For as long as there have been celebrity couples, there have also been celebrity kids. And it’s been common for these kids to also go into acting, like beloved figures Carrie Fisher and Drew Barrymore. Lately there’s been a ton of conversation about the idea of a “nepo baby” and how famous kids have had to deal with the pressures and privilege that come with having famous parents. Emily in Paris star Lily Collins is the latest nepo baby to defend her success, following viral comments by the likes of Lily-Rose Depp and Zoë Kravitz.
Nepotism isn’t a new concept to Hollywood, and a number of established stars have had to deal with talks about their family lately, such as Maya Hawke and The Boys’ Jack Quaid. Now there’s the term “nepo baby” with Lily-Rose Depp going viral for her comments about the subject. Actress Lily Collins is the daughter of pop star Phil Collins, and she recently spoke to Vogue France about her experience trying to become established without relying on her father’s name. As she shared:
It was out of the question that people would think that I use a free pass thanks to my name. I’m proud of my dad, but I wanted to be me, not just his daughter. For that, I was ready to wait to break through.
Indeed, Lily Collins’ parentage might be new information to fans out there. She’s already had quite a successful acting career. In addition to her ongoing role in Emily in Paris, she’s also had roles in projects like Mank, Okja, and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Clearly things are on the rise, although smart money says there were some struggles for the 33 year-old actress along the way.
Lily Collins’ comments about nepotism come in her conversations with Vogue France, who featured her largely due to her role as the title character in Emily in Paris. While speaking about her life and career, Collins eventually opened up about the ways her famous father has and hasn’t helped her career. As she further explained,
By dint of failed castings, I learned to focus more on my work, and I managed to make acting my job. But I’m not resting on my laurels: this environment is very competitive and places are expensive.
As previously mentioned, this comes as there’s a ton of conversation online about nepo babies. Lily-Rose Depp recently landed herself in hot water with Italian model Vittoria Ceretti over conversations she made about nepotism to Elle. The comments that started this feud read as:
It’s weird to me to reduce somebody to the idea that they’re only there because it’s a generational thing. It just doesn’t make any sense. If somebody’s mom or dad is a doctor, and then the kid becomes a doctor, you’re not going to be like, ‘Well, you’re only a doctor because your parent is a doctor.’ It’s like, ‘No, I went to medical school and trained.’
Lily-Rose Depp was careful to clarify that she doesn’t really equate herself as an actress/model to a doctor, but seemingly feels her training and career speak for themselves. In response, model Vittoria Ceretti wrote a response on Instagram Story, revealing the financial and personal struggles that came with trying to be a model without the support system of a rich and famous parent.
Zoë Kravitz has had a wildly successful career, but she also admitted to having insecurities related to her famous parents. She was recently featured on GQ, where she defended the decision for famous kids to go into acting. As she put it,
It’s completely normal for people to be in the family business. It’s literally where last names came from. You were a blacksmith if your family was, like, the Black family.
Some points were made. And indeed, Zoë Kravitz has established herself aside from her famous relatives, thanks to performances in projects like Big Little Lies, Mad Max: Fury Road, and The Batman.
We’ll just have to wait and see how the careers of actors like Lily Collins and Lily-Rose Depp continue to shape out, but they’ve both got exciting projects coming up. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. But sorry naysayers, there will be plenty of “nepo babies” front and center.
