nepo babies; who deserves it?

One of my favorite controversial things to talk about when it comes to actors and musicians is nepo babies. Honestly, I've looked at lists with friends before and saw names of people I never knew were nepo babies. Truth be told, I would see some of them and not realize they were nepo babies because they ended up being so much more famous than their parents and so full of talent. Like, who knew that Angelina Jolie was a nepo baby? I don't know if that's common knowledge for some people, but I definitely didn't know until about five minutes before I sat down to write this. There's a long list of celebrities that I had no idea were nepo babies because their parents aren't as well known by their names, but that's not exactly what I want to focus on.

See, when I think nepo babies, I think about super controversial ones now, the ones that people say don't deserve it, and without connections like their parents, they wouldn't be famous. This being said, I have a lot of hot takes when it comes to pop culture, whether that means music or movies related, but some of them are related to what actors I think have the talent and deserve the platform they have, despite their parents' success. I know not everyone agrees with them, but to each their own. That inspired me to write this truthfully, seeing if some people will look at nepo babies differently, some do deserve it, and arguably, some would be famous today even if their parents weren't. The nepo baby that I believe is most deserving of their fame, and I highly doubt there's any disagreement,s is none other than the daughter of Judy Garland, the one and only Liza Minnelli

Judy Garland with Liza Minnelli (sourced from People magazine)

Liza Minnelli is an incredibly talented actress and singer, now although some of that talent was presumably inherited from her mother, she has had an outstanding career for herself. And of course, her rendition of "Maybe This Time" in Cabaret is transforming. When talking about Liza Minnelli's career, you also have to note that she has EGOT status, which only 21 people have reached. EGOT status consists of winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. So, although Judy Garland is incredibly well known, Liza Minnelli's talent and career speak for themselves.

Now, time to get into some other nepo babies, ones that are highly based on just my own opinion. The actress who really made me start thinking about nepo babies and their talent is Gracie Abrams, except I don't entirely think she deserves the fame she has, but that's just my thoughts. But an actress who I absolutely adore, who I also think about, and I believe she deserves the fame she has, is Zoë Kravitz, whose parents are Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, who both have reputable careers. That being said I am a huge fan of Zoë Kravitz, I think that's fully based on the fact that the show High Fidelity is one of my favorites and I think her being the lead actress was the most perfect casting decision for the interesting twist on the movie and book that High Fidelity already had. So that is purely based on my own personal opinion, she has other roles, and somewhat of a fan base, a few nominations for different awards, and has even formed the band LOLAWOLF. I'm looking forward to seeing any more of her potential future roles and how she executes them, and seeing her fame grow to an even larger scale.

Lisa Bonet, Lenny Kravitz, and Zoë Kravitz (sourced from Pinterest)

Now I have a lot of hot takes, but that's a conversation for another day. One of my hot takes about nepo babies, however, is that Ben Platt is incredibly talented. Now I will say I don't believe he deserved the role in Dear Evan Hansen, and that was purely out of nepotism and not based on anything else. Despite that, he has an incredible voice and is talented, executing a lot of his roles as a quirky and awkward guy who can sing or is maybe a theater kid.

Another nepo baby I love is Emma Roberts, now her father is an actor but isn't entirely as well known or at least I don't think so. However, her father's sister is Julia Roberts, so essentially Emma Roberts is not only the daughter of an actor but also the niece of an incredibly successful actor. Emma Roberts has had some great roles in my opinion, my favorites of which are typically somewhat in the horror genre, appearing in Scream Queens, Scream 4, and some seasons of American Horror Story. She's pretty well known for her work outside of those three as well.

Sofia Coppola is another great example of a nepo baby who deserves the attention she receives, her father being Francis Ford Coppola, most famous for directing The Godfather. She's had her own successful career as a director, such as Lost in Translation, The Virgin Suicides, and Priscilla. She most certainly followed in her father's footsteps in directing movies and is one of the better-known female directors, while also having not only nominations but quite a few wins for awards. Sofia Coppola is also a cousin of other notable names, such as Nicolas Cage and Jason Schwartzman. She also has a daughter, Romy Mars, who's been receiving a lot of backlash online lately for being a nepo baby.

One nepo baby that I have come to respect a lot lately is Margaret Qualley. She's had a lot of big roles in the past couple of years, either as the lead or as a supporting actress. Her mom is Andie Macdowell, who is most well known for her role in Four Weddings and a Funeral, and her dad is Paul Qualley, who used to be a model. What makes me respect Margaret Qualley a lot is how open and unashamed she is about being a nepo baby. She is incredibly unbothered by the label and even acknowledges how much privilege she has from being a nepo baby.

Now, all of that is a lot to take in, with a lot of names of not only celebrities but also movies and shows. But that's my case for some of my favorite nepo babies and why they deserve some of the fame they have. That being said I know not everyone will agree with them, talent is viewed differently by everyone. I also know I definitely didn't speak about some other popular and controversial names deemed as nepo babies. That being said I think it's important to keep an open mind and not so quick to judge nepo babies, sometimes they deserve the fame.

-AC