After New York Mag declared 2022 the “Year of the Nepo Baby,” two distinct camps emerged: Those who acknowledge the privilege that comes with having a famous parent and those who take issue with the label. Catherine Zeta-Jones is firmly in the second camp. Catherine and Michael Douglas’s two children, Dylan, 25, and Carys, 22, are both trying to break into the industry. Dylan does a political podcast on Sirius XM and has appeared in a few short films while Carys recently made her NYC stage debut in Brooklyn.
Catherine is currently promoting her new thriller Kill Jackie. In a recent interview with the Sunday Times, she brought up her kids’ aspirations and declared that she found the nepo baby label offensive. Her argument? Dylan and Carys are just two kids trying to make their way through this world. They didn’t choose to be born into a famous family, so why should they be labeled as such? Here’s more from People:
Catherine Zeta-Jones is not a fan of the term “nepo baby.”
The Wednesday actress, 56, chatted with The Sunday Times about everything from her new thriller Kill Jackie and her career to her family life and decades-long marriage to Michael Douglas. During the conversation, she opened up about how her two now-adult kids, Carys, 22, and Dylan, 25, are “plugging away” as they work in the family business.
“They’re plugging away,” she told the outlet. “My daughter wanted to be Amal Clooney for a while. But you have to go with your dreams, your passion.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, she shared her feelings on the phrase “nepo baby,” calling it “horrible.” The Gallerist star explained that her children “didn’t ask to be born” into the way of life and are simply “finding their own way.”
“Yeah, but it’s hard for them to forge a way forward on their own. This horrific phrase ‘nepo baby’ is horrible because these kids didn’t ask to be born into this; they’re finding their own way in life,” she said, before switching focus to her own kids. “But they love it, and they’re good.”
“Otherwise Michael and I would be the first to go, ‘You know what? Maybe law school looks really good,’ ” she added.
I don’t think I can roll my eyes harder at CZJ’s out-of-touch comments. She’s married to a nepo baby, for goodness’s sake. It would have been less cringe if she’d taken the “going into the family business” route. There is nothing wrong with Dylan and Carys wanting to become actors, but it is a fact that they’re going to benefit from nepotism. No one is saying they aren’t talented or hardworking. The label is just about acknowledging that the Douglas family name will open doors for them. Even Gwyneth Paltrow has enough self-awareness to admit that reality.
I won’t hold Catherine’s opinions against Dylan and Carys, though. Dylan’s website, which heavily promotes Democratic politics, does not mention his famous lineage. Carys’s Instagram page is a normal rich girl account, but it doesn’t put a spotlight on her parents. (She looks exactly like Michael, though.) That said, I’m genuinely curious to hear how they respond to the nepo baby question and whether they’re more aware of their privilege than their mother is.
Photos credit: IMAGO/Avalon, Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
It’s not a horrible term, it’s accurate.
They have a huge advantage over say some kid from Ohio who has real talent but doesn’t know anyone in the business and has to struggle to even get to a place where they might be noticed.
There are pros and cons to being a nepo – you are going to have people notice and scrutinise you earlier in your career than others might, but then you are likely to get bigger roles and more chances than someone who is completely unknown.
Just acknowledge that benefit of having a parent or parents in the industry and get on with it.
It’s not even just the family name. It must be quite a different experience to go to auditions from your million dollar Manhattan condo that has no strings attached, then having limited time because you only have enough saved up for a flat share with a pensioner (it’s a thing in NY) 2hrs commute away. Or you can’t go to half of those events because you have to earn a living at the same time. There are a lot of ways in which her kids have a leg up.
Michael Douglas is the ultimate nepo baby.
He put some time in in summer stock (some stories of him working as a laborer because that’s what the new people all do). and other theatre so he was trying to figure it out, but I remember hearing about him getting the lead in a small show in NY, but the role was recast before it opened so he was out of a job. His father, Kirk, bought the rights to the book/source material and financed, produced the film version and cast Michael in the lead role. So, yeah, his dad being his dad made a difference. (And I remember Michael telling the story about the director Kirk had hired took off at some point, didn’t stick around to finish the film, so Kirk took over and wanted Michael to work on it with him. And he got pissed because Michael was nowhere to be found … he took off after filming to fly himself and some friends – in his own personal airplane – to an island off the California coast on a lark. IIRC one of the friends was his recent costar, Brenda Vaccaro, who he wound up dating for years)
So, yeah, being born into wealth and industry connections had no bearing on how his life, career went, though, right?
It turned out he was talented, paid attention and made some good business moves. But he absolutely had a huge leg up. Just like his kids are getting. That’s not insulting, that’s reality.
(MD was one of my early crushes from SoSF reruns after school, so my brain has a lot of random trivia about him kicking around LOL)
@Amy Bee True, but he’s more than proven himself and solidified his place in the industry, not just as an award-winning actor but also an award-winning producer. CZJ made it on her own without the nepotism advantage so you would think she would be a bit more open minded, and less defensive, about recognizing that privilege for their children given their Hollywood lineage. I could be totally wrong, but I kind of had the impression that her marriage to MD was less about being a love match and more about the status that came with it (cynical, I know, but just a feeling I got), which for me adds an extra layer to her dismissiveness of the label.
Her daughter who was on some magazine cover because of who her parents are?
The biggest challenge for working actors is getting their foot in the door. Nepos are born inside the room
She has ALWAYS been out of touch with reality.
The only one in that family who is NOT a nepo baby is her, and even she comes from a privileged background.
Yeah, that’s annoying. Her kids are second generation nepo babies, ffs.
Carys doesn’t look just like Michael, to me. I’d say she’s a combination. She’s cute and has a nice smile. Though Dylan does seem to father his mother a little bit more.
“She wanted to be Amal Clooney for a while, but you have to go with your dreams.” Translation: she wanted to be Amal Clooney for a while, but then she realized you have to work really hard and she’s not smart enough.
Honestly, one of these Hollywood nepo kids should just embrace the term and use their platform to talk about it.
I’m glad there’s so much attention on nepotism, because while these kids will be fine, nepotism is pervasive across American corporate culture. Maybe watching it play out so openly in Hollywood will make the rest of us cringe a little when we recognize how often we perpetuate the same system.
At my work, the COO literally created a job for his kid. The kid worked for a year, quit with a C-suite going-away party, and then the job was eliminated because it apparently wasn’t necessary. Who knows how much that kid made.
Going into the family business is one thing. Having connections and opportunities because of your family is another privilege we should be honest about. But there’s a big difference between making a connection for someone and literally creating a job for them.
I’d love to see one of these Hollywood kids use their platform to talk about that distinction—and get people thinking about nepotism beyond Hollywood.
They are good looking kids but what I find interesting is that even if Nepos have won the genetic lottery they are almost never as attractive as their famous parents.
Colin Hanks is more attractive than his parents! But he’s the only one I can think of lol
Really? He’s a talented Nepo for sure but I never took him for a looker.
I wonder if parents like this think they’re being loyal and protective in their own distorted perceptions, but it’s not what their kids need. Just acknowledge that they have advantages and wish them the best as they start out in life.
Being Kirk Douglas’s grandchildren has no cache in Hollywood. Go forth and capture success with talent and hard work alone while sleeping in a shared room with three other aspiring actors and having ramen cups for breakfast.