Pierce Brosnan’s sons on nepotism: ‘It’s always gonna be there & we got to recognize it’


Dylan and Paris Brosnan attended the GQ Man of the Year party with their dad Pierce Brosnan and mom Keely Shaye Smith. Dylan is a musician and Paris is an artist, plus both have done modeling work. Dylan and Paris were recently featured in People’s SMA issue in their Sexiest Man Gen Next section, which just kind of highlighted the up-and-coming nepotism babies to keep an eye on. In their video for the shoot, both young men come across sweet and shockingly unpretentious. They clearly respect and adore their parents. So it’s not surprising that when they were asked at the GQ party about the nepotism discussion, they gave a fairly decent answer. Paris recognized they are always going to have to answer the nepotism question and instead of arguing against it, it’s best to simply acknowledge it and be grateful.

The name’s Brosnan… Dylan and Paris Brosnan.

On Nov. 17, the brothers, who are the sons of James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan and journalist Keely Shaye Smith, accompanied their parents for a glamorous night out at GQ’s Man of the Year party to celebrate their recent profile with dad in the magazine. Having grown up with an easily recognizable surname, Dylan and Paris weren’t afraid to share their thoughts on the discussion of nepotism when it comes to Hollywood kids.

“I think we need to just be grateful for our blessings,” Paris, 21, told E! News in an exclusive red carpet interview, with his brother noting that he was going to say “the exact same thing” about how they’re “very lucky” to be in the position they’re in.

Paris continued, “It’s always gonna be there and we got to recognize it. At the end of the day, we’re just grateful to be here.”

And while the Brosnan name may open some doors, Paris said he and Dylan, 25, are trying to “pave our own way.”

[From E! News]

Like I said, I feel like Paris’ answer is a good approach to this question. He’s right, he will never escape the nepotism umbrella. But there is a big difference between what Rob Reiner did with his famous last name and what Brooklyn Beckham did with his (so far). And yet, I’m willing to bet that Rob would tell you he got where he is because of his dad long before Brooklyn would. I don’t care if a kid wants to follow a parent into fame, but it bugs me when they pretend didn’t have a leg up.

To be fair, I think if you feel like you’re working really hard and everyone still says you got where you are because of your parent, it would be frustrating. I also think those are the breaks. If four out of five doors are opened for you while others had to open them themselves you will inevitably get asked about your parents. It’s like success tax. And as Paris said, if you pave your own way, eventually they’ll start asking if your parent is proud of you and not if you got there because of your parent.

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44 Responses to “Pierce Brosnan’s sons on nepotism: ‘It’s always gonna be there & we got to recognize it’”

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  1. Becks1 says:

    Good nepo answer!! We should bookmark the good ones for when the bad ones come up, LOL.

    And yeah, if you are a nepo baby but actually do put in the work and the time, I do think eventually it becomes a footnote more than anything and people will just accept you for your own merit (to a large extent anyway.) So stop whining about how people assume you had it easy or whatever and just put your head down and do your work. If you think you would have gotten there through your own talent, then that talent will still shine through and be evident to people, you know?

    • Talia says:

      See Jamie Lee Curtis – who her parents are is just a footnote in her career.

      • Beenie says:

        I think I’d also add Meryl Streep’s kids to this list. Grace, Mamie and Louisa in particular as they are also actresses. They are obviously nepo babies who were born to one of the most famous and highly regarded actresses in the past 50 years. BUT…. they seem pretty low key, hard working, and talented themselves. I think they’ve all put in the work over the past 10-20 years of their careers and have earned respect beyond their famous parentage.

      • Becks1 says:

        Which one was the one in the Gilded Age? Louisa? Because she was the weakest link in that show. She almost made me not want to finish watching it.

        But in general, yeah, there are a lot of good examples of actors who have sort of aged out of being “nepo babies” because they just do their work and people tend to forget that they have famous parents as time goes on (like I imagine there is a whole generation or two who doesn’t even know that JLC had famous parents, you know?)

      • GirlMonday says:

        The Streep Sisters.are.NOT good actresses. There’s just a halo effect from their mom.

      • Sue E Generis says:

        There are actually a huge number of really talented and hard-working nepo babies. But what I’ve noticed is that they are of an older generation – Jamie Lee Curtis, Carrie Fisher…The current ones are just overindulged nitwits with rare exceptions.

      • Nicegirl says:

        Good answer 👍 for sure on nepotism.

        I love the flip side too when it seems as if some portion of talent could be ‘genetic’ too in a way. So interesting!

        Frances Gumm, Liza

        Ethel, Lionel, John, Drew

        Debbie, Carrie, Billie

        Naomi, Wynonna, Ashley

        Nat King Cole, Natalie

        I could go on but I’m learning. 🤞 😂

    • manta says:

      I can’t find the source right now but an answer given by Georgia May Jagger years ago struck me as a good one.
      She acknowledged the benefit of not only the name but also the benefit of being guided by someone who knew the industry from the inside.
      Basically Jagger name opened doors, and having Jerry Hall by her side helped her navigate the traps along the way, shielding her from dangers other girls would face. I remember thinking ” see a sensible answer to the nepo question is possible!”

      • Frippery says:

        It’s an excellent point that people can eventually age or success their way out of the nepotism label. I am just a bit too young to have been aware of Jamie Lee Curtis at the start of her career, was it thought that her connections got her those early roles? Angelica Houston? Christian Slater? Ron Howard?

        As a side note, Max Brooks is the only one of the current “second generation” performers that I can think of that absolutely nailed it right out of the ballpark. I don’t think anyone has accused him of benefitting from nepotism (though I could be wrong).

  2. HandforthParish says:

    It’s so refreshing to see a celeb family that actually seems normal and nice.
    Pierce is one of those understated upstanding men who loves his wife and his family- he also adopted his first wife’s children after their father died.

    Out of all the nepo babies I am so glad to hear these two are the nicest.

    • Vet says:

      My sister and I have met and spent a small amount of time with Pierce, my god is he a nice man. The wife was not.

      • Karennotkaren says:

        Yep. She’s not nice. And, all is not well in the media paradise they project. Also, kid’s paintings are highly derivative of Jean-Michel Basquiat, with a neon palette, to put it kindly.

      • Jaded says:

        Do tell — is she arrogant? Tempermental? What’s going on in their so-called media paradise?

      • Julia K says:

        You just burst my bubble. I always thought Keely Shay Smith was a fantastic person because her husband was so devoted to her. Sorry to read otherwise.

  3. Amy Bee says:

    Good answer.

  4. Esmerelda says:

    Much better answer than Lily Rose, truly.
    The whole photoshoot is only mildly Zoolanderish, that takes some talent!

  5. Stacey Dresden says:

    Seem like a lovely family

  6. Emmi says:

    They sound sensible and their parents seem to have done a good job.

    If you truly do want to escape the nepotism discussion, just go by your mom’s last name. It’s not impossible unless your dad drives you to work every day.

    • ML says:

      Emmi, nice point about using a different last name. I believe Enrique Iglesias used a different last name because he wanted to make it without riding his estranged father’s coattails.

      • It Really Is You, Not Me says:

        Isn’t that what Emilio Estevez did as well? Which is doubly interesting because his brother used tgat Sheen name as quick as he could. I remember being shocked when I found out that they are brothers because of the last names and because I don’t think they look alike.

      • HeatherC says:

        Martin Sheen’s name is actually Ramon Estevez. His children were born with the last name Estevez. It’s Charlie (Carlos Estevez) who decided to use Sheen as a professional name, just like his father. So all Emilio did was keep his birth name.

      • Becks1 says:

        Yeah Martin Sheen switched his name to help him in Hollywood. So Emilio actually sort of reclaimed it.

        Here, though, I dont think it would make that big a difference because Lily Rose Depp’s mom is also very famous, especially in the modeling world.

    • Lightpurple says:

      Depends on who mom is.

      Mamie Gummer or Mamie Streep?

  7. FHMom says:

    Like his dad, Rob Reiner is a national treasure. If u don’t follow him on Twitter, you should. Pierce’s sons are beautiful. He and his wife seem like decent people who are raising decent children.

    • Lightpurple says:

      I second this: follow Rob Reiner on Twitter. I also used to follow Carl, whose Twitter presence I miss tremendously.

      • Ali says:

        I have a friend who is close with the Reiner family – he’s friends with one of Rob’s sons. Has said nothing but good things about him, which made me happy as a fan.

      • windyriver says:

        Cary Elwes wrote a book a few years ago about the making of The Princess Bride. Everything he or anyone else quoted said about Rob Reiner made him sound like a great director, and great person. Glad to hear this is in fact true…

  8. pottymouth pup says:

    “To be fair, I think if you feel like you’re working really hard and everyone still says you got where you are because of your parent, it would be frustrating.”

    Herein likes the rub, I’m sure if you asked a nepo celeb like Brooklyn Beckham, they’d tell you that they work hard to “learn” their craft & have not only earned their position but that all the work & publicity they get for that work is because of their talent.

    • Green girl says:

      That and it doesn’t help that Brooklyn is dabbling in a few different things. Of course it’s normal to have multiple interests and skills, but he is really showing his privilege by moving from interest to interest without perfecting what he has learned. He has a safety net so he can dabble in something for a few months before moving on.

      • Sue E Generis says:

        Not even that so much, I think it’s normal for people to bounce around in their 20s. My issue is that with zero knowledge, aptitude, effort or ability, he’s handed these opportunities that only the most accomplished and experienced normal people could hope to achieve. He can’t make a sandwich but gets his own show. He doesn’t know anything more than to click a button to take a picture and shoots for Vogue and gets a book deal. I mean, come on.

      • Kirsten says:

        I think the biggest problem with the dabbling is that he doesn’t say, “I’m trying out a lot of things to see what I like and what I’m good at.” It’s that every year he’s, “I’m a chef,” or, “I’m a photographer.” No you are not, sir.

  9. Sigmund says:

    Yeah, this seems like a fair comment from them. They either have good outlooks on the whole thing or good PR coaching, lol.

    I’m sure it can be frustrating to feel like your work is getting undermined by your parents, but you know what else is frustrating? Not getting callbacks. They ARE in a privileged position, so it’s best they acknowledge that.

  10. girl_ninja says:

    And there it is. Just be real about it, be humble and grateful and move along. They are such handsome young men and Pierce is still so damn gorgeous. Whew.

  11. Southern Fried says:

    Wow! I knew I liked Pierce but this post omg what a treat. His acting, both comedic and dramatic is always a win, his wife and loyalty towards her so admirable but didn’t know about his sons. Good attitude concerning nepotism. The IG modeling pix are fun and loving the artwork. Thanks for this, celebitchy.

  12. Nicki says:

    Pierce Brosnan was at our local Starbucks a while back, waited in a long line without drawing attention to himself, knew the barista’s name, and when he got back in the limo, he got in the front seat with the driver and handed him a latte. Not surprised his kids seem so nice.

  13. AmelieOriginal says:

    The only nepotism baby I can think of who had some degree of success before his identity was confirmed in the literary world is Joe Hill. He by design chose to go by a different pen name to distinguish himself from his world famous father and only disclosed who he was after his first novel had come out. Even now I think most people forget Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son because he’s very well known as the writer of the comic Locke & Key (also a Netflix series) and the name King isn’t attached to it. I’m sure there are others who made it before their famous parents were revealed to all but Joe Hill is the only one that really comes to mind.

    The Brosnan boys looked like they had so much fun at this photo shoot! Good looks clearly run in the family because they are all very handsome. And good answer from them that their father’s shadow will always be there wherever they go. I thought Pierce had lost his wife to cancer but that was his first wife, I didn’t realize he had remarried and had two more kids from a second marriage.

  14. Aurora says:

    Easy and simple: Just count your blessings and work hard. Better if you’re taught appreciation by the providers themselves. Paintings are nice!

  15. RachelSun says:

    Sorry, Streep’s daughters are average at best and would not even get an audition or second round of auditions if not Streep’s daughters. Changing your last name doesn’t work. Someone always knows even if the general public does not.

  16. Saahir says:

    Funny how everyone forgets that one of Pierce’s son is a huge asshole, who made fun of a waitress at a cafe for not charging his phone. He humiliated this woman with his friends while bragging about who his daddy was. They can miss me with the fake shit.