Born to be Famous
Recently I’ve been quoting a meme floating around Twitter and Tiktok as if it were scripture. The meme, originally posted by a fan on Instagram, is a photo of actress Lily Rose Depp and musician 070 Shake, arm in arm on the streets of Manhattan. The photo is captioned with a long winded and aggressive drag of Depp’s apparent unsavory behavior after the chance encounter with the fan and includes very specific digs at Depp’s outfit decisions that day. What stood out to me about this meme, however, was not the harsh comments on her outlandish outfit. While her “ballerina ass slippers” and “trench coat buttoned up to the TOP” fanned the flames of hatred, the creator of the post attributed the stars ego and arrogance to a well-known and ongoing court case involving her father and the fact that Lily has a new movie coming out (Robbert Eggers Nosferatu, at the time of the post) as reasoning for her “coked out” behavior.
This viral moment isn’t just about one actress’s behavior. It's part of a larger conversation about privilege and entitlement, particularly among so-called “nepo-babies.” Like many of today's stars of the silver screen, Lily Rose-Depp (daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis) is a part of the exclusive and uber-famous conglomeration of celebrities known as “nepo-babies.” Nepo-babies make up a large percentage of A-listers in the entertainment industry; Actor Jake Gyllenhall, Nicholas Cage, Maya Hawke, and even the front-man of The Strokes, Julian Casablancas have on been “outed” by the media as nepo-babies. While of course these performers are well aware of the privilege that comes with being a part of these named families, many of the conversations surrounding nepo-babies involve fans attempting to draw a recognition of this privilege out of their favourite celebrities, as well as vocal critics of the practice.
Maya Hawke, daughter of “Kill Bill” star Uma Thurman and acclaimed Oscar winner Ethan Hawke, has expressed how her parents have played a large part in her success with roles, such as her casting as Robin in the third season of Netflix’s Stranger Things. In an interview for Variety, Hawke says she is “fine” with being a nepo-baby. “I’ve been wildly made fun of for this clip when I said, on the red carpet, that I auditioned,” (for Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) “I never meant to imply that I didn’t get the part for nepotistic reasons — I think I totally did.” Hawke admits that nepotism has been a major factor in her success, but when confronted on whether she is deserving of such opportunities, she explains that such a situation is more complicated than black and white. “‘Deserves’ is a complicated word…there are so many people who deserve to have this kind of life who don’t, but I think I’m comfortable with not deserving it and doing it anyway. And I know that not doing it wouldn’t help anyone. I saw two paths when I was first starting, and one of them was: change your name, get a nose job and go to open casting roles,” Hawke said.
Within Hollywood, the debate on who deserves what is less divided than many would assume. In an interview with The Standard, Hollywood star Tom Hanks claims that the movie industry is a “family business” in reference to his successful push for director Marc Foster to cast Hanks' son, Truman Hanks, in the film A Man Named Otto. While Hanks' claim may seem outlandish to the thousands of aspiring talents that would give their life for such an opportunity, so called “family businesses” exist everywhere. This practice isn’t exclusive to the influence legacy families have had within the entertainment industry - it’s a permanent plague affecting all industries with hierarchies of employment. Matthew Staiger, a researcher at Harvard's Opportunity Insights, found that around 29% of middle to upper-class Americans work for a parent’s employer before age thirty. In the same publication, this statistic is attributed to a 17% average earnings increase, with earnings varying mostly due to the connections attributed to a parent's success within the industry. With family-first mentalities existing in all industries, I think it’s important to recognize where a lot of the negative sentiments about nepotism arise, especially looking at the entertainment industry.
The United States is built off of a “bootstrap mentality” - the cultural consensus that hard work trumps all. Where we often fall flat is when we look at the brutal realities of more competitive fields such as politics or screen-acting and form negative sentiments. Despite the undeniable influence of nepotism across industries, the outrage it sparks in entertainment can feel undeniably personal. Film, music, and television are not just jobs but cultural touchstones—places where audiences want to believe that talent and perseverance matter most. When nepotism shows its crooked teeth, it shatters the illusion that success is equally attainable for all. Yet, as Maya Hawke points out, nepotism does not necessarily negate talent. The problem arises when it limits those without connections afforded by family, reinforcing systemic hurdles that keep wealth and influence centralized within a few hands. While Hollywood may be a “family business,” as Tom Hanks claims, so is nearly every competitive industry. The frustration directed at nepo-babies is a reflection of a deeper dissatisfaction—one with a society that claims to reward hard work but so often prioritizes privilege. At the end of the day, the meme of Lily-Rose Depp is more than just a joke about an awkward celebrity encounter. It embodies a cultural reckoning with power, access, and the unspoken rules of success. And as long as nepotism remains a defining feature of Hollywood, the debate—and the memes—will continue.