Nepotism in Hollywod: Robert Downey Jr, Lily Collins others are being called 'Nepo babies' and why it is wrong

The N-word which has haunted Bollywood for years now has finally arrived in Hollywood. And it is here to stay. At least for now. In December 2022, an article by a popular media outlet opened doors to a ‘Nepo-verse’ and wrote an extensive piece on the The Year of the Nepo Baby storming up a debate of nepotism in the film industry and on runways. Popular names like Cindy Crawford’s daughter Kaia Gerber, Robert Downey Sr’s son Robert Downey Jr, Phil Collins’ daughter Lily Collins’, Reese Witherspoon’s son Deacon Reese Phillippe, Don Johnson’s daughter Dakota Johnson, were called out for being ‘nepotism babies’.

Even though Robert Downey Jr has become a global icon, Timothee Chalamet has acted in critically acclaimed roles and Lily Collins is winning with her Emily in Paris, their image could do nothing to save him from the ‘N’ tag.

While it would be wrong to deny the presence of nepotism in the film industry, accusing the celebrity children of having a certain position because of their background and denying them the credit would be unfair. Here’s why:

What is a ‘Nepo Baby’?

While nepotism can exist in any field or profession, it is the most highlighted in the entertainment industry due to its visibility. In fact, nepotism is common in businesses, and even small or medium family businesses or professions. And let’s not forget the classical music gharanas and classical dancers whose children grow up to walk in their footsteps as the art and talent is passed down generations.

Here, actors, singers, directors who happen to be the children of actors, singers, directors are labelled as ‘nepo babies’. In a larger sense, it also includes those who get an edge over others because of being related to a certain person. The southern film industry too heavily thrives on star kids who t

The history

In Bollywood, the nepotism debate kicked off when actor Kangana Ranaut spoke out her views on nepotism in Bollywood in 2017 while appearing on the show Koffee With Karan’s fifth season. Ranaut had accused Karan of being the ‘flagbearer of nepotism’. Immediately after the episode went viral, the nepotism debate started and many pointed out how star kids got an easy access to the film industry versus how difficult it was for outsiders to bag an opportunity.

After actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death in 2020, the debate grew stronger as Bollywood biggies were accused of not giving enough opportunities to those who made it on their own.

Now since last month, the debate has been doing rounds in Hollywood.

The problem

It is true that children of film stars have an easy access and strong connections in Bollywood and may even bag their debut without much ado. Actors Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Ananya Pandey got easy launches however where the actors land after the first launch depends on what they bring to the table — which boils down to talent. Not all star kids have had smooth career graphs post their launches while some were denied even a decent launch opportunity.

Actor Kate Hudson, who has a career spanning more than two decades, recently responded to the debate saying, “The nepotism thing, I mean… I don’t really care. I look at my kids and we’re a storytelling family. It’s definitely in our blood. People can call it whatever they want, but it’s not going to change it. I actually think there are other industries where it’s [more common]. Maybe modelling? I see it in business way more than I see it in Hollywood. Sometimes I’ve been in business meetings where I’m like, wait, whose child is this? Like, this person knows nothing.” Kate Hudson is the daughter of singer Bill Hudson and actor Goldie Hawn.

Several other actors have joined Hudson in calling out the ‘Nepo-babies’ tag. Jamie Lee Curtis and Lily-Rose Depp too criticised the tag. “Depp said, “People are going to have preconceived ideas about you or how you got there, and I can definitely say that nothing is going to get you the part except for being right for the part.”

The article had named Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny Depp, Uma Thurman’s daughter Maya Hawke, John David Washington, Nick Clooney’s son George Clooney, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Douglas among others.

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