Talent or inheritance: Power of nepotism in Hollywood

The passion Hollywood has for the fame does not merely exist on a silver screen; it emanates from bloodlines. 

The expression 'nepo baby' has gone viral, drawing attention to a new class of youths that is dominating children’s cinema, fashion and music. It is a phenomenon that is changing the neck of the woods and sometimes truly for the worse.

Famous names

Most of the today’s rising stars to seem commercially viable, doing-well placed in the limelight without any hard work simply because they were born wealthy, privileged and had fame rooted in their family.

Lily-Rose Depp, the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, scored and got booked for all the part in Chanel advertisements and The Idol series.

Maude Apatow saw a good enough action growing up as the child of actor’s cum directors i.e. Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann, so had entire subsidized fame in Euphoria on HBO.

At the same time as 17-year-old Kaia Gerber, daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, was striding on a Rotterdam stage for a show as a branded waif as she became one of the household models.

Maya Hawke came in Netflix's Strangers Things and rose to popularity at becoming the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman.

Zoe Kravitz clever daughter of Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz, after so many face wipes aka anger, tried thrusted her life through the remain caves of London plus showed herself in The Batman.

Brooklyn Beckham son captive of David Beckham and Victoria relegated tried carving a path in photography  through his parents.

While it is true that these adolescents possess skills, one cannot overlook the fact that they signed the dotted line because of their last names.

The perks of being a celebrity’s kid

Children and their offspring from famous personalities reap rewards unparalleled to those acquired by other hopefuls. Instead of ‘pretending’ to know what is expected of them, they are taught how to behave with the world. Today, such children are called 'nepo babies'.

Iris Law, the daughter of Hollywood celebrity Jude Law did not find any obstacles in high fashion modelling.

Hollywood came later to be associated with Scott Eastwood who happens to be the son of Clint Eastwood. His father’s add-on name allowed Scott to appear in Suicide Squad.

Now legal heir to Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, Jack Quaid already is a star in the series The Boys.

Nepotism breeds bias

The harsh reality for these teens is that they are deprived of undue empathy from their surrounding world. For the “young” people who referred themselves talentless due to lack of notice, it is in fact a reality for hard-working, self-made contemporaries with no connections.

Prompted by restrictions set by the contemporary world, previously praised names such as, Sadie Sink, Rachel Zegler, and Florence Pugh, find themselves up to their knees in sand without a net of any kind offering protection for claiming fame.

How celebrity children built empires

A celebrity's name opens many doors beyond just acting opportunities. Many celebrity offspring transform their fame into long lasting influence:

Due to his celebrity parents Will and Jada, Jaden Smith has built himself a career in music and fashion.

Willow Smith started a hugely successful music career before the age of 18.

Bindi Irwin, who is the daughter of the late Steve Irwin, built a career in television alongside an empire in conservation.

Rumer Willis, the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, won Dancing With The Stars and went on to have a performance career that spanned across Broadway and beyond.

These aren’t just entertainers, but rather, these are empires.

Any competitors out there?

If you don’t have family connections, it’s a gruelling journey of endless auditions and consistent rejection.

 Actors like Pedro Pascal, who was unknown till being cast in The Mandalorian, showcase the obstacles faced before reaching talent recognition.

Having an untouchable “in” as many roles are cast via private networking makes this, for most, an unachievable goal.

The bigger picture: Who gets to tell the story?

It's not just about the casting. It's about the platform.

There are around 40 different ethnic groups in the county, approximately 18% of the total population. If Hollywood keeps reusing the same family trees, fresh but diverse perspectives stand to be suppressed.

For an industry so reliant on storytelling, the answers of which voices to keep hearing are dully decided.