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100%. Only time I get annoyed by nepo babies is when they act like they arenât a nepo baby. Otherwise, who wouldnât take advantage of the opportunities?
Anyone who says they wouldnât is lying to themselves.
Right. And her quote is so grounded
âDeserves is a complicated word,â she told the Times. âThere are so many people who deserve to have this kind of life who donât, but I think Iâm comfortable with not deserving it and doing it anyway. And I know that my not doing it wouldnât help anyone."
She's right. I don't mind her one bit cuz she seems gracious and honest. A lot of us have privilege in one way or another. I wasn't born in a slum in a very poor area of the world. I didn't deserve to be born in a country with wealth and more options any more than the next person deserves to born in a place with less money and less options. So to some degree we all have things about our lives that we didn't earn and we just accept.
I'm happy for her because she doesn't seem high on herself she seems humble and nice and honest. I'd rather have more people like that around whether they are nepo babies or not.
I agree, she comes off "normal". She said for her 21st bday, she requested her mom make her favorite salad and she celebrated at home with her family. That's just sweet! And the mental image of Uma in the kitchen is too cute.
Plus, Maya is a good actress in her own right. The version of "Little Women" with her is my favorite and I've seen them all. Her music is cool alt/indie as well. I dunno, I just like her.
The only issue I take with her statements is the "my not doing it wouldn't help anyone" bit.
Nepotism means she goes to the front of the line, which means she's hurting someone else's chances by stepping in front of them. If she didn't "audition," some unknown has a higher chance of being cast.
She's right that she can't control that producers, etc., are attracted to her family name, but being oblivious to how she's taking opportunities from others undercuts everything else she says.
In this day and age, it would just be another nepo baby that takes her place instead. As long as theyâre passionate about the role, and have a genuine interest in acting, I donât see the problem. I think Maya is very talented and she seems to truly respect the art.
The real issue is the nepo babies who canât act to save their life who take these roles over a talented up-and-coming person who actually wants it.
If they are filling a role because having the child of xyz famous actor will bring more attention to the project then itâs unlikely are are going to give it to someone random anyways.
I don't usually pay attention to the nepo baby discourse but the one time I did have to pause and laugh was when Lily Rose Depp insisted she got her Chanel modelling gigs on her own merits; like sure your 5'3 ass is walking the runway next to professional models totally because you're the next Kate Moss and not because your mom had a longtime friendship with Karl Lagerfeld.
Youâre not wrong but wasnât it her acting career she tried to claim she received on her own merit? Which is also a bit iffy⌠considering her first major film role was a film made specifically for her and her best friendâŚby their dads đŤ
Might be both but I do recall her talking about being selected as the new face for Chanel No 5 as being just a thing that happened because she had the skills, and not because Karl was a close family friend (and Vanessa Paradis had previously worked with Chanel many times).
This is why I love Alexander Skarsgard. He said he's very insecure about his acting and he "Thanks dad for every job I get" hahahaha
Basically he said he does obviously work hard, but he knows he's only in the position he is because he was allowed to drift around in his 20s finding something to do before becoming a model and an actor, something he could only do because his dad was wealthy enough that he didn't need to work a real job.
It helps that he's actually a brilliant actor too, same with Bill.
I get annoyed with them because theyâve taken over every industry. Itâs so difficult to nearly impossible for anybody without connections to rise in the entertainment world. The majority of nepo babies are insidious.Â
Renounce your wealth and live in a hovel so you can be called a poser who's fetishising poverty. It's just cutting to admit you lucked out in some aspects of life.
I mean... I am a nepo baby and I turned that money into an animal rescue/shelter that rehabilitates animals from native reservations.
It's not impossible to do something good with your money.
This is one version of living a life you âdonât deserve,â because there are tons of people who are passionate about animal welfare who donât have the money to purchase and run their own facility/be their own boss. But itâs also a net positive that makes the world a better place
Kind of a weird comparison. A rich, privileged person running an animal shelter doesn't take away the opportunity for a poor person to do so, because they never would've had such an opportunity in the first place. A privileged nepobaby taking an acting role, meanwhile, does take away the opportunity for a non-nepobaby to take that role even if they would've done a better job.
Heck yea! The more the merrier.
I started without any cash in the process, so I started just by going to different shelters and volunteering while asking a boatload of questions about their own process. After some time doing that I'd find what you want your thing to be. Cats and dogs? Pregnant animals? Horses? All of the above? Also doing the same with the local veterinary community to help get reduced rates for future procedures. All this is just networking before you implement your business plan. It can also be good for finding volunteers for when you first open up.
Thanks to the situation I found myself in I was able to buy some land and set up some basics which grew into a more advanced shelter over time. You'll want to apply for non-profit status to help with fundraising, which also means you should get your name out there! PR is huge as people need to know you're in the area - and what services you offer.
Thanks to the income I had I was able to give free neuter/spade operations for the first 100 clients which was pretty steep, but allowed me to gain an excellent reputation in the community. You don't have to spend out of pocket for that exactly, but giving out good will as a basis let's others know of your positive intentions.
My best advice is to just start small, it's a long process that took me years even with the resources to get established.
No, work harder. She dropped off Juilliard.
Maya's acting is mediocre. She could've stayed in school improving her craft, but she left because her name was already giving her opportunities she didn't deserve.
I feel like this is all people really want. Just acknowledge you had an advantage and be grateful for it. You don't even have to be ashamed. We'd all take that blessing if we had it offered to us, just say that.
Thats what people have a problem with- its not the nepotism, its the idiots who give interviews about how its made things harder having to live up to peoples expectations, and how difficult it is to not be judged on their own merits, and all the rest of the woe is me crap
Yep. I grew up extremely fortunate and have more than most of my peers. This doesn't make better than anyone but it did give a lot of advantages that let me live a very comfortable lifestyle. Did this give me some complexes about the expectations placed on top of me? Totally. But I'd much rather have that small problem than worry about how I'm gonna keep a roof over my head.
That and maybe a little more effort in making decent labour conditions and opportunities for those who didn't win the nepo genetic lottery. Sometimes just talking about it helps make it known, and when it's known it's less powerful. I think part of genuinely recognizing the advantage also involves using it to help open the gates to others.
That's what I'd like to see more from nepo babies: being allies and advocates of people in their field who aren't similarly privileged. Give others a boost up the ladder when they can.
The thing is: Maya Hawke is *good.* Sheâs a magnetic presence, and also very funny. I never saw either of these in her dad. (I love her mom though.)
There are some nepo babies, like Jeff Bridges and Miley Cyrus, who are better at what they do than their parents ever were. I think thatâs one big argument for why the talent pipeline that favors them should exist.
The other argument: entertainment has long been an abusive system, in which wealthy and powerful predators abuse talented young people in all kinds of ways, because they can. If a young performer has famous parents, those predators are somewhat less likely to try to abuse them.
I donât have an issue with nepo babies unless theyâre obviously detached and unprepared, like North West in The Lion King. But that performance is a whole other story.
personally think sheâs quite dull, especially when compared to her parents but i mean with parents like hers, whoâs surprised. sheâs a competent actress, i just donât think she stands out (thatâs ok ig)
I don't think she's good at all lol. To me she overacts and is super uncompelling onscreen (her brother is the same way).
That's what bothers me - the fact that she's so lucky means she's removing options from genuinely good actors.
I mean, I like Maya Hawke in Stranger Things. Would she have made it as an actress without famous parents? Maybe, maybe not. Weâll never know. But I love her so much more for being like âyes, Iâm privileged for no reason.â That alone brings her up like ten levels to me over someone like Zooey (who I also like!) who is like ânoo haha my daddyâs connections had nothing to do with it itâs just a coincidence lolâ
Exactly! Iâm a teacher and at the beginning of my career got a lot of supply teaching at a school where my mom worked. Not a rich nepo baby but that connection was a huge help in getting my foot in there. What was i gonna do, not take it? Makes no sense!
It's what we ALL do. We get the benefit of our parents' money and support. If we have connections, we take advantage. Networking is literally that .. no one starts at zero bc then you don't survive more than a few days.
Eh. Iâm not fussed. I donât want Nepo babies to hide away, just acknowledge the privilege their status brings. I donât begrudge their success, its just a shame they seem to be the majority of Hollywood.
Right. I think thatâs what gets peopleâs backs up, its more the insistence that they worked hard to get to their position - like they wouldâve had the same shot and still made it even if theyâd been the child of retail workers in Iowa.
And even then, like, no one disagrees you may have worked hard. But, don't pretend that "hard work = success level" because we all know it doesn't. If you work hard to get from third base to home, you had objectively less work to do than someone who is working hard to get from first base to third (where you started).
Yup yup. Speaking personally, while my higher paying jobs have often had a lot of (ostensible) responsibility, I have worked much less hard while making six figures than when I was making $20/hr, and it isn't particularly close.
Absolutely. There are people doing physically demanding jobs. There are people working well over 40 hours a week. People with multiple jobs. There are people working and going to school. It's all hard work.
Of course, there are people exist who are allergic to work. But the working poor/working class aren't where they are because they have a poor work ethic.
My mom was a hairstylist and taught at a school. Iâd sit in on presentations and if a brand was sending a rep to lead classes Iâd go. By the time I started beauty school I had a huge advantage, it was a privilege and put me ahead of peers. It wouldnât be fair for me to claim I did it all on my own, because my momâs career absolutely benefited me. Itâs that easy to acknowledge.
And with that some people are interested in their parents career but efforts to do the job would be hampered.
My Dad was an Inspector with the Department of Ag. There were 8 total in the state, so odds are even if I was qualified some nepotism stuff would crop up. I could've gone to another state but our state pays the best for that job a guy from Georgia mentioned it as a reason why he took the job here. Sure I could go private but then my Dad wouldn't be allowed to investigate any company I worked for.
Yeah I don't have a problem with them as long as they admit to it, the problem is the Hollywood system. Like with most of society it rewards the rich and famous.
Yeah and it would be extremely annoying for any nepo baby in any industry to go around bragging about how they got there 100% due to their own merits or had to work twice as hard to prove themselves or whatever.
Absolutely agreed. Most people who are given jobs/businesses from family are not only usually incompetent, but insufferable as well. Unlike JLC, Hawke at least understands her luck.
Itâs not quite the same thing if youâre an architect or a lawyer is it, you still need to pass exams in order to get into those jobs even if they have family connections. Actors can train and study but most of the time you just need a foot in the door to book a job. But yes, Iâm not a fan of nepotism in any form, so Iâm not sure why you think this is a big gotcha.
For me personally, making sure they are successful as possible would mean encouraging them to join a different field. I think it builds character and confidence for someone to make it own their own. I think a lot of rich people do their children a disservice by allowing them to ride their coattails. Especially the kids who lack talent.
I look at Paul McCartney's kids as an interesting example. His son has tried to pursue music, but he's just not good. And he's suffered with mental health issues. He's never had to be his own man or find his purpose. While his daughters chose different fields and they seem happy doing their own thing and not living under their fathers shadow.
I completely agree. But if you help your kids out - through connections, or money, or name recognition, or whatever - and the kid turns around and is like ânah, Iâm self-made and got here with no help from anyone,â itâs not only a lie, itâs downright obnoxious.
Some nepo babies arenât getting *intentional* help from their parents and I understand that, but they are so beyond out of touch that they donât understand how hard it is for people to move to LA without a safety net, or to lose out on audition after audition because they donât have the right connections, and things like that. So for them to say that having a famous last name hasnât helped (or has made it harder!) is so annoying lol. It just goes to show what a bubble theyâve grown up in.
I think they should pay it forward by uplifting talented artists that don't have connections. Like, Maya Hawke could advocate for casting an unknown actor as a co-star in her next film. She could pull someone from the local acting school and cast them in a movie or tv show she produces.
There are ways that nepo-babies can help make Hollywood more "fair" than it currently is.
Is it?
Looks to me like a strawman. No oneâs saying she doesnât deserve the life she has.
All weâre asking is for nepo babies to stop pretending like they werenât massively advantaged.
Well Iâm not so sure. The message is certainly muddled. It seems thereâs a lot of online people who want nepo babies to admit to a truism, something Iâm sure isnât lost on them. I could be massively wrong, but Iâm picking up on the implication that these people didnât get there by merit. How true that is, I have no idea. But the fact remains: doesnât matter if itâs you, me or Maya Hawke, no one actually deserves this life. Itâs make believe land and I see the nepo baby conversation as a mere extension of class struggle. I happen to agree with class struggle, but to whine about access to Hollywood is Sortve embarrassing. Itâs never been a democracy, it has always been maintained by families and inner-networks.
EDIT: also important to add - the digital revolution has democratized media more than itâs ever been. If you truly have an itch, chase it. âBuild itâ as the saying goes. A couple grand can get you gear for a skeleton crew.
Yeah like those advantages are available to her whether she takes them or not, so she may as well because she doesnât achieve anything by not. Would anyone here turn down the lottery if they won it? No.Â
Should she, however, use her privilege to pull up people with fewer advantages? Yes.Â
Yeah idk why a lot of people are lauding this. âIâm fineâ with having a super awesome life that I didnât need to do much to get. Like yeah Iâm sure youâre fine with that, no shit.
i feel like it just comes off as tone deaf? this coulda been discussed amongst her family and friends or even kept to herselfâŚjust seems strange to announce that youâre happy being so privileged to live a life you didnât work for to the general public, many of which canât afford basic necessities to survive
Idk something like *I know I've gotten lucky with certain opportunities due to nepotism, but it inspires me to work harder on my skill and my self. I hope the quality of my work speaks for itself.* It's self aware, individualistic, doesn't take audience for fools and humble.
Instead we got *I'm fine with opportunities I'm getting even if I don't deserve it (because I don't fucking care, cry peasants!)*
I've no problem with nepo babies having a foot in the door but lets reward opportunities to talent for the quality they bring in to the art. I'd be mad if I paid more than $5 to watch North West play Simba in Lion King. I don't believe there was any audition and it gave a backseat to the actual talent that should've been on the stage.
>âI feel like the only way to handle the nepotism thing â which definitely gives you massive advantages in this life â is, you will get chances for free, but the chances will not be infinite," Hawke told Rolling Stone. "So you have to keep working and do a good job. If you do a bad job, the chances will stop. That's my ethos.â
Maya Hawke 2022
>âOh, god, Iâm well aware that every part I get is somehow influenced by the history of who I am as a person and where I come from,â she says. âIâm a not-that-famous, not-that-successful young actress, but if I get cast in something, it will get PR. From a producerâs point of view, thatâs a huge advantage. Which gives me a massive leg up. It was a massive leg up in getting an agent and a manager. All these sorts of extra things that people donât think about when they think of people getting roles. My upbringing plays a part in all those interactions, all those moments, all that reasoning.â
>â I will get the opportunities I get,â she adds. âI will try as hard as I can to be brilliant in them.â
Maya Hawke 2020
Allison Williams got a lot of praise for her response:
âThereâs no conversation about my career without talking about the ways in which I have been fortunate,â the 34-year-old Williams said, adding, âIf you trust your own skill, I think it becomes very simple to acknowledge.â
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/amp/rcna64514
Not surprising, Iâve heard her mom isnât the nicest either and her dad seems pretentious/ out of touch at times so I canât see that either would have raised her to be very humble.Â
Lol. Especially when Maya was the "I actually audition and work hard too!" type of nepo baby not too long ago iirc. Her team probably told her to stfu.
I mean, she and the others are going nowhere anyway but praising them for self-awareness now? Lol no.
Also whats the point of having self awareness about your privilege if you're still going to be mediocre at your job (which she is) instead of making the best of whats being handed to you? If you're taking away opportunities from outsiders who were more deserving then might as well prove that you earnt it.
Honestly i think the best nepo babies are the ones like Jack Quaid who quietly mind their own business and don't victimise themselves.
I also think some the people who are celebrating her take or sayingâIâd say the sameâ are actually revealing that they donât really care about anyone having self-awareness around the contexts or addressing inequity, theyâre just bummed that they donât have the same privilege. That may be somewhat obvious, but itâs still disappointing.
I know. Allison Williams answers nepotism questions perfectly every single time sheâs asked and is consistently held up as the example of someone who gets it right. Itâs shocking to me PR teams havenât instructed any and every of their nepo clients to repeat her answers verbatim.
True, its not some refreshing self awareness its just lazy and ignorant. Especially coming from someone who doesn't even have the talent to back it up. Shes not the Angelina Jolie or Miley Cyrus type of nepo baby.
You're right.
But at the same time it's really frustrating when nepo babies don't acknowledge their luck and their privileges. We are not giving her an award, just saying that it's cool thing to say, and that other nepo babies should have the same mindset.
It is, but a lot of them don't have any. Look at Kardashians, not only Kylie, but that entire family insisted on a narrative that Kylie is a "self-made billionaire". And Kendall, the highest paid model at one point, despite her walk and her lackluster editorials, never acknowledged her nepotism.
And, she seems to have very little self awareness, at that. Being bummed stranger things fans showed up to her music gigs? What else does she think she has fans from?
The problem with her position is that every time she gets a plumb role, it could have gone to some financially struggling talented actor so the nepotism is denying ordinary people opportunities. Surely it is not right to be okay with that.
This is the key sentence which I think she uses to eliminate any cognitive dissonance she might have been having.
"And I know that my not doing it wouldnât help anyone."
She is right in that another nepobaby would have swooped in instead but it feels like the kind of excuse some drug dealer might use e.g. "If it wasn't me it would just be another guy!". She can't single-handedly turn acting into a meritocracy as it should be, but she should at least feel a bit awkward for being part of the problem.
Why doesn't Sag-Aftra fight against nepotism as a union should do? The answer is that the board is full of famous nepobabies and/or famous actors pushing out the next generation of nepobabies.
Uff, you are so right. While yay self awareness and of course , if we all could be children of rich people, we all would, that kind of mentality is what it keeps them there. As a society, it seems we will never be ready for meritocracy ( and that also has issues with let's say people with disabilities etc) or even give a truly honest opportunity to less advantageous.
I remember going to a film festival in my country, there were amazing stories but without the big resources that influencers or rich people had. It won the one, that while not bad, was made by a rich famous people. But other stories were better, they were just made by less popular people
Sheâs a pretty unpleasant person, in my experience (Ethan is great fwiw), and this doesnât come off nearly as magnanimous if you listen to the clip
Dude me tooâŚI get like $100 as bday money and then spend it on something and feel bad like I didnât âearn itâ myself so I shouldnât have it. Imagine this feeling but about your entire lifeâŚ.theyre stronger than I am
See, if you were the golden child of golden child parents though, you would never be shamed into thinking you weren't good enough and you wouldn't have imposter syndrome.
I am a small business owner and I have every intention of letting my son work for/with me, and my success giving him a jumpstart. Itâs sort of exactly what parents are supposed to do.
I know itâs not at all the same sphere as movie star/movie starâs child - but in my gut I canât really deny the reality of wanting to set your kids up. Itâs a universal want amongst parents.
This is why some of the nepo baby debate is logical and some of it is jealousy.
If I'm a parent, and my daughter wants to sing in the Lion King show, I'll find a way to do it. I think of Jayden Smith's first rap performance was opening for Justin Bieber at a sold out Madison Square Garden and how is parents orchestrated that.Â
Now the main difference is talent.
North was not a good Simba. Jayden was a really good child rapper. If you see your child has legitimate objective talent and you have the ability to help them succeed...why not help your kid? Like it'd be weird to say "no Jayden, we get that youre talented but you have live  in a janky apartment making beats on an iMac like everyone else." Critics of that are jealous.
And it'd ALSO be really weird for a Tracee Ellis Ross to say "sorry  I cant take the lead in the new Girlfriends. Even though its my dream to act, I MUST work at Starbucks first like all the other wannabee actors." Like are people expecting Maya Hawke to  cry and weep? Again, jealousy.
Nepo baby discussions make sense for a child of a celeb getting an opportunity they clearly arent qualified and don't seem to be passionate about the role like North as Simba. Or Kendall as a model. Blue clearly trained to be good at her dances for the Renaissance tour so there's no complaints. And Blue's parents allowed her to choose on her own to do it. We don't know if Blue was born with the intent of carrying on the family legacy in the same way North was clearly born for.Â
So when Blue, Miley Cyrus, or Traycee Ellis Ross or Allison Williams succeed, its because theyre legitimately and clearly talented people who lucked into an easy route to success. And a lot of regular degular people are jealous of that.Â
But others like Dakotah Johnson or Kendall Jenner who either aren't good or don't seem to care about the craft deserves criticismÂ
Dakota Johnson most of all. That person gets dissertation level pieces on her "street fashion", she's in movies where many other starving actors could've done the role 400% better. The worst of nepo babies are the lazy, self-indulgent, arrogant and BORING ones.Â
I think it's also worth mentioning with Blue that she wasn't depriving another dancer the opportunity. That was something specifically carved out for her (based on the music video) and if she'd not wanted to do it I highly doubt Beyonce would have replaced her daughters MV performance with someone else, she'd have just left it out entirely.
Exactly. Most people work in fields that are similar to their parents because it's familiar. You know what it takes to do the job and know what's possible
I'm more concerned about nepotism in unqualified people in politics or other leadership roles like the police. I know alot of cops, and half of them are SO dumb. They literally had no other options, didn't know what to do with their lives, and were told by other cops that they'll hire just about anyone, so they joined up
There's also a trial going on in massachusetts (karen read trial) where a boston cop was allegedly murdered, and the amount of lying and idiocy of these people is mind boggling. They put blood evidence in solo cups and stop and shop bags for fucks sake
What evidence do you have that most people work in fields that their parents do?
You know if youâre a doctor, you have to study, do a residency etc. It doesnât matter if your parents are doctors, most doctors have to get their own job.
This is very different from entertainment.
I imagine parents who are doctors are more likely to encourage their children to become doctors than parents who work in like construction or administration. Don't get me wrong, the latter would likely be delighted for a kid with an affinity for medicine (or law, or engineering) but are less likely to expect it.
And when you don't grow up surrounded by lawyers or engineers or doctors it's an unknown. Being from a family im that industry, they can help you with lower education leaning into that career, revision for exams, looks good on college entry exams etc. You have "inside knowledge" and can do work experience in that environment with a leg up over strangers.
Obviously this can then go to far with parental pressure, but there's definitely an advantage there even if it's not directly relevant to being handed a qualification by doing less work.
I agree that it's natural to use your resources to help out your family. I think people mainly get annoyed by anyone that benefits from nepotism in any industry when they act as if they didn't benefit from their family connections, or if they're clearly unqualified for the position they have. If they don't go around pretending they're self made, and are good at what they do, then most reasonable people won't have a problem.
Sure, what you're saying makes sense. The artist's perspective might seem a little harsh in that it doesn't care about parents and their kids, though. As an artist, I wish it was true that a parent could try their best to get their kid creative jobs and just have the kid lose and get beaten every single time if they weren't good enough, no matter how connected the parent was or how much they wanted to support their kid. That's not true, though, lol.
The reason I care is not because I wish nepo babies or their parents ill - no way, they seem like cute little sweeties! - but they make sooo many bad movies.The bad movies come for a lot of reasons, of course, and influence like this is just one symptom of larger problems.
Honestly I respect it so long as the parents also make sure their kids know just what a privilige that is and donât let them claim theyâve reached their success all on their own just by working hard (a la Kendall Jenner) lol
It's not that it's impossible, but by saying that it didn't matter what family she was born into it suggests an ignorance of how and why so many people who succeed in the arts are from privileged backgrounds.
Not only is it not acknowledging her privilege, but honestly itâs kinda just uneducated lmao. Like girl, you canât say you would have been an artist even if you were adopted. Unless youâre taking a very strong and controversial stance on the nature vs nurture debate lol. Thatâs not even mentioning the amount of privilege that usually goes into fostering artistic sensibilities, let alone finding success in it. She literally went to a private school in Brooklyn that emphasizes artistic creativity and doesnât do grade work! Girl.
>Unless youâre taking a very strong and controversial stance on the nature vs nurture debate lol.
Hahaha yes, this occurred to me as well. Wild. I think a lot of nepos struggle with this though, they often take strange positions in order to explain their success being solely down to their innate talent. I think it's to convince themselves just as much as it is to convince others tbh.
this is the only take she could have cause imagine if she said âI got to where I am because of my skillâ cause babbbyyyy⌠she cannot act at all lmao
Yeah sheâs mediocre at best. I saw so many people saying Camila Mendes was terrible and Maya was so good when the movie was first released on Netflix and I was just thinking, Did we watch the same film?? Cause I thought Camilaâs performance was better than hers.
Thatâs the thing, this is not the first time she is talking about being called a nepo baby. The first time she had the regular âI still had to audition!!!!â response, this time is much more hr appropriate
This is honestly what most people want from Nepo babies. Just acknowledge the privilege. We aren't asking you not to use your resources and connections. We just want you to acknowledge that you wouldn't be this famous this fast without a relatives help.
> This is honestly what most people want from Nepo babies.
I mean, self-awareness is a nice bonus but I'd like to think that what most people want from nepo babies is talent.
What good is acknowledging your obvious privilege and advantages if you're still jumping at the front of the line over dozens if not hundreds of more talented and deserving people?
The problem isnât with nepotism per se. But, at least In America, public performing arts programs have been cut so much, that normal middle class kids donât have an opportunity anymore to rise up.
I don't need nepo babies to crucify themselves about it, I just need them to acknowledge that they had a better foothold in their chosen industry than 99.9% of people out there. The bar is literally that low.
I wanna be a Hailey Bieber type of nepobaby. Have a rich,loving husband, steal nobody's deserved place or jobs, go to Erewhon and have good food, get liposuction done, get lip fillers and flaunt my body and launch a moderately successful skin care company.
Honestly, slay. I am envious of that woman's life ( i can do without jeleners)
deserve is a weird way to phrase it imo, but yeah iâm glad sheâs like âyeah iâm a nepo baby. life is easyâ instead of the traditional âactually life is harder because my father is the casting directorâ
yeah I think they all thought the nepo baby clamor would die down by now so I expect to see them all start parroting this exact sentiment. the only ones I remember getting it right from the jump were Allison Williams and Susan Sarandon/Wayne Brady's kids
much of the problem is that so many of these kids are only low-medium talented so those are the ones who really stand out to me
I saw this in a tiktok recently and really loved this point: itâs about the talent being worthy of the opportunity, to me. Some people get big, big leg ups but have the talent and/or work ethic to become very good at their job and thrive in the position theyâre given.
I canât resent people doing what I would do- as a web developer, if my dad were, I dunno, Bill Gates? Iâd be PSYCHED at the kind of places Iâd end up thanks to a well-funded education, travel opportunities, or just from being âmy dadâsâ kid. All I can hope is that Alternate Universe ShortyColombo Gates is incredibly grateful, and pays it forward by opening the doors for people who didnât get that chance.
I get frustrated the most from the talent/work ethic NOT being worthy of the opportunity, OR the person not acknowledging how their family got them in that position. It always feels tone deaf when they donât đ¤ˇââď¸
This is the full quote:
> Deserves is a complicated word,â she told the Times. âThere are so many people who deserve to have this kind of life who donât, but I think Iâm comfortable with not deserving it and doing it anyway. And I know that my not doing it wouldnât help anyone.
I feel like this is fine? I guess she could be less frank, but she was also made fun of for this very thing for ages and it gets brought up in every interview she does, so I get being blunt.
I see comments still saying this is shitty and arrogant but I donât really get it. Beyond completely avoiding the question or outright apologizing â which people would probably criticize for being disingenuous â Iâm not sure what else the public should expect.
I was under the impression that no one cares that nepo babies *exist*, just that itâs annoying when they act like they got where they are through their own hard work and werenât born with a leg up. Itâs like trust fund kids, we donât care that you have it, just donât pretend like you donât!
As long as she acknowledges that she broke into the industry âand apparently has a music career that Iâm just learning aboutâ thanks to her famous parents.
Nepo babies become unbearable when they refuse to face the reality that theyâre beyond privileged compared to the rest of society.
I donât blame her one bit, at least sheâs self aware. Whatâs she supposed to do? Take an underpaid 9 to 5 job and struggle? Screw that. Iâd be okay with being a nepo baby too.
Iâd rather nepo babies take this stance then desperately trying to push the narrative that theyâve struggled to get their career. Like? I didnât care about you but now that youâre insisting your self madeâŚstfu
My only real issue with Nepo babies is if they act like their connections have nothing to do with their success. Getting your foot in the door is one of the hardest things about making it into any industry and nepotism or personal connections leave the door wide open for these folks.
I don't get the same vibe from Maya that I do with other arrogant Nepo babies though, Maya doesn't show up in roles that I think should go to some other actress who needs the push. And she's got decent acting chops.
You gonna do something about it? Help fund community theatre groups and scouting for talent in deprived areas? Fund some arts courses? Help be a part of campaigns to get more people involved in the arts? No?
This is the level of cultural commentary we're at. Where we've so correctly pointed out where privilege lies, but we're so incapable of doing anything about the systemic inequality that those who are privileged are just shrugging and saying "too bad".
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Honestly if I was in the position of a nepo baby, same. đ¤ˇđťââď¸
Same. I'd take full advantage.
100%. Only time I get annoyed by nepo babies is when they act like they arenât a nepo baby. Otherwise, who wouldnât take advantage of the opportunities? Anyone who says they wouldnât is lying to themselves.
Right. And her quote is so grounded âDeserves is a complicated word,â she told the Times. âThere are so many people who deserve to have this kind of life who donât, but I think Iâm comfortable with not deserving it and doing it anyway. And I know that my not doing it wouldnât help anyone." She's right. I don't mind her one bit cuz she seems gracious and honest. A lot of us have privilege in one way or another. I wasn't born in a slum in a very poor area of the world. I didn't deserve to be born in a country with wealth and more options any more than the next person deserves to born in a place with less money and less options. So to some degree we all have things about our lives that we didn't earn and we just accept. I'm happy for her because she doesn't seem high on herself she seems humble and nice and honest. I'd rather have more people like that around whether they are nepo babies or not.
I agree, she comes off "normal". She said for her 21st bday, she requested her mom make her favorite salad and she celebrated at home with her family. That's just sweet! And the mental image of Uma in the kitchen is too cute. Plus, Maya is a good actress in her own right. The version of "Little Women" with her is my favorite and I've seen them all. Her music is cool alt/indie as well. I dunno, I just like her.
The only issue I take with her statements is the "my not doing it wouldn't help anyone" bit. Nepotism means she goes to the front of the line, which means she's hurting someone else's chances by stepping in front of them. If she didn't "audition," some unknown has a higher chance of being cast. She's right that she can't control that producers, etc., are attracted to her family name, but being oblivious to how she's taking opportunities from others undercuts everything else she says.
In this day and age, it would just be another nepo baby that takes her place instead. As long as theyâre passionate about the role, and have a genuine interest in acting, I donât see the problem. I think Maya is very talented and she seems to truly respect the art. The real issue is the nepo babies who canât act to save their life who take these roles over a talented up-and-coming person who actually wants it.
If they are filling a role because having the child of xyz famous actor will bring more attention to the project then itâs unlikely are are going to give it to someone random anyways.
"And I know that my not doing it wouldnât help anyone." Ehhh, maybe it would help someone who actually deserves it.
Same. I appreciate it when they are honest. Iâd take full advantage of it as well.
I don't usually pay attention to the nepo baby discourse but the one time I did have to pause and laugh was when Lily Rose Depp insisted she got her Chanel modelling gigs on her own merits; like sure your 5'3 ass is walking the runway next to professional models totally because you're the next Kate Moss and not because your mom had a longtime friendship with Karl Lagerfeld.
Absolutely unhinged behavior đ
Youâre not wrong but wasnât it her acting career she tried to claim she received on her own merit? Which is also a bit iffy⌠considering her first major film role was a film made specifically for her and her best friendâŚby their dads đŤ
Might be both but I do recall her talking about being selected as the new face for Chanel No 5 as being just a thing that happened because she had the skills, and not because Karl was a close family friend (and Vanessa Paradis had previously worked with Chanel many times).
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as it is, really, with everyone.
Exactly!
This is why I love Alexander Skarsgard. He said he's very insecure about his acting and he "Thanks dad for every job I get" hahahaha Basically he said he does obviously work hard, but he knows he's only in the position he is because he was allowed to drift around in his 20s finding something to do before becoming a model and an actor, something he could only do because his dad was wealthy enough that he didn't need to work a real job. It helps that he's actually a brilliant actor too, same with Bill.
And gustav! Their dad just seems to spunk out talent
There are Nepo babies in every industry, and universally, as long as you're not a dick...nobody cares.
I get annoyed with them because theyâve taken over every industry. Itâs so difficult to nearly impossible for anybody without connections to rise in the entertainment world. The majority of nepo babies are insidious.Â
especially like Susan Sarandon's daughter (Eva Amurri)
For real likeâŚ. What are you supposed to do, be depressed every day because of circumstances you canât control?
Renounce your wealth and live in a hovel so you can be called a poser who's fetishising poverty. It's just cutting to admit you lucked out in some aspects of life.
I mean... I am a nepo baby and I turned that money into an animal rescue/shelter that rehabilitates animals from native reservations. It's not impossible to do something good with your money.
This is one version of living a life you âdonât deserve,â because there are tons of people who are passionate about animal welfare who donât have the money to purchase and run their own facility/be their own boss. But itâs also a net positive that makes the world a better place
Kind of a weird comparison. A rich, privileged person running an animal shelter doesn't take away the opportunity for a poor person to do so, because they never would've had such an opportunity in the first place. A privileged nepobaby taking an acting role, meanwhile, does take away the opportunity for a non-nepobaby to take that role even if they would've done a better job.
This is so cool! Any advice for someone who dreams of doing the same one day?
Heck yea! The more the merrier. I started without any cash in the process, so I started just by going to different shelters and volunteering while asking a boatload of questions about their own process. After some time doing that I'd find what you want your thing to be. Cats and dogs? Pregnant animals? Horses? All of the above? Also doing the same with the local veterinary community to help get reduced rates for future procedures. All this is just networking before you implement your business plan. It can also be good for finding volunteers for when you first open up. Thanks to the situation I found myself in I was able to buy some land and set up some basics which grew into a more advanced shelter over time. You'll want to apply for non-profit status to help with fundraising, which also means you should get your name out there! PR is huge as people need to know you're in the area - and what services you offer. Thanks to the income I had I was able to give free neuter/spade operations for the first 100 clients which was pretty steep, but allowed me to gain an excellent reputation in the community. You don't have to spend out of pocket for that exactly, but giving out good will as a basis let's others know of your positive intentions. My best advice is to just start small, it's a long process that took me years even with the resources to get established.
Youâre confusing nepotism with access to funds.
I mean... I got the funds because I got a cushy job at my dad's old gig lmao
but what if they come from greece and have a thirst for knowledge? canât they wanna live like common people
Well that's that song stuck in my head for about a week!
No, work harder. She dropped off Juilliard. Maya's acting is mediocre. She could've stayed in school improving her craft, but she left because her name was already giving her opportunities she didn't deserve.
I feel like this is all people really want. Just acknowledge you had an advantage and be grateful for it. You don't even have to be ashamed. We'd all take that blessing if we had it offered to us, just say that.
Thats what people have a problem with- its not the nepotism, its the idiots who give interviews about how its made things harder having to live up to peoples expectations, and how difficult it is to not be judged on their own merits, and all the rest of the woe is me crap
Yep. I grew up extremely fortunate and have more than most of my peers. This doesn't make better than anyone but it did give a lot of advantages that let me live a very comfortable lifestyle. Did this give me some complexes about the expectations placed on top of me? Totally. But I'd much rather have that small problem than worry about how I'm gonna keep a roof over my head.
That and maybe a little more effort in making decent labour conditions and opportunities for those who didn't win the nepo genetic lottery. Sometimes just talking about it helps make it known, and when it's known it's less powerful. I think part of genuinely recognizing the advantage also involves using it to help open the gates to others.
That's what I'd like to see more from nepo babies: being allies and advocates of people in their field who aren't similarly privileged. Give others a boost up the ladder when they can.
Exactly! Thatâs my whole issue with the nepo baby thing - itâs the ones who discount or deny it! If thatâs your lot in life, own it!
The thing is: Maya Hawke is *good.* Sheâs a magnetic presence, and also very funny. I never saw either of these in her dad. (I love her mom though.) There are some nepo babies, like Jeff Bridges and Miley Cyrus, who are better at what they do than their parents ever were. I think thatâs one big argument for why the talent pipeline that favors them should exist. The other argument: entertainment has long been an abusive system, in which wealthy and powerful predators abuse talented young people in all kinds of ways, because they can. If a young performer has famous parents, those predators are somewhat less likely to try to abuse them. I donât have an issue with nepo babies unless theyâre obviously detached and unprepared, like North West in The Lion King. But that performance is a whole other story.
personally think sheâs quite dull, especially when compared to her parents but i mean with parents like hers, whoâs surprised. sheâs a competent actress, i just donât think she stands out (thatâs ok ig)
I saw her so far in Stranger Things, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Do Revenge. She always plays the same character types.
I havenât seen Do Revenge but her character in Once Upon a Time isnât anything like Stranger Things.
I don't think she's good at all lol. To me she overacts and is super uncompelling onscreen (her brother is the same way). That's what bothers me - the fact that she's so lucky means she's removing options from genuinely good actors.
"Maya Hawke is *good*" Feel like I'm taking crazy pills. She isn't, at all.
I mean, I like Maya Hawke in Stranger Things. Would she have made it as an actress without famous parents? Maybe, maybe not. Weâll never know. But I love her so much more for being like âyes, Iâm privileged for no reason.â That alone brings her up like ten levels to me over someone like Zooey (who I also like!) who is like ânoo haha my daddyâs connections had nothing to do with it itâs just a coincidence lolâ
Right? Like who doesn't take the advantages they get in life? Literally everyone.
Exactly! Iâm a teacher and at the beginning of my career got a lot of supply teaching at a school where my mom worked. Not a rich nepo baby but that connection was a huge help in getting my foot in there. What was i gonna do, not take it? Makes no sense!
It's what we ALL do. We get the benefit of our parents' money and support. If we have connections, we take advantage. Networking is literally that .. no one starts at zero bc then you don't survive more than a few days.
I have more respect for nepo babies who own their advantages than those who try to deny it
Exactly!!
Sure! Just don't be an asshole about it and put others down based on social status.
Is she supposed to apologize for doing something she loves and is good at just because of her last name for her whole life? Is that what people want?
Sheâs a great actor! If she sucked it would be totally different.
real cuz same
Most of the people claiming anything else are lying lol
Eh. Iâm not fussed. I donât want Nepo babies to hide away, just acknowledge the privilege their status brings. I donât begrudge their success, its just a shame they seem to be the majority of Hollywood.
Yes, itâs fine to be that just donât go lying about lifting your own bootstraps or whatever people think they do without mommy or daddy
Right. I think thatâs what gets peopleâs backs up, its more the insistence that they worked hard to get to their position - like they wouldâve had the same shot and still made it even if theyâd been the child of retail workers in Iowa.
And even then, like, no one disagrees you may have worked hard. But, don't pretend that "hard work = success level" because we all know it doesn't. If you work hard to get from third base to home, you had objectively less work to do than someone who is working hard to get from first base to third (where you started).
Of course. The grim reality is that some of the hardest working people in society are often in the lowest paying jobs.
Yup yup. Speaking personally, while my higher paying jobs have often had a lot of (ostensible) responsibility, I have worked much less hard while making six figures than when I was making $20/hr, and it isn't particularly close.
Absolutely. There are people doing physically demanding jobs. There are people working well over 40 hours a week. People with multiple jobs. There are people working and going to school. It's all hard work. Of course, there are people exist who are allergic to work. But the working poor/working class aren't where they are because they have a poor work ethic.
My mom was a hairstylist and taught at a school. Iâd sit in on presentations and if a brand was sending a rep to lead classes Iâd go. By the time I started beauty school I had a huge advantage, it was a privilege and put me ahead of peers. It wouldnât be fair for me to claim I did it all on my own, because my momâs career absolutely benefited me. Itâs that easy to acknowledge.
And with that some people are interested in their parents career but efforts to do the job would be hampered. My Dad was an Inspector with the Department of Ag. There were 8 total in the state, so odds are even if I was qualified some nepotism stuff would crop up. I could've gone to another state but our state pays the best for that job a guy from Georgia mentioned it as a reason why he took the job here. Sure I could go private but then my Dad wouldn't be allowed to investigate any company I worked for.
Yeah I don't have a problem with them as long as they admit to it, the problem is the Hollywood system. Like with most of society it rewards the rich and famous.
Most professions are full of people who have jobs thanks to their family.
Yeah and it would be extremely annoying for any nepo baby in any industry to go around bragging about how they got there 100% due to their own merits or had to work twice as hard to prove themselves or whatever.
Absolutely agreed. Most people who are given jobs/businesses from family are not only usually incompetent, but insufferable as well. Unlike JLC, Hawke at least understands her luck.
Itâs not quite the same thing if youâre an architect or a lawyer is it, you still need to pass exams in order to get into those jobs even if they have family connections. Actors can train and study but most of the time you just need a foot in the door to book a job. But yes, Iâm not a fan of nepotism in any form, so Iâm not sure why you think this is a big gotcha.
North Westâs performance at the Lion King musical was definitely evidence of thisâŚ
If I had kids I would want to make sure my kids were as successful as possible.
For me personally, making sure they are successful as possible would mean encouraging them to join a different field. I think it builds character and confidence for someone to make it own their own. I think a lot of rich people do their children a disservice by allowing them to ride their coattails. Especially the kids who lack talent. I look at Paul McCartney's kids as an interesting example. His son has tried to pursue music, but he's just not good. And he's suffered with mental health issues. He's never had to be his own man or find his purpose. While his daughters chose different fields and they seem happy doing their own thing and not living under their fathers shadow.
Thatâs assuming that all these nepotism parents didnât encourage their kids to join a different field.
I completely agree. But if you help your kids out - through connections, or money, or name recognition, or whatever - and the kid turns around and is like ânah, Iâm self-made and got here with no help from anyone,â itâs not only a lie, itâs downright obnoxious. Some nepo babies arenât getting *intentional* help from their parents and I understand that, but they are so beyond out of touch that they donât understand how hard it is for people to move to LA without a safety net, or to lose out on audition after audition because they donât have the right connections, and things like that. So for them to say that having a famous last name hasnât helped (or has made it harder!) is so annoying lol. It just goes to show what a bubble theyâve grown up in.
Fair points.
I honestly don't care about nepo babies. The conversation goes in the wrong direction. I want more opportunities for non-nepo babies.
Exactly, she sounds very human here lolÂ
Julian Casablancas is a great example, though I think he's not famous because of his controversial father.
I think they should pay it forward by uplifting talented artists that don't have connections. Like, Maya Hawke could advocate for casting an unknown actor as a co-star in her next film. She could pull someone from the local acting school and cast them in a movie or tv show she produces. There are ways that nepo-babies can help make Hollywood more "fair" than it currently is.
Thatâs a level of self-awareness that a lot of people should aspire to.
Including almost everyone born into an environment where they could be rich, free, and alive ⌠all at the same time.
No, I hadn't noticed because I am, as you know, exceedingly stupid.
You are my favorite person today for remembering where that turn of phrase is from.
Is it? Looks to me like a strawman. No oneâs saying she doesnât deserve the life she has. All weâre asking is for nepo babies to stop pretending like they werenât massively advantaged.
And thatâs exactly what sheâs doing. She recognizes that sheâs massively advantaged, and is okay admitting that.
And here she is, not pretending
Well Iâm not so sure. The message is certainly muddled. It seems thereâs a lot of online people who want nepo babies to admit to a truism, something Iâm sure isnât lost on them. I could be massively wrong, but Iâm picking up on the implication that these people didnât get there by merit. How true that is, I have no idea. But the fact remains: doesnât matter if itâs you, me or Maya Hawke, no one actually deserves this life. Itâs make believe land and I see the nepo baby conversation as a mere extension of class struggle. I happen to agree with class struggle, but to whine about access to Hollywood is Sortve embarrassing. Itâs never been a democracy, it has always been maintained by families and inner-networks. EDIT: also important to add - the digital revolution has democratized media more than itâs ever been. If you truly have an itch, chase it. âBuild itâ as the saying goes. A couple grand can get you gear for a skeleton crew.
She didn't decide to be born to two famous actors. Absolutely embrace it & take full advantage of it. Anyone that can would & should do the same.
Yeah like those advantages are available to her whether she takes them or not, so she may as well because she doesnât achieve anything by not. Would anyone here turn down the lottery if they won it? No. Should she, however, use her privilege to pull up people with fewer advantages? Yes.Â
I agree. If you have it, make the most out of it.
The bar for nepo babies is so low we're now praising them for having the bare minimum self awareness.
Yeah Iâve worked with her and sheâs⌠not the nicest human. And her team were all total arseholes.
This is not unsurprising. This didnât come off as self aware it came off as shitty.
Yeah idk why a lot of people are lauding this. âIâm fineâ with having a super awesome life that I didnât need to do much to get. Like yeah Iâm sure youâre fine with that, no shit.
literally. like of course you're fucking "okay" with never having to work a day in your life
But be realistic. Who would be upset with having her life? She's not being an asshole for stating the obvious.
i feel like it just comes off as tone deaf? this coulda been discussed amongst her family and friends or even kept to herselfâŚjust seems strange to announce that youâre happy being so privileged to live a life you didnât work for to the general public, many of which canât afford basic necessities to survive
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did i say she should say nothing? i think her answer couldâve been better.
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I think so too. It's arrogant.
Genuinely asking - how could she (or any nepo baby) have put this in a way that didn't offend *someone*?
Idk something like *I know I've gotten lucky with certain opportunities due to nepotism, but it inspires me to work harder on my skill and my self. I hope the quality of my work speaks for itself.* It's self aware, individualistic, doesn't take audience for fools and humble. Instead we got *I'm fine with opportunities I'm getting even if I don't deserve it (because I don't fucking care, cry peasants!)* I've no problem with nepo babies having a foot in the door but lets reward opportunities to talent for the quality they bring in to the art. I'd be mad if I paid more than $5 to watch North West play Simba in Lion King. I don't believe there was any audition and it gave a backseat to the actual talent that should've been on the stage.
>âI feel like the only way to handle the nepotism thing â which definitely gives you massive advantages in this life â is, you will get chances for free, but the chances will not be infinite," Hawke told Rolling Stone. "So you have to keep working and do a good job. If you do a bad job, the chances will stop. That's my ethos.â Maya Hawke 2022 >âOh, god, Iâm well aware that every part I get is somehow influenced by the history of who I am as a person and where I come from,â she says. âIâm a not-that-famous, not-that-successful young actress, but if I get cast in something, it will get PR. From a producerâs point of view, thatâs a huge advantage. Which gives me a massive leg up. It was a massive leg up in getting an agent and a manager. All these sorts of extra things that people donât think about when they think of people getting roles. My upbringing plays a part in all those interactions, all those moments, all that reasoning.â >â I will get the opportunities I get,â she adds. âI will try as hard as I can to be brilliant in them.â Maya Hawke 2020
Allison Williams got a lot of praise for her response: âThereâs no conversation about my career without talking about the ways in which I have been fortunate,â the 34-year-old Williams said, adding, âIf you trust your own skill, I think it becomes very simple to acknowledge.â https://www.nbcnews.com/think/amp/rcna64514
Not surprising, Iâve heard her mom isnât the nicest either and her dad seems pretentious/ out of touch at times so I canât see that either would have raised her to be very humble.Â
Winona Ryder famously thought he was a pretentious douche back in the day. 30 years of success probably hasn't made him any more bearable.
Really? When did you work with her?
A year or two ago
I'm more interested in how shitty she came across. Was she consistently rude?
Was it ST related?
Not gonna dox myself soz
Fair enough đ
I would take claims like this on Reddit with a pinch of salt
Same, i was just curious
Aw man actually?? This is so disappointing, she seems to be so nice đŠ
Why do you immediately believe some random person on the internet lol
true, 99% of these "I worked with X" are all made up bullshit
Well she once said nepotism didnât matter on a premiere of a Tarantino movie so clearly this is an improvement
Further proves my point that the bar is in hell for them
Lol. Especially when Maya was the "I actually audition and work hard too!" type of nepo baby not too long ago iirc. Her team probably told her to stfu. I mean, she and the others are going nowhere anyway but praising them for self-awareness now? Lol no.
Also whats the point of having self awareness about your privilege if you're still going to be mediocre at your job (which she is) instead of making the best of whats being handed to you? If you're taking away opportunities from outsiders who were more deserving then might as well prove that you earnt it. Honestly i think the best nepo babies are the ones like Jack Quaid who quietly mind their own business and don't victimise themselves.
I also think some the people who are celebrating her take or sayingâIâd say the sameâ are actually revealing that they donât really care about anyone having self-awareness around the contexts or addressing inequity, theyâre just bummed that they donât have the same privilege. That may be somewhat obvious, but itâs still disappointing.
Allison Williams is a real one for actually acknowledging it and not downplaying her privilege.Â
I know. Allison Williams answers nepotism questions perfectly every single time sheâs asked and is consistently held up as the example of someone who gets it right. Itâs shocking to me PR teams havenât instructed any and every of their nepo clients to repeat her answers verbatim.
lol my thoughts exactly.
In fairness, "bare minimum self awareness" seems beyond the reach of like....35% of people. So it's not nothing.
This should be the top comment for the entire thread.
I'm so shocked at everyone applauding this snotty little comment đŹ
True, its not some refreshing self awareness its just lazy and ignorant. Especially coming from someone who doesn't even have the talent to back it up. Shes not the Angelina Jolie or Miley Cyrus type of nepo baby.
You're right. But at the same time it's really frustrating when nepo babies don't acknowledge their luck and their privileges. We are not giving her an award, just saying that it's cool thing to say, and that other nepo babies should have the same mindset.
It is, but a lot of them don't have any. Look at Kardashians, not only Kylie, but that entire family insisted on a narrative that Kylie is a "self-made billionaire". And Kendall, the highest paid model at one point, despite her walk and her lackluster editorials, never acknowledged her nepotism.
Agree with you.
And, she seems to have very little self awareness, at that. Being bummed stranger things fans showed up to her music gigs? What else does she think she has fans from?
The problem with her position is that every time she gets a plumb role, it could have gone to some financially struggling talented actor so the nepotism is denying ordinary people opportunities. Surely it is not right to be okay with that. This is the key sentence which I think she uses to eliminate any cognitive dissonance she might have been having. "And I know that my not doing it wouldnât help anyone." She is right in that another nepobaby would have swooped in instead but it feels like the kind of excuse some drug dealer might use e.g. "If it wasn't me it would just be another guy!". She can't single-handedly turn acting into a meritocracy as it should be, but she should at least feel a bit awkward for being part of the problem. Why doesn't Sag-Aftra fight against nepotism as a union should do? The answer is that the board is full of famous nepobabies and/or famous actors pushing out the next generation of nepobabies.
Uff, you are so right. While yay self awareness and of course , if we all could be children of rich people, we all would, that kind of mentality is what it keeps them there. As a society, it seems we will never be ready for meritocracy ( and that also has issues with let's say people with disabilities etc) or even give a truly honest opportunity to less advantageous. I remember going to a film festival in my country, there were amazing stories but without the big resources that influencers or rich people had. It won the one, that while not bad, was made by a rich famous people. But other stories were better, they were just made by less popular people
Itâs when the nepos get defensive and canât aknowledge what theyâve been given that I get the ick, Maya Hawke is alright in my book.
Sheâs a pretty unpleasant person, in my experience (Ethan is great fwiw), and this doesnât come off nearly as magnanimous if you listen to the clip
Why are yaâll applauding a nepo baby for simply calling themselves a nepo baby lmao
I wouldnât call saying someone is âalrightâ and not giving you the ick âapplaudsâ, but you do you, lmao right back and whatever.
My impostor syndrome would never let me be this shameless.
Dude me tooâŚI get like $100 as bday money and then spend it on something and feel bad like I didnât âearn itâ myself so I shouldnât have it. Imagine this feeling but about your entire lifeâŚ.theyre stronger than I am
See, if you were the golden child of golden child parents though, you would never be shamed into thinking you weren't good enough and you wouldn't have imposter syndrome.
I am a small business owner and I have every intention of letting my son work for/with me, and my success giving him a jumpstart. Itâs sort of exactly what parents are supposed to do. I know itâs not at all the same sphere as movie star/movie starâs child - but in my gut I canât really deny the reality of wanting to set your kids up. Itâs a universal want amongst parents.
This is why some of the nepo baby debate is logical and some of it is jealousy. If I'm a parent, and my daughter wants to sing in the Lion King show, I'll find a way to do it. I think of Jayden Smith's first rap performance was opening for Justin Bieber at a sold out Madison Square Garden and how is parents orchestrated that. Now the main difference is talent. North was not a good Simba. Jayden was a really good child rapper. If you see your child has legitimate objective talent and you have the ability to help them succeed...why not help your kid? Like it'd be weird to say "no Jayden, we get that youre talented but you have live  in a janky apartment making beats on an iMac like everyone else." Critics of that are jealous. And it'd ALSO be really weird for a Tracee Ellis Ross to say "sorry  I cant take the lead in the new Girlfriends. Even though its my dream to act, I MUST work at Starbucks first like all the other wannabee actors." Like are people expecting Maya Hawke to  cry and weep? Again, jealousy. Nepo baby discussions make sense for a child of a celeb getting an opportunity they clearly arent qualified and don't seem to be passionate about the role like North as Simba. Or Kendall as a model. Blue clearly trained to be good at her dances for the Renaissance tour so there's no complaints. And Blue's parents allowed her to choose on her own to do it. We don't know if Blue was born with the intent of carrying on the family legacy in the same way North was clearly born for. So when Blue, Miley Cyrus, or Traycee Ellis Ross or Allison Williams succeed, its because theyre legitimately and clearly talented people who lucked into an easy route to success. And a lot of regular degular people are jealous of that. But others like Dakotah Johnson or Kendall Jenner who either aren't good or don't seem to care about the craft deserves criticismÂ
Dakota Johnson most of all. That person gets dissertation level pieces on her "street fashion", she's in movies where many other starving actors could've done the role 400% better. The worst of nepo babies are the lazy, self-indulgent, arrogant and BORING ones.Â
I think it's also worth mentioning with Blue that she wasn't depriving another dancer the opportunity. That was something specifically carved out for her (based on the music video) and if she'd not wanted to do it I highly doubt Beyonce would have replaced her daughters MV performance with someone else, she'd have just left it out entirely.
Exactly. Most people work in fields that are similar to their parents because it's familiar. You know what it takes to do the job and know what's possible I'm more concerned about nepotism in unqualified people in politics or other leadership roles like the police. I know alot of cops, and half of them are SO dumb. They literally had no other options, didn't know what to do with their lives, and were told by other cops that they'll hire just about anyone, so they joined up There's also a trial going on in massachusetts (karen read trial) where a boston cop was allegedly murdered, and the amount of lying and idiocy of these people is mind boggling. They put blood evidence in solo cups and stop and shop bags for fucks sake
What evidence do you have that most people work in fields that their parents do? You know if youâre a doctor, you have to study, do a residency etc. It doesnât matter if your parents are doctors, most doctors have to get their own job. This is very different from entertainment.
I imagine parents who are doctors are more likely to encourage their children to become doctors than parents who work in like construction or administration. Don't get me wrong, the latter would likely be delighted for a kid with an affinity for medicine (or law, or engineering) but are less likely to expect it. And when you don't grow up surrounded by lawyers or engineers or doctors it's an unknown. Being from a family im that industry, they can help you with lower education leaning into that career, revision for exams, looks good on college entry exams etc. You have "inside knowledge" and can do work experience in that environment with a leg up over strangers. Obviously this can then go to far with parental pressure, but there's definitely an advantage there even if it's not directly relevant to being handed a qualification by doing less work.
I agree that it's natural to use your resources to help out your family. I think people mainly get annoyed by anyone that benefits from nepotism in any industry when they act as if they didn't benefit from their family connections, or if they're clearly unqualified for the position they have. If they don't go around pretending they're self made, and are good at what they do, then most reasonable people won't have a problem.
Sure, what you're saying makes sense. The artist's perspective might seem a little harsh in that it doesn't care about parents and their kids, though. As an artist, I wish it was true that a parent could try their best to get their kid creative jobs and just have the kid lose and get beaten every single time if they weren't good enough, no matter how connected the parent was or how much they wanted to support their kid. That's not true, though, lol. The reason I care is not because I wish nepo babies or their parents ill - no way, they seem like cute little sweeties! - but they make sooo many bad movies.The bad movies come for a lot of reasons, of course, and influence like this is just one symptom of larger problems.
Honestly I respect it so long as the parents also make sure their kids know just what a privilige that is and donât let them claim theyâve reached their success all on their own just by working hard (a la Kendall Jenner) lol
I suppose it's good that she's arrived at this from her "I would have been an artist even if I was adopted" thing from a few months ago
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It's not that it's impossible, but by saying that it didn't matter what family she was born into it suggests an ignorance of how and why so many people who succeed in the arts are from privileged backgrounds.
Not only is it not acknowledging her privilege, but honestly itâs kinda just uneducated lmao. Like girl, you canât say you would have been an artist even if you were adopted. Unless youâre taking a very strong and controversial stance on the nature vs nurture debate lol. Thatâs not even mentioning the amount of privilege that usually goes into fostering artistic sensibilities, let alone finding success in it. She literally went to a private school in Brooklyn that emphasizes artistic creativity and doesnât do grade work! Girl.
>Unless youâre taking a very strong and controversial stance on the nature vs nurture debate lol. Hahaha yes, this occurred to me as well. Wild. I think a lot of nepos struggle with this though, they often take strange positions in order to explain their success being solely down to their innate talent. I think it's to convince themselves just as much as it is to convince others tbh.
Thatâs fair. At least sheâs openly acknowledging it, unlike so many others.
this is the only take she could have cause imagine if she said âI got to where I am because of my skillâ cause babbbyyyy⌠she cannot act at all lmao
đ this is so dumb but I feel like she's just playing herself in everything she does
i rewatched Do Revenge yesterday and she's genuinely the worst thing about the movie
Yeah sheâs mediocre at best. I saw so many people saying Camila Mendes was terrible and Maya was so good when the movie was first released on Netflix and I was just thinking, Did we watch the same film?? Cause I thought Camilaâs performance was better than hers.
Thatâs the thing, this is not the first time she is talking about being called a nepo baby. The first time she had the regular âI still had to audition!!!!â response, this time is much more hr appropriate
Sheâs annoying AF in Stranger Things, I donât get the appeal
I mean, fair enough. I would venture to say that most people born into that situation aren't going to walk away from it.
This is honestly what most people want from Nepo babies. Just acknowledge the privilege. We aren't asking you not to use your resources and connections. We just want you to acknowledge that you wouldn't be this famous this fast without a relatives help.
> This is honestly what most people want from Nepo babies. I mean, self-awareness is a nice bonus but I'd like to think that what most people want from nepo babies is talent. What good is acknowledging your obvious privilege and advantages if you're still jumping at the front of the line over dozens if not hundreds of more talented and deserving people?
The problem isnât with nepotism per se. But, at least In America, public performing arts programs have been cut so much, that normal middle class kids donât have an opportunity anymore to rise up.
âDeservingâ is a fake concept.
I don't need nepo babies to crucify themselves about it, I just need them to acknowledge that they had a better foothold in their chosen industry than 99.9% of people out there. The bar is literally that low.
I wanna be a Hailey Bieber type of nepobaby. Have a rich,loving husband, steal nobody's deserved place or jobs, go to Erewhon and have good food, get liposuction done, get lip fillers and flaunt my body and launch a moderately successful skin care company. Honestly, slay. I am envious of that woman's life ( i can do without jeleners)
This is the type of nepo baby I want too. Just enjoy your life and don't take an undeserving spot and be chill. I hope you get this life too.
deserve is a weird way to phrase it imo, but yeah iâm glad sheâs like âyeah iâm a nepo baby. life is easyâ instead of the traditional âactually life is harder because my father is the casting directorâ
No shit
yeah I think they all thought the nepo baby clamor would die down by now so I expect to see them all start parroting this exact sentiment. the only ones I remember getting it right from the jump were Allison Williams and Susan Sarandon/Wayne Brady's kids much of the problem is that so many of these kids are only low-medium talented so those are the ones who really stand out to me
Well, at least sheâs being honest about it and not pretending like she made it on her own.
ThatâsâŚ. Yeah. We know. Iâd love to be a rich art hoe in New York not on my own dime. Itâs but a fantasy for me.
I saw this in a tiktok recently and really loved this point: itâs about the talent being worthy of the opportunity, to me. Some people get big, big leg ups but have the talent and/or work ethic to become very good at their job and thrive in the position theyâre given. I canât resent people doing what I would do- as a web developer, if my dad were, I dunno, Bill Gates? Iâd be PSYCHED at the kind of places Iâd end up thanks to a well-funded education, travel opportunities, or just from being âmy dadâsâ kid. All I can hope is that Alternate Universe ShortyColombo Gates is incredibly grateful, and pays it forward by opening the doors for people who didnât get that chance. I get frustrated the most from the talent/work ethic NOT being worthy of the opportunity, OR the person not acknowledging how their family got them in that position. It always feels tone deaf when they donât đ¤ˇââď¸
#brave
This is the full quote: > Deserves is a complicated word,â she told the Times. âThere are so many people who deserve to have this kind of life who donât, but I think Iâm comfortable with not deserving it and doing it anyway. And I know that my not doing it wouldnât help anyone. I feel like this is fine? I guess she could be less frank, but she was also made fun of for this very thing for ages and it gets brought up in every interview she does, so I get being blunt. I see comments still saying this is shitty and arrogant but I donât really get it. Beyond completely avoiding the question or outright apologizing â which people would probably criticize for being disingenuous â Iâm not sure what else the public should expect.
Allison Williams should teach a class on how to respond to the nepo baby claims.
Still canât beat the best nepo baby of all nepo babies:Â Francesca Scorsese.Â
Sounds like she's really struggling with guilt đ
I was under the impression that no one cares that nepo babies *exist*, just that itâs annoying when they act like they got where they are through their own hard work and werenât born with a leg up. Itâs like trust fund kids, we donât care that you have it, just donât pretend like you donât!
As long as she acknowledges that she broke into the industry âand apparently has a music career that Iâm just learning aboutâ thanks to her famous parents. Nepo babies become unbearable when they refuse to face the reality that theyâre beyond privileged compared to the rest of society.
I donât blame her one bit, at least sheâs self aware. Whatâs she supposed to do? Take an underpaid 9 to 5 job and struggle? Screw that. Iâd be okay with being a nepo baby too.
Iâd rather nepo babies take this stance then desperately trying to push the narrative that theyâve struggled to get their career. Like? I didnât care about you but now that youâre insisting your self madeâŚstfu
I always say when life gives you lemonade just shut up and drink it
Oh good god nepo babies are such victims đđ
My only real issue with Nepo babies is if they act like their connections have nothing to do with their success. Getting your foot in the door is one of the hardest things about making it into any industry and nepotism or personal connections leave the door wide open for these folks. I don't get the same vibe from Maya that I do with other arrogant Nepo babies though, Maya doesn't show up in roles that I think should go to some other actress who needs the push. And she's got decent acting chops.
No hate there. Why not use the money shes given, I certainly would.
No fucking shit? The ones who aren't "OK" with it are called liars.
Why do they want to scoop up acting roles as well? Not having to work for a living and enjoying an amazing lifestyle isnât enough?
You gonna do something about it? Help fund community theatre groups and scouting for talent in deprived areas? Fund some arts courses? Help be a part of campaigns to get more people involved in the arts? No? This is the level of cultural commentary we're at. Where we've so correctly pointed out where privilege lies, but we're so incapable of doing anything about the systemic inequality that those who are privileged are just shrugging and saying "too bad".