One of the most recent and prevalent is nepotism and its impact.
The concept of nepotism within the context of Hollywood refers to someone who comes from a family of prior wealth and status. This commonly makes it easier for an upcoming actor to break through, and in some cases, receive bigger roles than they might have if they did not have the last name that they do. With this becoming a moreprominent topic in recent years, a new lens has opened up on the figures in Hollywood who’ve been reaping these benefits, and the way that they address their privilege.
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Some of the best-known products of nepotism are actors like Lily-Rose Depp, the daughter of actor Johnny Depp and actress Vanessa Paradis. She has been a part of many popular projects likeTusk,The King, Yoga Hosers.She’s also set to appear in the upcoming HBO Max seriesThe Idolwhich is set to be directed by Euphoria’s Sam Levinson, and Depp is also acting alongside music sensation The Weekend.The Idolis set tostart streaming on HBO Max in November.
During an interview with Australian Vogue, Depp addressed her nepotism, stating:
“It is obviously a really easy assumption to make to think that I would just have roles landing on my doorstep because of my name, but that’s an idea I’ve always kind of rejected.”
She went on to add,“I’ve always been under the impression that I have towork twice as hard to prove to peoplethat I’m not just here because it’s easy for me. I feel like you’re not what your name is. If you’re not right for something, they’re not just going to hire you because your name looks good on the post.”
With Depp not owning her privilege, she commonly finds her name thrown into conversations about privilege in the entertainment business. With it being revealed in court that her father allegedly played a major role in helping his ex-lover Amber Heard land her role as Mera in theAquamanfranchise, the chances that he’s done thesame thing for his owndaughter is not a far-fetched idea.
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Another well-known nepotism baby is Gwyneth Paltrow, who is the daughter of director/producer Bruce Paltrow and actor Blythe Danner. Paltrow made her debut on screen in a straight-to-television movieHigh, which written and directed by her father. During an appearance on fellow nepotism baby Hailey Bieber’s YouTube show “Who’s In My Bathroom,” Paltrow got candid about her privilege, stating:
“As the child of someone, you get to access other people don’t have, so the playing field is not level in that way. However, I really do feel thatonce your foot is in the door, which you unfairly got in, then you almost have to work twice as hard and be twice as good.”
She went on to add,“People are ready to pull you down and say, ‘You don’t belong there’ or ‘You are only there because of your dad or your mom.“This perspective gives more insight as Paltrow was upfront about how her last name aided in getting her foot in the door. However, she goes further to make note that status only gets you part of the way there, and you must have the talent to stay in the business.
Actress Lily Collins, who is the daughter of musician Phil Collins, has also spoken out on the topic of nepotism. In an interview with Marie Claire UK Collins stated:
“When I first met with agents, I was asked, ‘Well, what makes you so special? Everybody in LA is a cousin or a daughter of someone.’ At the beginning, that was the most interesting thing about me.”
She went on to add,“Now I’ve done eight films, it’s an afterthought. I get kids who say, ‘Oh, I love your movie, but my mum loves your dad.’ It’s really nice to be able to share that with him, but it doesn’t define who I am career-wise.“Although in the past she has used her family ties as a focal point, Collins has now made a name for herself and continues to grow her career catalog as she takes on more vast roles.
Nepotism in Hollywood isn’t a new thing, but more now than ever, it’s being called out. Kendall Jenner claims that her families name “holds her back.” Meanwhile. Full House star Lori Loughlin’s family was tied up in the college admissions scandal where Loughlin bribed the University of Southern California to have her children admitted. With incidents like these, everyone is watching nepotism more closely and the fear of calling these people out has vanished.
Being a product of nepotism in no way diminishes someone’s talent. However, when it is called out, it’s due to the worry that these peoplemay be using their privilegeto get themselves ahead, leaving others in the dust struggling to catch up. Despite this, the conversation surrounding nepotism is wide open, which it wasn’t in the past. It allows for people to be held accountable for their actions as they affect everyone who’s attempting to thrive in the entertainment business.
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