Last year, New York Magazine declared that 2022 was “the year of Nepo-Baby.” Nepo-babies are people who are beneficiaries of nepotism, and New York’s cover story was specifically about the entertainment industry’s nepo-baby problem. Meaning, there’s a glut of nepo-babies in Hollywood these days, to the point where it’s notable when someone from a non-entertainment family gets a breakthrough role. Ben Platt was one of the actors featured on New York’s cover, and he is, without a doubt, a huge beneficiary of nepotism. His father is Marc Platt, a hugely successful theater, film and TV producer who basically ensured that his son was cast in tons of stuff from a very young age.
Well, Ben Platt really doesn’t want to talk about any of that. I guess his team hasn’t told him that he could simply acknowledge that yes, he has benefited from nepotism and it’s not great, but he’s here to promote something. That never occurred to Platt or his team. Platt is currently promoting Theater Camp, which is why he sat down with Rolling Stone (this was pre-strike). Platt spoke to Rolling Stone at length about Judaism, Jewish camp, theater camp, his friendships and more. And then he and his team totally shut down when RS asked him about being a nepo baby.
Adding insult to injury, the release of Dear Evan Hansen coincided with the advent of the nepo baby conversation, with many on social media pointing out that the film had been produced by Marc Platt, Ben’s father and the producer of films like Legally Blonde. The discourse reached its apex with a 2022 New York Magazine cover, “The Year of the Nepo Baby,” in which a photo of Platt was photoshopped onto a baby’s body.
At the time, Platt appeared wounded by the criticism of the film, telling Rolling Stone, “People having opinions about me that don’t know me makes me so anxious. You can say, ‘That’s not what matters, the in-person things are what matters.’ Of course that’s true, but it’s hard to not take in stuff.” In recent months, he’s re-emerged with a starring role in the revival of Jason Robert Brown’s Parade as Leo Frank, a Jewish man falsely accused of raping and murdering a 12-year-old factory employee, as well as a sharp turn in the indie Theater Camp (which he co-wrote) as Amos Klobuchar, a frustrated kiddie theater director at a performing arts camp called Adirond-Acts in a codependent relationship with best friend Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon, who co-directed the film).
You were on the cover of New York Magazine‘s Nepo Baby issue. I’m curious, what was your response to that? And what do you make of that whole discourse?
We’re going to skip right over that if we can.No comment?
[Publicist intervenes: “If we could just focus on Theater Camp, that would be great. Thank you.”]
This is being reported as “Ben Platt shuts down interview after nepo baby question,” but if you go to the Rolling Stone piece, it’s written in a way which would suggest that RS simply moved on and continued asking Platt other questions after he refused to talk about being a nepo baby. Still, he and his team need to come up with a better way to deal with these questions, because… um, they’re not going away?? Speaking of, an Esquire journalist tweeted this out – apparently, Platt’s publicist is really bad at their job.
This publicist once demanded I interview Ben in the same room as his entire team. I refused.
Then he called me the day before the profile went live to question me about the tone. Called me again the morning it was published to tell me I was a terrible person for what I wrote. https://t.co/dFD5ibz8Kt
— Justin Kirkland (@justinkirkland4) July 14, 2023
My terrible Ben Platt profile, for reference: https://t.co/Rtd02lHvuJ
— Justin Kirkland (@justinkirkland4) July 14, 2023
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- WEST HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – APRIL 21: American actor Ben Platt arrives at the LA Family Housing (LAFH) Awards 2022 held at the Pacific Design Center on April 21, 2022 in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 685098750, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Ben Platt, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- Ben Platt attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City,Image: 688770343, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Ben Platt, Credit line: – / JPI Studios / Avalon
At what point in their career is someone no longer considered a Nepo baby? Would Carrie Fisher be considered one if she were still with us, even after everything she had accomplished? Nepotism is real, and it definitely gets people opportunities they’d not get otherwise. But if they’re really not talented or marginally talented at best, I can’t see them having a long career. JMHO.
Always?
How can one change their parentage?
It has nothing to do with talent & everything to do with access.
You think people who have to actually work for it somehow lack talent & that’s why they don’t get parts?
Nope. It’s because parts go to Lily Rose instead of someone who has talent, charisma.
That’s what nepotism is. It’s not anything to do with talent.
This.
This +1
Yep. And frankly, it’s so telling the way some of these nepo babies flip out over the label. Like, sorry it hurts your feelings that people openly point out how you were born into immense wealth and privilege and that’s the only reason you’re a famous Hollywood star now. But you know what? Hurts the average person’s feelings that they weren’t born into that kind of immense wealth and privilege, and as such, have needed to work twice as hard just to get the same opportunities that you got from birth, just by virtue of existing and getting pushed out of a famous vagina.
Want people to stop putting an asterisk on your so-called “talent”? That’s not hard, just try owning it, being totally transparent, and expressing extreme gratefulness over the way you benefitted from your family’s wealth and connections while acknowledging that ordinary people don’t get that chance. Maybe use your platform to promote actual emerging artists who don’t have your brand recognition while you’re at it?
I think that sort of thing would do wonders for making the issue go away for most of these nepo babies, but also: so many of them are SO entitled, they don’t understand the value of being humble and do what this guy did, and just shut it down. In many cases, it’s also like the only thing they haven’t had handed to them on a silver platter and have had to “work for” is actual artistic respect and legitimacy, and that’s why so many of them get SO defensive about this issue whenever it comes up.
In my opinion once a nepobaby always one. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Bc what parent isn’t going to do their best to make sure their kids have the best opportunities? I only have an issue when it comes to the ones who are not talented in their field and still get opportunity after opportunity while actual talent gets passed over. Think Zoe Kravitz. Fisher may have got her in from her parents but she clearly belonged.
Agreed. If the “but for their parents” comment is there in any way, they are a nepo baby. Classic case of this involves Fisher, IMO. Billie Lourde is a terrible actress. So one-note, yet has been in a bazillion Ryan Murphy shows and got a speaking role in the last Star Wars films.
Honestly, I don’t think Carrie Fisher was a great actress either. She was okay.
I don’t know if I’d call Carrie Fisher a great actress, but I don’t know of many other people who could have played her part as well as she did in When Harry Met Sally.
I don’t think Carrie was a great actress, actually. Princess Leia is pretty one-note and most of her other film roles were either goofy gags (like in Blues Brothers) or it was just her playing herself. That said, I DO think she was a talented writer and comedian, and those were much better mediums for her to express herself through.
What @Kokiri said.
Also, it’s important to note that Carrie Fisher would have been the first person to acknowledge her “nepo baby” status if she were still with us. She never ran from it. Hell, she turned it around and made a successful novel, movie, and one-woman show out of it.
And that’s the difference. You can still acknowledge how you got there while showing that you have the talent to stay.
@Cole If the marginally talented person acts in TV or movies for four years that’s four years of auditions that more talented actors lost the part to them. A woman without connections could waste years auditioning. By age 25 the woman’s chances of ever getting hired as an actress are diminished. There are a limited number of roles available and they are wasted on Junior just because their dad is a director. It’s like losing a college scholarship to a connected kid. There’s no do-overs. You can’t sit around waiting ten years to go to that college you just go somewhere else. The nepo baby gets whatever they want and the more deserving person has to resort to Plan B as a consequence. A more talented nepo baby is never told no. No audition is held. The part is automatically theirs. The consequences are permanent so I don’t know why anyone should ignore the fact that they were handed everything they ever wanted since Day One.
@mango I’ve read quite a few
comments on this issue since it became such a hot topic and yours is definitely one of my favorites. Such a thoughtful, smart, interesting take on the issue. I always love it when someone really makes me think about an issue in a different way. Thanks!
Mango–_exactly_. Nepo-babies get the privilege of not only getting paid to practice their craft, but getting unlimited access as well. The role that one of these useless performers gets–and handles badly–could easily be the one that introduces someone truly talented–or keeps that person from giving up and living a miserable, unfulfilled life.
Yes, this. And it’s not just actors, I know a writer who has won local Emmy for wonderful work, who cannot get a script read in Hollywood because he doesn’t know the right people. They will take scripts from unemployed, trust fund kids, or plumbers, or drug dealers, as long as they’re friends. And then the public wonders why movies are garbage now days.
My understanding of how to get work is to be a PA on a set, and use that time to schmooze with the important people. It helps a lot if you have a parent or friend who can also invite the important people to a party, or get them some type of freebies like publicity. Then they parlay that into a paid acting/writing/whatever job. The problem is, who is (1) able to get hired as, and (2) be able to afford, working as an unpaid PA? Those who already have the connections and wealth. And yet they will all claim they “paid their dues” and “worked” for their success.
What’s the point of asking about being a nepobaby if we know they are? Should there be a law banning them from being actors? In every job there are always gonna be nepo babies.
I just named my new rescue dog Mango. He is incredibly worried, terribly thin, has the worst diarrhea and is going to be amazing in just a few weeks I think.
Liza Minnelli was a Nepo baby, she was an iconic Sally Bowles at 25. To me, her head start didn’t matter that much. Most others don’t fall into that category.
Liza in her prime was that one-in-a-million nepo baby that genuinely DID have incredible talent. A generational talent, even. The problem is, they all automatically think they’re Lizas, and they’re most definitely not.
Thin skin. Is that a nepo-baby trait as well? Jeez.
He has never come across that well in interviews, tbh.
I don’t think he comes across all that well as a performer, either. Never occurred to me to ask why he kept getting cast; I just thought it was something I wasn’t seeing. Yes, he can sing, but there’s any number of performers who are better.
@elizabeth Philips, agreed. He was great in Pitch Perfect, but leading man/main character status? Even if he performed well in the “Dear Evan” plays, I think the movie would’ve benefited from a different actor (much like how roles from Broadway actors always get recast onscreen). AND “The Politician” was insufferable…Ryan Murphy only gets the American Crime stories right, IMHO.
I know I’ve said this so many times on here, but I don’t understand how these people don’t have a better answer to this question/discussion. It’s going to come up. Bryce Dallas Howard had a REALLY good post about this on her IG a few months ago, basically acknowledging how lucky she is and her advantages etc. It’s not that complicated. Say “yes, I realize I am very privileged and lucky, and not everyone has the connections I have.”
Allison Williams handled this conversation amazingly and no one talks about it with her anymore. She was like yep I got lucky, had a lot of connections and doors opened for me, and now I do the work to keep earning my spot. But I started far ahead of most. I don’t particularly find Allison Williams talented or fun to watch but I respected the hell out of her answer.
I remember that interview and it’s what made me start to kind of like her, because it came across as honest and grateful. That and she’s been really leaning into the horror genre lately and it suits her. She’s found a niche that works for her.
Whew. This shouldn’t be that hard. Acknowledge it and move on. His team need to find a good answer, deliver variations of it for interviews and move on. Or they can just keep doing what they’ve been doing, I guess. Seems counterproductive though.
Yeah, reporters don’t ask because they hope for a civil, thoughtful response that’s appeared in three previous interviews. They’re crossing their fingers for exactly this: a snippy retort and a PR flack cutting them off. That’s a story.
Which is yet another reason why he should have a simple, gracious response for this inevitable question: because if he gives the same bland but polite boilerplate response every time, reporters will stop asking.
He’s the one choosing to make it a bigger issue by throwing a tantrum every time people rightfully acknowledge the unfair advantages he’s been given in this field.
And the reason we’re all here talking about it now.
…. He was criticized as a nepobaby bc of the poor casting choice. I don’t know how old he is but they casted an actor who looked 30 as a high schooler. Then they tried the whole “woe is me, everyone is making fun of my appearance. Everyone is so mean!” as if it wasn’t a valid criticism. Like,dude, you aren’t Bianca Lawson. You can’t play a teenager forever.
Honestly, he looked 40 in that movie. It was ridiculous 😹
the fact he clearly looked his age is what was being criticized in his casting for the role. He had his heyday with it on Broadway where it’s much less obviously a 30 something is playing a teenager but, considering his history, he really should have been supportive of giving a younger actor the opportunity to play the role on screen to jump start their career.
FWIW, Bianca Lawson is also a repo baby (her father is actor Richard Lawson, Berry Gordon is her great uncle) and she’s always been gracious when asked about her family.
@pottymouthpup. I think I kinda knew she was a nepobaby but I mentioned her bc she is a vampire! The first time I saw her portraying a teen was on Buffy. She continued, successfully to portray a teen until at least Pretty Little Liars. The first time I saw her cast as an adult was on Teen Wolf. That felt like reverse of Platt bc she still didn’t look like an adult to me.
Yeah his furious reaction to the negativity about his casting in the Dear Evan Hansen movie told us everything we need to know about his feelings of entitlement and lack of self-awareness. That was a DREADFUL casting choice, the kind that should have been corrected after day one dailies were looked at. Are there actors who can play younger? Sure! He’s not one of them. But Daddy was the producer so the movie got stuck with an Evan that looked 45 instead of high school aged.
It’s been 7 months since the NY Mag cover story and even longer that conversations about nepotism have become louder. Not having a boilerplate answer at the ready is crazy.
A sense of entitlement. I suspect that they’re training for the next stage of their careers. That’s the “How DARE you! How can you ask me such questions? Don’t you know who I am?” phase.
Honestly, if the person isn’t annoying and is actually talented, people won’t care at all if they are a nepo baby lmao Carrie Fisher, Jamie Lee Curtis, even Dakota Johnson and Kate Hudson are examples. They get chance after chance to show they’re good at what they do. Just don’t pull a Lily Rose/Kendall/Lila, who are mediocre at their best, and you’re fine.
Well said!
Agreed Daisey but if you look at the people you named that no one cares about they also quickly acknowledge they got lucky from who they are related to and never hide or complain about it.
I mean how many times has Drew Barrymore talked about her family legacy- she doesn’t hide it. Neither does Kate Hudson. And they don’t get all upset when you call it out.
Dakota Johnson has grown on me a lot. She’s absolutely a nepo baby—a mega-one, given not just her parents, but who her grandmother is. Still, she’s always handled it in a gracious, respectful way and it’s done wonders for her likability.
Also, I’m willing to extend a bit more leeway when said nepo baby comes from an established acting family that’s ALWAYS been known for that craft, like with the Barrymores. Dakota’s family is several generations deep into Hollywood, and yeah, there’s lots of privilege and nepotism there to be sure, but also, would not shock me if one day, Dakota’s kids or grandkids get into it, too. It legit is their family trade.
Is his “aw shucks” persona just that?
I had some idea he was a nice guy. Foiled again, he’s just not great, is he.
It’s pretty easy to be a ‘nice guy’ when no one ever challenges you.
He seems like a baby b!tch.
What so frustrating about this is Ben Platt is very talented, unlike a lot of nepo babies. So if he just graciously acknowledged his privilege, he would come across as self-aware and even a little humble. His team seriously needs to rethink their approach.
The words “humble” and “actor” rarely go together. There are a lot of talented actors out there that we will never know because of Hollywood’s extreme levels of nepotism.
What an absolutely spoiled brat. This kind of stuff is why people are nauseated by nepo-babies.
How hard is it to say “I know I started on 3rd base in this industry compared to others and I never take it for granted, I feel very privileged to be able to do the work I do.” Like, damn get a grip you pampered babies!
People who own it forever earn my respect (Jamie Lee Curtis, Dakota Johnson). The Ben Platt’s and Lily-Rose Depp’s who have a lot of hurt feelings about it really come across like they thought the nepotism conversation was just a trend and they’re totally ignorant to the fact that we are only going to care MORE about structural inequality as this world keeps turning. Do better.
Because he probably doesn’t feel privileged, he feels entitled.
I had no idea that Platt was a nepo baby but knew that he was a whiner. And it seems that he’s still whining and acting like a brat. He needs to grow up, be grateful for his privileged life and move on.
Me either. Are you still a nepo baby if I have no idea who your connection is even after it is explained to me?
@fancypants I don’t think it matters if you or me or anyone else here knows who their connection is. All that matters is the casting agent/producer/director knows. And they ALL know Marc Platt.
Yeah it has nothing to do with viewers. Viewers are the consumers being fed whatever the powerful want us to be fed. In this case, Ben.
The nepo part, especially for Ben, is having a powerful parent who makes decisions about who they cast and who has connections and people who want to ingratiate themselves to him for the power he offers. Everyone wants Marc on their side. Casting agents want him to use them for his next project. Etc.
Question on the definition of a nepobaby: would someone like Anderson Cooper be considered a nepobaby?
There are so many in Hollywood. I think it’s important to look at nepotism *everywhere*, at how prevalent it is, so that the rest of us Dont go through life thinking we didn’t succeed because of a lack of talent. It’s not just who(m) you know, but who your relatives are and what they did. So yes, Jamie Lee Curtis, anderson cooper, carrie fisher….ben platt. All skilled, all extraordinary in their own way. (& There are plenty who aren’t skilled in the least, looking at you, gwyneth). And — there are many, many other non-nepo people out there, equally skilled and talented, who dont get a seat because they weren’t born into the room.
And then when someone does succeed in spite of a lack of connections, it’s truly something to celebrate.
No. He’s not entitled and worked in the field for years before having his own show.
And he hosted The Mole, the best reality show ever.
Working hard and not being entitled don’t erase being a nepo baby. He absolutely is one–and he does it the right way by working hard and being talented at what he does.
Yes. Cooper will never experience the hardship of trying to get his foot in the door when not knowing anyone of power, nor will he ever know the fear of depending on a paycheck.
it would be impossible for most people to comprehend the level of privilege being Marc Platt’s kid entails.
This isn’t just nepo baby, it’s the most powerful privilege outside of being a studio head’s kid. There’s a difference between actors and writers having kids who get introductions and being the kid of a producer who just puts you in their projects and can pick up the phone and get you work in other high profile projects.
Marc has tremendous power and lives in a bubble himself, which is probably why his grown kid has this publicist. This is probably what Marc is used to doing: setting the agenda for interviews and bullying journalists out of anything he doesn’t like. His kid is going to have to learn that front facing jobs like actors don’t get to do that so overtly and heavy handed.
Thanks for this. I hadn’t thought about the differences between the way an actor and producer handle press differently. Business people are ruthless with the press. See the whole GQ pulls HBO CEO article mess. Seeming relatable isn’t an issue. For actors it is.
One of the differences I’ve noticed lately is that very mid star kids are getting cast in big parts. Up until recently, nepo kids got cast in small parts and if they had the charisma to stand out, they moved up. Look at Carrie Fisher in Shampoo. She’s only onscreen for a few minutes, but she holds her own with the rest of the cast. That role helped her get cast as Princess Leia.
Nowadays, you see someone talented but bland in too many roles. It’s part of why the quality of films/TV overall is lowering. Why don’t we have movie stars like we used to? Casting for charisma is key.
Glad it was helpful. Yeah, it’s very different than it was in Carrie’s day. And especially for Ben.
Absolutely to your point about the GQ article critical of Zaslav being pulled. The way the media just bends to the whims of power now should be alarming for all. In fact they let Zaslav be presented as the VICTIM of working people.
Exactly this. Not just the child of a privileged parent but the type of privileged parent who people want to kiss up to, work with or get favours granted.
Must be why Ben Platt seems to feel he’s a big deal or a big-ish deal when most people in the main stream haven’t even heard of him except as that old guy in Dear Evan Hanson. And most people haven’t seen that. No thanks.
I did start watching The Politician and thought How did this unattractive (really no offence, it’s just that lead actors tend to be more pleasant looking) guy get the *lead* role and why won’t he stop singing? It’s not the style of singing I like, it’s not sincere, more showy. It makes sense he’s a stage singer.
I guess I can’t edit my post after the 5 min but let me correct myself by saying he’s not unattractive, he’s just not attractive *to me* just like I also don’t find Brad Pitt or other hotshots I can’t think of at the moment attractive. I’m sure he’s fine and if he were a more pleasant person he’d be a lot better looking.
It shouldn’t be too hard to just own it and put a positive spin on it. “Yes, I am aware of the great advantages afforded to me by being related to whomever, and that is why I strive extra hard every day to show my work and produce excellent material that anyone would be proud of or enjoy.” Take the insult out of it.
Why in the world; does he need his whole team in the interview room with him? Is incapable of answering questions by himself, or are they afraid of what he might do or say, if he is left alone without supervision just odd either way.
Platt was on the cover of a magazine, talking about nepotism, did his team not coach him on what to say when asked about it?
Such thin skin! Just acknowledge and move on. Most parents are going to try to give their kids any opportunity they can. I remember when I graduated college, my dad had been in the military/civil service for *years* and he was like, “I can get you in with work on the base – you’ll have a pension and everything!” I didn’t take him up on that, but honestly I wish I had taken advantage of that opportunity because he could have, and I would have a pension coming up LOL
I think Ben Plattis very talented from what I’ve seen, but a lot of other people are just as talented and may not have the chances he’s had or they have to work harder for those chances. None of us get to control the circumstances of our birth, but acknowledging your privilege is important and some nepo-babies are doing that, and some are shrugging it off assuming they’d still be a big deal if they didn’t have these connections when, talent or not, they probably wouldn’t or they would but it would have taken longer and they would have had to work harder.
Furthermore, nepobabies, use your position of privilege to help others. Pay it forward.
My kid has the potential to be a nepobaby in my industry (not anywhere close to entertainment) and he bristles at the thought that he might get an unfair advantage because of me. I’m trying to help him realize that 1) actually, the unfair advantage started a long time ago at the dinner table when I was teaching him stuff that he wouldn’t have learned otherwise 2) I can open the door, but he has to have the chops to get the job and 3) he needs to bring others along with him. There is a LOT of unfair advantage I this world – use yours to help others
I honestly didn’t even know he was a Nepo Baby.
I honestly had no idea who he was at all–though I remember hearing about the Evan Hansen disaster. Someone should school his PR team about the Streisand Effect, because I would bet most folks will now know him more as a nepobaby than as an actor.
I don’t like this guy and never have. I don’t care how talented he is. Which is actually no more talented than a bunch of other folks who didn’t have a rich producer father to give them a leg up.
That Esquire profile is beautiful and heartbreaking. His team seems to rival Kensington Palace’s in term of utter buffoonery.
I don’t think Gwyneth Paltrow would’ve had the career she had if it wasn’t for nepotism.
She is as prosaic as all get out.
As exciting as crustless Wonder Bread.
She’s not a Liza Minelli.
I’ll tell you what. It’s nepo-baby arrogance that made him “shut down” the interview when questioned about BEING a nepo-baby. Wouldn’t most actors WANT the interview to appear to help their publicity/status. Wouldn’t they swallow their pride and try to answer the question truthfully/diplomatically. Because he IS a nepot-baby, this allowed him to automatically think, “I don’t have to put up with that shit.” Just my take.
Exactly! Someone hustling would be taking a significantly higher risk behaving in this way. His actions only support the argument that nepo-babies are given unfair advantage and don’t have to work as hard. Nobody is saying they don’t work hard or suck, but they aren’t “starving artists” like a lot of very talented and more talented people.