Laura Dern Blasts 'Absurd' 'Nepo Baby' Debate
Laura Dern has weighed in on what she’s described as the “insane” debate surrounding so-called “nepo babies” in Hollywood.
While discussions about nepotism in the entertainment industry are nothing, the conversation became a lot louder in the early 2020s, thanks in part to a piece in New York magazine about the new generation of A-listers whose parents are already established figures in the entertainment industry.
During a new interview with The Telegraph, Laura – whose parents are the Oscar nominee Bruce Dern and the late Oscar winner Diane Ladd – lamented that so many with family connections in Hollywood are dismissed as “nepo babies”.
“I’m curious if anyone’s ever called your local butcher whose kids take over the business a ‘nepo baby’,” she began. “Or a milliner.”
She continued: “It is absurd. When I started [in the movie industry] I definitely wanted to be my own person and separate myself and have casting directors not mention my parents, because you want to stand on your own.
“Back then there wasn’t ‘nepo’ anything; it was part of a legacy story – I was raised in this industry. But this generation? My kids’ age? It’s like it’s an embarrassing scarlet letter they’re wearing.”
Laura has two children, 24-year-old Ellery and 21-year-old Jaya, from her marriage to musician Ben Harper. Both are following in their footsteps, with Ellery pursuing a career in music while Jaya is also an aspiring actor.
The Oscar winner’s comments echo similar remarks made by movie industry titans Kate Winslet and Tom Hanks.
Last month, Kate made headlines when she revealed she’s not a fan of the term “nepo baby”.
“I just try and say to my children, ‘just follow your heart’,” the Titanic actor said, while promoting her latest film Goodbye June, which was written by her son Joe Anders.
She added: “There are lots and lots of people in the world whose children go into similar family business[es], whether it’s being a judge or a lawyer or a doctor [so] it doesn’t surprise me at all that my children wanted to do something creative with their lives.”
Meanwhile, Tom Hanks told The Sun in 2023, in response to his son being cast as a younger version of him in one of his movies: “This is a family business. This is what we’ve been doing forever. It’s what all of our kids grew up in.
“If we were a plumbing supply business or if we ran the florists shop down the street, the whole family would be putting in time at some point, even if it was just inventory at the end of the year.”