Comment Writer Archie Marks analyses why we only hold certain celebrities accountable for nepotism, and whether the whole ‘nepo baby’ critique is futile in itself

English Lit & Creative Writing student at UoB. Enjoyer of pop music and pornstar martinis.
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Images by Liam McGarry

With the recent release of Disney’s Mufasa, a curious narrative has unfolded regarding one of its stars. Blue Ivy Carter makes her feature debut here, and was ostensibly chosen for the role because of her mother (singer Beyoncé) also appearing in the film. For all accounts and purposes, Carter’s role in the film is a classic example of nepotism – the practice of obtaining opportunities as a partial or complete result of industry connections. Carter is officially our newest nepo baby; incredibly, there has been little noise about her casting. 

This strange behaviour comes from a righteous Internet, who always seems to be riled up about a new nepo baby every week. (For the uninitiated: a ‘nepo baby’ usually (derogatively) refers to the child of famous parents.) Ray Nicholson, son of The Shining’s Jack, recently had a role in Smile 2 that was overshadowed by accusations of ‘nepo casting’. The Independent newspaper now has a whole category dedicated to ‘Nepotism’. By and large, the consensus seems to be ‘nepo babies bad’. 

casting celebrities’ children in films, for example, dissolves opportunities for up-and-coming actors

But why? Well, simply casting celebrities’ children in films, for example, dissolves opportunities for up-and-coming actors that may be better suited for the role – resulting in miscast performances like Jaden Smith’s in After Earth. Moreover, ‘stealing’ the roles from actors with fewer industry connections and less monetary influence reinforces the notion that Hollywood is a cliquey inner circle, one whose entry is pricey and comes with the prerequisite that your parents’ names are highlighted in blue on Wikipedia. 

So, when someone comes along to reinforce our hatred of the ‘talentless’ nepo baby concept, we pounce. Brooklyn Beckham – David and Victoria’s son – is the prime example. The man has tried modelling, then photography (his attempts at which were branded a ‘devaluation’ of the practice), and most recently has attempted cooking. All of Beckham’s public failures at finding a skill have been met with bitter attacks from critics and commenters alike. 

But for every Brooklyn Beckham, there’s a Jamie Lee Curtis – a descendant of famous faces that, against all odds, prove themselves to be talented in their own right. Timothée Chalamet is currently one of the most talked-about actors and himself comes from nepo baby roots (his uncle is filmmaker Rodman Flender) – yet he escapes the ‘nepo baby’ critique. Sure, you can blame pretty privilege, but Chalamet is also an undeniably skilled actor – I dare you to watch Call Me by Your Name without being reduced to tears by Chalamet’s final scene

If we overlook the fact that some celebrities are nepo babies, but make it the focus of our criticism of others, then what’s the point of having the label at all? 

but most criticisms of her music struggle to probe beyond ‘her dad is famous and therefore I don’t like her’

Further, the whole debate is degrading our ability to critically think about art, acting as an easy and cheap jab when we struggle to justify our dislike of someone. Singer Gracie Abrams, for example, has proved controversial; while her diaristic lyricism has won the hearts of many, her critics often dismiss her success by pointing out that she herself is a nepo baby (the daughter of Star Wars director J.J. Abrams). I have my own gripes with Abrams’ songwriting, but most criticisms of her music struggle to probe beyond ‘her dad is famous and therefore I don’t like her’, failing to truly engage with the songs’ shortcomings. 

Having seen Mufasa, Carter does a solid (if unremarkable) job in her debut film role. But my apprehension for the insufferable discourse that might have followed a poorer performance from Carter is a symptom of how stale the whole nepo baby conversation has grown. It will happen again with another nepo baby, just you watch; a clip of the performance will go viral and Twitter will start beefing with a literal child. Then, the insufferable discourse about nepo babies in general will eclipse the stretch of time itself, and Kaia Gerber’s latest comments about privilege will continue playing as the sun swallows the Earth whole. Whatever happens next in the nepo baby debate, I have little faith that it will be even remotely fruitful.


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