Emma Roberts says even Hollywood’s nepo infants do not at all times have a simple path to stardom.
On an episode of the “Desk for Two” podcast launched on June 25, Roberts spoke to host Bruce Bozzi in regards to the public notion of nepo infants, or “nepotism infants.”
“I believe there’s two sides of the coin. Folks prefer to say, ‘Oh, you understand, you will have a leg up as a result of your loved ones’s within the trade.’ However then the opposite facet to that’s you must show your self extra,” Roberts, 33, mentioned. “Additionally, if individuals do not have good experiences, perhaps with different individuals in your loved ones, you then’ll by no means get an opportunity.”
Roberts is a Hollywood nepo child. Her aunt is Julia Roberts, and her dad is Eric Roberts, an actor greatest identified for his position within the ’80s motion movie “Runaway Practice,” for which he obtained an Academy Award nomination.
Roberts began her appearing profession in 2001 within the film “Blow,” the place she performed the daughter of Johnny Depp’s character. Her huge break got here in 2004 when she was forged — at age 13 — within the lead position within the Nickelodeon sitcom “Unfabulous.” Extra not too long ago, she has starred in a number of seasons of “American Horror Story.”
In the course of the podcast episode, Roberts mentioned it isn’t at all times true that nepo infants get every little thing handed to them on a silver platter.
“That is the factor that I at all times speak about — individuals form of solely see your wins as a result of they solely see whenever you’re on the poster of a film. They do not see all of the rejection alongside the way in which,” Roberts mentioned.
She mentioned she tries to be open in regards to the roles she by no means landed so individuals will perceive that not every little thing has been “so nice and linear and simple” for her because it appears from the surface.
She additionally mentioned feminine actors have it more durable than their male counterparts relating to nepo child criticism.
“And I at all times joke, ‘Why is nobody calling out George Clooney for being a nepo child?'” Roberts mentioned. Clooney’s father is TV host Nick Clooney. His aunt is singer Rosemary Clooney.
The subject of nepo infants has been a significant a part of the general public discourse since New York Journal printed a narrative about well-known offspring of well-known individuals in December 2022.
Many nepo infants and even their mother and father — significantly these in Hollywood — have pushed again towards the title and its accompanying critiques.
In December, Meg Ryan defended her son, actor Jack Quaid, towards “nepo child” claims throughout an interview with Glamour. She mentioned the label was “dismissive of his work ethic, his items, and the way delicate he’s to the thought of his privilege.”
In Could, British singer Lily Allen known as out the unfair use of the “nepo child” label, saying it is nearly at all times used towards girls.
On her podcast, Allen mentioned she will get known as a nepo child “on a regular basis” whereas her brother, “Sport of Thrones” star Alfie Allen, hardly ever will get labeled the identical manner. Their father is British actor Keith Allen.
The enterprise and tech worlds have their share of nepo infants, too.
Take into account LVMH chairman and billionaire Bernard Arnault, who’s presently No. 3 on Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index: All 5 of his kids work on the firm and its manufacturers.
Mukesh Ambani, the proprietor and chairman of Reliance Industries, has three kids holding completely different roles throughout his empire.
After which there’s the Drapers, Silicon Valley’s premier VC household. Billionaire Tim Draper’s grandfather based the VC agency Draper, Gaither, and Anderson, and three of his kids are enterprise capitalists themselves.
In fact, the wealthy and well-known aren’t the one ones who leverage connections to get a leg up of their skilled lives.
A 2023 survey of two,000 staff carried out by Utilized, a recruitment firm, confirmed that 68% of Gen Z staff have used nepotism to land a job supply. Even when they suppose nepotism is unfair, three-quarters of surveyed Gen Z staff mentioned they’d nonetheless use it to additional their careers.
A consultant for Roberts didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from Enterprise Insider despatched exterior common enterprise hours.
