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Twitter Users Share 46 Celebrities Most Didn’t Know Were Related, It Sparks A Discussion About Nepotism In Hollywood
Whether it's honest or not (it's probably not), Hollywood is aiming at becoming more inclusive. In recent years, stories of sexism, racism and abuse have circulated the media more often than ever before. For this reason, the big execs at studios will surely do anything to not get canceled. However, in our humble opinion, one form of inequality gets overlooked more often than we'd like it to be—nepotism.
The word itself is derived from nepos in Latin, meaning nephew. In Italy, it became nipotismo, named after the practice of when popes would give jobs to their nephews. Centuries have passed but it appears that little has changed. If you're a frequent lurker on social media or like to read magazines on celebrities, you sure as hell know the names (and faces) of Lily-Rose Depp, Gigi Hadid, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lena Dunham... the list could go on and on and never reach its end. Yes, you guessed it correctly—all of these people came from rich, powerful, and talented families. Nothing wrong with talent, but we can guess that casting auditions are just slightly easier when your dad is the producer of the movie.
We recently came across one interesting thread on Twitter that points out the sometimes unexpected family relations between (semi) famous people. Some were really surprising, some—kind of obvious. Nonetheless, we hope it will help you to put some things in perspective. One of them being that, it's not always just hard work that it takes to make it, no matter how hard celebrities try to make us believe it. We surely don't deny that there are many outstanding actors, singers, musicians, and dancers that don't come from a famous background, but more about that next time. This time, let's put the focus on celebs who really made it, but not without the support of their famous family members. Bear in mind that the intention of the post is purely educational, we're not intending to trash talented people just because they have relatives in the industry. Scroll down below to see the list, have fun, and drop a comment on whether you remember any more celebs that probably benefited from nepotism!
More info: Twitter
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#1
Lady Phoenixx 4 years ago
2 horror movie icons . The original scream queen ,and the scream queen in waiting 😍
After Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” came out, it sparked a debate online about nepotism. The widely popular film featured three young actresses—Margaret Qualley, Harley Quinn Smith and Maya Hawke. Surprisingly or not, all of them came from artistic families. Margaret's mother is none other than the legendary Andie MacDowell, while Harley Quinn is the daughter of Kevin Smith. Maya's parents probably need no introduction too—Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. Yes, the same Uma Thurman who's been Quentin Tarantino's muse for years.
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#3
Monica Sargent 4 years ago
I can't remember where but I saw family movies of her with her brother and parents and they were all so in love with each other. Also her mother was one of the first celebrities to not hide her breast cancer, "for the sake of other women". She hit the highest notes in more than one way....
One of the most obvious challenges that Hollywood is facing is its lack of diversity. However, with nepotism in the picture, it becomes even harder for creatives to cast diverse actors and create diverse films. One of the most famous recent examples is director Greta Gerwig’s recent adaptation of “Little Women”—in it, 3 out of 7 of the main cast members came from famous and powerful families in the business.
#7
Candace Fitzpatrick 4 years ago
And actor Eric Roberts is Julia’s brother, Emma’s father. Some people don’t know him by name but he’s been in many movies.
#10
Candace Fitzpatrick 4 years ago
And Alexander (True Blood) and Gustav (Vikings). There are other brothers too that act but I’ve never seen them I guess because they are only in Swedish films.
There's no denying that while nepotism in Hollywood exists, children of famous parents can also be extremely talented. Take Sofia Coppola as an example. Daughter of the legendary Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia has made quite an impact on the industry with her one-of-a-kind film style. However, it certainly didn't hurt her career when her dad helped her to make The Virgin Suicides—her debut feature—by producing it using his own company, American Zoetrope.
#16
Candace Fitzpatrick 4 years ago
Well there ya go! I made this comment regarding Julia and Emma...
#17
Bob Belcher 4 years ago
Yes, but they didn't know they were related until she was already in Hollywood.
#20
Anna Piecko 4 years ago
Don't forget Jack Quaid (from Logan Lucky or Amazon's The boys) he's Dennis Quaids and Meg Ryan's son.
#21
Monica Sargent 4 years ago
This is just sad to me because her mother is so much prettier and can act circles around her daughter.
#22
Laura Maeflower 4 years ago
A long time ago, I looked up one of them on IMDB and couldn't find one of their acting credits and I knew it was them in the film. Then I learned it was his twin brother lol.
#23
Candace Fitzpatrick 4 years ago
She was an early 90s child actress who was in lots of stuff but then she just fell out of the spotlight.
#24
GirlFriday 4 years ago
I get such a kick out of James Brolin in Life in Pieces. It is hard for me to reconcile Amityville Horror dad with the hilarious Pop Pop on Life In Pieces. And Josh Brolin is sooooo pretty.
#36
Julie Terrell 4 years ago
Am I the only one that looks at Casey and sees Green Day's Billy Joe Armstrong??
#43
markthomasc 4 years ago
Don't forget the singer Rosemary Clooney (White Christmas) and her nephew George (Attack of the Killer Tomatoes 2). OK, he's made a lot of great movies but that was his first.
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What do you think ?
Ray Martin 4 years ago
You'd have to be living under a rock not to know most of these. Also, having a common career within a family is hardly nepotism. My Dad was an electrician, and I had a career in telecommunications - does the fact we both worked with electricity make it nepotism?
Tabitha L 4 years ago
Exactly. Howard Stern's dad was in radio, so Stern wanted a job in radio. My grandmother was a school principal, and her three daughters became teachers. My father was a lawyer, and my brother became a lawyer. Archie Manning played professional football, and so did his sons. Would they have won 4 Super Bowls without actual skill?
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spirit wolf 4 years ago
Yes, exactly!! So what indeed. I mean if you have what it takes to do whatever, you can be related to the whole damn web. All of these people are very talented and that's that.
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Thomas brennan 4 years ago
Hold the front page! Children sometimes follow the career footsteps of their parents!!!! Although the Rashida and Quincy Jones one was well interesting
Ray Martin 4 years ago
You'd have to be living under a rock not to know most of these. Also, having a common career within a family is hardly nepotism. My Dad was an electrician, and I had a career in telecommunications - does the fact we both worked with electricity make it nepotism?
Tabitha L 4 years ago
Exactly. Howard Stern's dad was in radio, so Stern wanted a job in radio. My grandmother was a school principal, and her three daughters became teachers. My father was a lawyer, and my brother became a lawyer. Archie Manning played professional football, and so did his sons. Would they have won 4 Super Bowls without actual skill?
Load More Replies... spirit wolf 4 years ago
Yes, exactly!! So what indeed. I mean if you have what it takes to do whatever, you can be related to the whole damn web. All of these people are very talented and that's that.
Load More Replies... Thomas brennan 4 years ago
Hold the front page! Children sometimes follow the career footsteps of their parents!!!! Although the Rashida and Quincy Jones one was well interesting
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