Worst cases of Hollywood nepotism

All of Hollywood is nepotism and connections. Hollywood lefties who complain about job discrimination should clean their own house.

Bryce Dallas Howard is still a pretty bad one. Waiting for one performance that merits all the opportunities but I find her completely forgettable.

Even Rumer Willis has proven to be more likable (she tries harder too).

Cody Horn was terrible in that. She made this same face throughout entire movie!

Many people were shocked when the plum role of Peter Pan in NBC’s second highly-anticipated live musical went to newcomer Allison Williams, who was only known for playing a supporting character on a cable TV series.

Then they found out she was the daughter of their nightly news anchor.

I actually don’t mind Bryce, R2. She’s been pretty good in everything I’ve seen her in, aside from the Jurassic World movies.

I mean,

Mammie Gummer. Molly Gordon. Gyllenhalls. Barrymore. Coppola.

Bob Balaban is absolutely ridiculous. He never would have gotten ANY job in Hollywood if his family hadn't controlled Paramount. And godawful Wallace Shawn, although not Hollywood royalty, would not have gotten ANYWHERE if his father hadn't been editor of the New Yorker.

Damnit. That was a Godfather 3 gif. The ugly Coppola girl. Ivanka.

Pretty much anyone who isn't Liza Minnelli

That Ted Bundy movie with Zac Efron stopped cold every time Phil Collins’ offensively untalented daughter showed up.

I've never seen "Magic Mike." Just never got around to it. Have NEVER heard of this Cody Horn. Magic Mike was a huge movie -- she must have been awful to get no traction from a lead role like that...

Kate Hudson.

I hear that, R10!

Andie McDowell’s daughter rushed and mumbled through every one of her lines on the Bob Fosse shoe. Decent dancer though.

The problem with nepotism is when the guy/girl is totally untalented.

Nobody complain about Lucas Hedges, who even was smart enought to start in small roles, because he can act. The big problem is most sons/daughters of influential people are greedy enough to start with big roles which maximize the probabilities of big backlash

And i don't think Bryce Dallas Howard is that bad, she was pretty decent in everything i watched her

Hollywood now runs on nepotism. Long gone are the days when someone of humble means (e.g., Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, Joan Crawford) could become a movie star. These days, poor people are lucky to even get in the door or a chance to audition.

I never heard of Cody Horn. She looks bland.

The funniest part about the Cody Horn thing was Rachel Weisz praising the hell out of her in EW. I'll post the quote below. She was in Oscar campaign mode for The Deep Blue Sea and asked about her favourite performances of the year, she said Helen Hunt (in The Sessions) and having just gotten her first blockbuster in years from that same head of the studio (Cody's father), which was that Oz: The Great And Powerful movie, she decided to shill for him:

"“I really loved Cody Horn in Magic Mike,” she said. “I know it’s tonally different. It’s not like a serious drama… but I don’t know, I loved her performance.”

“It’s funny, I called my best friend in England,” Weisz continued. “I was like, ‘Have you seen that?’ [and] she was blown away.” Weisz says she loved that Horn delivered a truly down-to-earth performance. “She wasn’t acting,” she says. “She was real. She was totally real.”

God, Rachel sounds like such a kiss-ass!

Ugh that’s how the game is played.

r19 "'She wasn’t acting,' she says"

Well Weisz is right about that.

That was probably the only praise Horn received that year.

Bryce Dallas Howard's a good actress. She was excellent in her Black Mirror episode and definitely had an ethereal presence in The Village. She seems sweet too, so her nepotism is inoffensive to me. Honestly, nepotism in general is bothersome, but it's unfortunately the nature of the business, so if it happens I'd rather the performer be talented and not waste my time.

Is Ansel Elgort connected? He seems like he is. Dude's dull as fuck.

Mammie Gummer.

Emma Roberts.

Nicolas Cage

Val kilmers son is acting he is weird looking.

Dakota fucking Fanning

Zoe Kravitz

Lily Collins

Stop hyping them as the next big thing!

Melanie Griffith

At least I went into business!

Ben Stiller.

If Gwyneth Paltrow weren't Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner's daughter and Steven Spielberg's goddaughter, she'd have been lucky to get cast in a supporting role in a sitcom. Her looks are bland and her acting is totally average.

Wasn't her first film role as Wendy in HOOK?

Melissa Rivers, a black hole of talentlessness. Without her bulldog mother around, don't expect to being seeing much more of Melissa, thankfully.

r32 yes but if she can suck an ice cube through a straw, well...

THREAD

CLOSED!!

I'd say that Sofia's contributed positively to cinema... not as an actor, but as a director.

How much did daddy help her?

Hi everyone, here to close the thread!

Dakota Johnson makes Cody Horn look like Meryl Streep.

Dakota Johbson is an okay actress. Cody Horn is just terrible

R42 is Melanie Griffith

Sosie Bacon

R13 Indeed.

Untalented cunt.

Ben Stiller may be a jerk in real life (as has been reported here on DL) but I'd say he has more talent than his parents. He probably would have made it without them, though maybe meeting the people they knew didn't hurt.

R45 she can sing though

That horse-faced little bitch Tina would never have gotten even a bit part on The Secret Storm if she wasn't my daughter!

R48 that ungrateful swine didn’t even have Lesueur blood in her!!!

B.D Hyman in Baby Jane

Matthew Weiner's kid guesting on Mad Men

Will Smith's woefully untalented kids. Just the worst.

Back when AMC still ran old movies, I watched a somewhat forgotten Cary Grant movie, Kiss Them For Me, which also featured Jayne Mansfield in a major role. The actress who played Grant's love interest was so wooden, calling her that seems like an insult to wood. During the post-movie discussion on AMC, Nick Clooney mentioned that Parker was the girlfriend of one of the producers, and it was just, "no shit".

Nepotism schmepotism!

Don’t forget ME!!!

Troian Bellisario

R52 - You are talking about the incredibly beautiful model Suzy Parker.

KTFM was her first real movie role but others followed.

I would expect that Mr Clooney was unaware that SP was very well known in her own right.

I wouldn't classify her career as a result of nepotism. Rather, because of her beauty and fame as a model.

Being beautiful doesn't make you a good actress.

Kelly Osbourne.

51 posts until the Smith spawn were named??

Matthew Weiner's son on Mad Men. I can't even be bothered to look up his first name. The character was creepy as fuck, and it made no creative sense to have him keep popping up year after year. It sucks Matthew Weiner dragged down an otherwise perfect ensemble with his kid.

I forgot about Zoe Kravitz. I have never seen a less interesting person ever get interviewed on a late night talk show.

Beautiful girl though. She should’ve been a model instead.

they do seem like the worst r59, and almost victims of nepotism. They seem truly delusional. Of course being raised in a stupid cult didn't help, but their parents clearly just suck. You know those assholes were taught from birth that they are ridiculously special and talented and awesome, and sadly they believe it.

And I'd honestly be curious, r50 or anyone else, did BD Hyman ever understand how much she sucked in Baby Jane?

Lorraine Gary was forgettable as the wife in the first "Jaws," and then her character was surprisingly made the lead in "Jaws: the Revenge"--because she was the wife of the head of Universal Studios.

In this photo, she looks like she's trying to look like Mink Stole as Dottie Hinkle.

I would feel sorry for the Pinkett-Smith kids if they weren't so hatefully entitled and so rich.

never heard of the bitch, op.

and that jaw on the girl.

thats a model/actor?

[quote] Bob Balaban is absolutely ridiculous. He never would have gotten ANY job in Hollywood if his family hadn't controlled Paramount.

I did not know that.

I used to see him around here in the Hamptons and he was incredibly smug. I just checked to see if he's dead because I haven't seen him for a couple of years and his skin was as white as chalk last few times I saw him. I assumed he had leukemia because Ive only known one person who was that white and he died of leukemia.

I remember when one of the local papers had a series of Bob Balaban writing about building a house. I wondered why the fuck anyone would give a shit about bob Balaban building a house. Now I know. His family probably owned the publishing company

I agree about Bryce Dallas Howard. Good actress. Not a bitch. I like her.

It's not just Hollywood. I'm amazed at the number of UK actors I look up and they're from show business or publishing families.

Well, hello.

R68 several years ago, Jonathan Rhys Myers was complaining that it is now harder for working class actors to get a foot in theater/TV/film.

Emma Roberts for the win cannot stand her

I’m surprised the “the Jews” troll hasn’t found this thread yet.

The “the Jews” troll, where you at?

Bryce Dallas Howard is a good actress, she was perfect in that Black Mirror episode. I have noticed that she's gotten hefty-looking but the weight hasn't stopped her from getting the good roles. I wonder why?

Lucie, of course.

My brother and I were going to see a movie one night and we made a rule that it couldn't star anyone who was the son or daughter of someone famous. Looking through the listings, we eliminated about 50% of the films running. This was maybe twenty years ago, but it holds true today.

R73 She gained the weight for her role in Black Mirror, it was a character choice by the director

I think Bryce will wind up directing mostly.

R76 directing what?

This is also why actors/actresses are getting uglier.

Bryce Dallas Howard has given precisely 1 great performance, in The Village.

She can act, but isn’t especially interesting.

Zosia Mamet

Thread closed

I take that back, if she learns to act she might play Jo Jo the Dog-Faced Boy's sister in a bio-pic.

Worst example of nepotism is that travesty of a sci-fi movie After Earth. Even the New York Times review said it was just Will Smith’s promo for little Jaden, who has as much acting talent as a flower pot.

Also the nadir of M. Night Shamalamadingdong’s career. Though he’s had several hits since.

All without little Jaden.

R77- TV, movies like her father.

There are probably 'worse cases' but nobody is more SHAMELESS about their nepotism than this one.

Maybe not 'Hollywood' but she's on TV every day.

Scott Eastwood. I'll rather watch beansprouts grow.

Tori Spelling, daughter of TV producer Aaron Spelling.

R85 And her brother.

Rooney Mara, Rooney Mara, Rooney Mara....

"Dakota Johbson is an okay actress. "

No she isn't. Her screen persona is that of someone who came to deliver coffee and wandered in front of the camera by accident. Which, I admit, kinda worked for those stupid "Fifty Shades" movies.

Bryce Dallas Howard is a good actress, in fact, I just saw her tonight as Elton John's shallow mother in "Rocketman". It took me forever to recognize her without her trademark red hair, I thought she was an English actress for the first hour. That said, there are probably ten thousand actresses in the LA Basin who are as good, but who are frothing cappuchinos because CAA won't take on any young actors who lack money or influence. Both the talented and the untalented can benefit from nepotism.

Who the FUCK is Cody Horn? Female lead in Magic Mike?

Im surprised Molly Ringwald isn’t one of them. was she a product of plain good luck?

Molly had been in numerous musicals including productions of Annie as a child. She did it the old-fashioned way - by starting in the legitimate theatre.

Bryce Dallas Howard, at least, isn't afraid to show her fiery bushy pubes in Manderlay!

Bryce has had a respectable career so far, but she was definitely presented as like... the next top tier actress when she came onto the scene. She kinda dropped off after Spider-Man 3 and then had a minor resurrection in The Help and is doing pretty well now.

If only Skye Aubrey had been more ambitious.....

So man good choices here.

Wrt Ben Stiller, he has got to be one of the ugliest 'leading men' I have ever seen. And I've seen a few.

Interesting. Did not know this about the female lead in Magic Mike; she was noticeably bad.

Riley Keough caught my attention though, in a good way. Not sure if her casting is considered nepotism for the sake of this exercise, but at least she looks good onscreen.

Dont understAnd all the Bob Balaban hate . He is very good character actor and has been very enjoyable particularly in Mighty Wind and Ghost World.

Not Bob Balaban^^^

R87 her full name is 'Patricia Rooney Mara.' Do you suppose she dropped her first name to capitalize on both sides of her family? Mara's mother's family (the Rooneys) founded the Pittsburgh Steelers, and her father's family (the Maras) founded the New York Giants.

What about the kids who were more talented than the parents and did quite alright? I'll cite Jane Fonda, for example. Never was a fan of Henry's although he was talented. Jane has surpassed him though. And is still chugging along at 81.

R100 Add Candice Bergen to that!

Love Bob Balaban, but the Balabans didn't just "control Paramount", they practically invented the movie theater itself. It goes back to the beginning - who are some other examples like this, real mogul descendants?

And as for the talent end of the business, I can only think of a few like Drew Barrymore and Geraldine Chaplin.

I dont think anything can top Tippi Hedren's dynastic brood. Tippi herself was garbage and was basically just a fashion model. Melanie and Dakota seem actually retarded.

Idk Dakota, but Melanie isn’t even beautiful like the mother. Very normal looking with big boobs.

R102 Tony Goldwyn's paternal grandfather was Samuel Goldwyn (the 'G' in MGM) and his maternal grandfather was Sidney Howard (Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and "Gone with the Wind" screenwriter).

Kate Hudson, Drew Barrymore and Rumer Willis are all bad actresses.

Ah yes Tony Goldwyn. I've always thought he was so hot, but never focused on his talent if it exists.

I maybe the only person who actually feels sorry for the Smith kids especially the girl. She did an interview on Jada’s confessional talk show where she talked about having to basically demand to be normal and not perform because the parents wanted her to have this huge career . The parents are megalomaniacs and pushed them into it. They are also Scientology-lite educated meaning they know nothing and don’t have any chance of having normal productive lives.

Agree Bryce was great in Black Mirror.

Mamie redeemed herself in True Detective.

“Annie” the daughter of Glenn Close is very bad.

Add Geraldine Chaplin. Way too prissy to ever make it on her own.

The Mara sisters win this thread. Rooney is marginally more talented than Kate, but that's still not saying much.

Rooney is just hotter and more photo/telegenic than Kate, they're both dull af.

You right, R112. You right.

Kate has that same cavewomany thing going on as Geraldine Chapman.

I thought G's daughter was better than G in that crap The Wife.

R110 - then add another generation of Chaplin to this thread too: Oona Chaplin, dull as dishwater in GoT.

When Carol was premiered at Cannes 2015, after reading so many rapturous reviews, I thought it was another masterpiece. Oh how I was wrong!!! Rooney's families must have bought all the reviewers back then.

And Paul Giamatti. Dad being President of Yale didn't hurt.

That's Oona?? I couldn't care less about GoT but I'll admit I've seen most of it. I always thought, who is this basic bitch with soft waves looking like New Jersey all up in Westeros?

I just watched the The Wife as a soporific the other night, I didn't even read the cast. I had no idea Glenn even had a daughter, lmao! That said, while she was good and possibly better than her mother in the film, she's too homely to be anything other than a character actress and not charismatic enough, for that. Oddly, that is sort of the plot to The Wife also.

Seems Glenn had her own leg up in that her father was the personal physician to the Congolese dictator Mobotu - which was certainly a CIA-approved and funded position, like the dictator himself. I'm sure that helped pay for her arty college/drama brat years and got her into the best parties.

Come to think of it, does Giamatti's superstardom have anything to do with the current scandal over Hollywood bribery and college admittance? About as coincidental as famous men being born on holidays.

The CIA-installed dictator * Mobutu *, sorry - and he called it "Zaire". Weird af that Glenn Close's dad was his physician. I can't get over it. Nothing is organic in the business really though, and never has been from day one.

r123 not really weird. He could easily be an agency employee. Idi Amin's security 'advisor' was a British intelligence agent.

r122 he's a great actor, and would've made it regardess of the name, IMHO. I also don't think his dad would've had that much pull in Hollywood--theatre, maybe. His father was the last baseball Commissioner with any integrity, so I don't know if he would've pulled major strings for his son anyway.

Sorry but nepotism in this case has nothing to do with being from a wealthy family or an influential one on other profession.

You can be a millionaire and had zero contacts on Hollywood, in that case your money will buy you time to succeed but nothing more than that.

The smart ones start in small roles, and if they have the chops the transition is very easy, if you start in a big role you better be fantastic or it would be very easy to guess how you got the role

Glenn Close comes from a super rich family. Her Grandfather was Marjorie Merriwether Post's first husband. They were huge land owners in Greenwich, Ct. There is still a street called Close Lane. Paul Giamatti's father could certainly have helped someone's kid get into Yale, a favor that easily could have benefited Paul in many ways.

Fred Willard said that Bob Balaban was insufferable (my word, not Willard's) on "Waiting for Guffman."

Cole Hauser is Harry Goldwyn's great grandson. I'm not claiming he's one of the worst cases of nepotism. Someone upthread asked about other descendants of the early moguls. I've only seen him in two movies and he didn't embarrass himself.

Are we sure Cody Horn isn’t just Mark Paul Gossellaar in drag?

You people are whining as if a career in Hollywood were some kind of human right of which you have been unfairly deprived.

R130: No i think the problem is the bad acting we have to endure due to nepotism

Iain Armitage

Dina Merrill

Bob Crosby (brother); Gary Crosby (son)

Desi Arnaz, Jr.

All of Wilson Phillips

Wolfgang Van Halen

Pauly Shore

Anderson Cooper

Karyn Kupcinet

William Katt

Dina Merrill was very good at playing a very rich beautiful blonde person.

They did a great episode on "Kimmy Schmidt" making fun of the fact that so many actors today are the children of rich people.

Don't forget:

Ed Norton, grandson of the creator of the first modern indoor shopping mall

Ellie Kemper (Kimmy Schmidt herself), scion of one of the wealthiest old families in Kansas City

Balthasar Getty

Sibling edition:

Tisa Farrow

Don Swayze

Frank Stallone

DeeDee Pfeiffer

Chad Lowe

r130, the right of employment based on merit and qualifications, not on connections, is a human right.

r130, reporting from his mother's beach house in the Hamptons.

R135 with the exception of Chad, none of them have careers to speak of.

R19 cringe to the max

Balaban gets major MAJOR points for his work in "Midnight Cowboy" when he was still a teen (or looked like one) and barely known. To take that role involving an obvious rather prolonged blowjob, maybe the first in a mainstream movie?, and its aftermath was really brave (a word I hate now but applies then) and required some major balls. I'm sure someone tried to discourage him (since nobody knew that "Cowboy" would become a classic).

He's great in the film too so there's that.

R130 The right of employment based on merit and qualifications, not on connections, is a human right

That's never been the true case in Hollywood. "So WHO do you know" has always been a standard question posed by cunts.

The daughter of Cindy Crawford is very thin and tall and looks a lot like CC. However, the daughter does not have the same it factor that CC had. I do think there's nepotism going on (designers want a name brand). I've read in other threads (on DL) people posting that the daughter looks great as a model, etc. So, maybe I'm just not seeing it.

I don't mind Dakota Johnson, although I've avoided the 50 shades franchise. I liked her in Bad Times at the El Royale. She is the image of her father, don't see much Melanie or Tippi.

R189 The fact that people can't even remember that there was a female lead in Magic Mike shows how bland and forgettable she was.

It's not nepotism if people with wealthy parents in other fields become successful actors, it's just privilege. There have been studies that show people in creative fields are more likely to come from upper middle class and wealthy families, because their parents support them while they "pay their dues". There are plenty of talented actors, artists, filmmakers, etc. who had to get survival jobs that just became straight-up jobs before they made it, and plenty of mediocre people who made it solely because they could afford to wait for the good opportunities come come along.

[quote]Bryce Dallas Howard is a good actress, in fact, I just saw her tonight as Elton John's shallow mother in "Rocketman". It took me forever to recognize her without her trademark red hair, I thought she was an English actress for the first hour.

I remember when I first saw a trailer for the movie I couldn't quite place her. Later on, I saw her name on a cast list and was surprised TPTB didn't get an English actress for that part. I saw the movie on Tuesday and I thought she was great in the role.

I also don't get the hate for Bob Balaban. In fact, I had no idea of his connections, until I read this thread. But it doesn't take away from the fact that he's a great character actor.

r128: Cole Hauser is the maternal great-grandson of Harry Warner, not Samuel Goldwyn. His father is the actor Wings Hauser. I don't even know who he is, just knew that Goldwyn's first name wasn't Harry.

whatever you may think of him, he "passed" down zero talent to his daughter....who thinks she's a singer.

The Balaban/Katz circuit built some of the most stunning movie palaces in the 20s most of which have been torn down.

He’s inoffensive but there’s no way Colin Hanks would have the career he has without the Hanks name. He got none of his dad’s charisma and he’s not that exceptional an actor.

Ack, you're right, r147. I must've been looking at the other post when I wrote mine.

Not naming names, but nepotism is destroying cinema. Many of these pampered celebrities are utterly without charm or charisma. Nothing to look at, average or lower intelligence, no warmth, etc.

Not having to earn your keep makes jack and jill dull.

At least in the old days, movie stars were often scrappy, complex personalities. We loved to hear of their impoverished, rags to riches achievements.

These new people never had to dig in their souls for inspiration. Everyone seems flat, and rather bland.

There are no great stars, although there are some great actors and actresses.

Hollywood died with Elizabeth Taylor.

Elizabeth Taylor worked hard as a child, enduring long hours, leering perverts, and going home at night to an abusive, drunken father.

Still, she managed to make Hollywood rich and give it an enduring mystique, a place where women could be spectacular beauties and men were devastatingly handsome.

Add to that her great humor, self effacing wit, and boatloads of compassion.

And the shameless partying, Roman style!

Even her illnesses were extreme, her love affairs radically passionate, and her loyalty to others taken to the ends of the earth.

And no one will ever approach her beauty, ever. I met her, and she was even more beautiful in person. There was, and is, no match for Elizabeth Taylor.

Rest in peace, Elizabeth, and thank you for being so kind to me.

lovely post R153, I have heard the same.

Hi, R154. Ms. Taylor's children are very cute, by the way, and seem very well adjusted.

She raised them right.

But Elizabeth came from money. Her family hobnobbed with British nobility/aristocracy when they lived in London and later with the Hollywood elite when they returned to America.

Actors used to have to have something special to get cast. They had to be very photogenic, funny, talented, or charismatic. Usually they had more than one of these qualities. This wasn’t just true in the golden age. It was true up until this century. A lot of these nepotism cases have none of these qualities. They’re usually camera thin, that’s their only camera worthy quality.

R156, Yes, he owned an art gallery, I think.

But she did support the family by acting. I believe she was forced into it.

She had a very rough childhood. Ms. Taylor and I talked about it, actually.

She had too much to deal with, too much stress.

The commercials featuring celeb offspring with their famous parents always strike me as odd. It's like they're saying we hate your shitty product but we agreed to the deal because you promised to feature my bland, wannabe actress daughter in the commercial.

Please allow Maud Apatow to dazzle you with her extraordinary grasp of a young woman being grossed out by her mother. Brava!

PS To those who listed Wallace Shawn, I think he's a unique personality and a great character actor.

Ben Platt

Billie Lourd. Why Ryan Murphy is trying to make her happen is beyond me,

R161 because of her parentage. Murphy is a starfucker.

BD HYMANS CAMEO IN WHTBJ .

Tracee Ellis Ross

Helen Lawson, Jr.

165 posts and nobody thought of ME?

[quote] BD HYMANS CAMEO IN WHTBJ .

IT HAS ALREADY BEEN MENTIONED HERE MORE THAN ONCE.

[quote]Billie Lourd. Why Ryan Murphy is trying to make her happen is beyond me,

IIRC, her father Bryan is RM's agent.

Overall, RM seems to enjoy hiring celeb spawn or members of acting families for his shows. Grace Gummer has been on a couple of seasons of AHS along with annoying Emma Roberts. Danny Huston was in the Coven season. Patrick Schwarzenegger was on Scream Queens along with annoying Emma. Glenn Close's spawn creepy Annie Stake is going to be in RM's Nurse Ratched prequel series.

[quote]Glenn Close's spawn creepy Annie Stake is going to be in RM's Nurse Ratched prequel series.

Oh, God! They're actually doing that? I bet they'll try to make her sympathetic and a victim somehow, ala Maleficent. These days, all villains are 'misunderstood.' *eyeroll*

Sadly, even G jumped on the victimized villain bandwagon when she reassessed Alex.

[quote]the right of employment based on merit and qualifications, not on connections, is a human right.

Dream on, Sunshine.

Hollywood is really trying to make Andie MacDowell's daughter Margaret Qualley happen.

R166 her parents are fucking artists. Theyre rich, not famous.

Would DL say that Mia was a bad case of nepotism (uncle George, auntie Vivien et c...) or an improvement on Maureen ?

Mia's godmother was Hedda Hopper.

Creepy abusive drunk John Cusack would not have a career without daddy Dick giving him parts.

Joan made it without help,

Love people like r152 who think everything was perfect in the past, as if there weren't plenty of stars on the past who were from wealthy families or who used the casting couch to get ahead

Elizabeth Taylor wasn't a great actress either, and she was a Michael Jackson defender

Nicole Fosse.

One of the worst examples is Nanette Newman who was cast in The Stepford Wives. She was the wife of the director and having her in a lead role meant they had to change a concept of the story. The women that these men created from their own wives were supposed to be like sexy Playboy bunny types- which would make sense because why else would the men go to all this trouble?

But they couldn't dress Newman like that, so they ended up putting all the women in clothes that looked like they were left over from Little House On The Prairie.

That made no sense. Why would all the men want their wives to dress like Laura Ingalls?

OP you are partially incorrect about Cody Horn because Magic Mike was financed and produced independently and then picked up by Warner Bros after it was completed; and Alan Horn was no longer with Warner Bros at that time anyway.

However, it was still a case of nepotism because Cody was only cast because she was (and still is) writer and producer Reid Carolin's girlfriend.

The former Mrs. Eli Roth was completely out of her depth next to Ana de Armas in Knock Knock, which sucked anyway. One is a really good actress whose career is going well, one is divorcing Eli Roth.

Tricia Leigh and Joely Fisher.

Dino/Dean-Paul Martin

Deana Martin

Nancy Sinatra

Frank Sinatra, Jr.

Oona Chaplin was even worse in "Taboo" than GoT, R116. Hard to believe, I know.

I’m a big fan of Sofia Coppola’s films. Terrible actress, but I like her as a director.

And while I can’t say Gwyneth Paltrow is a wonderful actress, I like watching her. Loved her in “A Perfect Murder”, wearing all those sumptuous outfits and banging Viggo Mortensen.

R179, it could have worked if the husbands had been depicted as more conservative fundie types but they didn’t really change that part of the script.

I will say, though, the homely prairie dresses probably made more of an impression on bringing the concept of Stepford wives to the mainstream. Even people who never saw the movie recognize DC’s smiling conserva-fraus as the subservient robo-wives they are. That wouldn’t have happened if they’d kept the Playboy bunny look.

I doubt that Wallace Shawn's father, the former editor of the New Yorker, William Shawn, had anything to do at all with Wallace Shawn's career. Shawn the father was famously private and publicity shy for all the many years he was in the job. I think he hardly ever even wrote for the New Yorker, unlike his current successor, David Remnick. It may be that Wallace met famous people by virtue of being related to such an august personage. But mostly AFAIK, Shawn has been a writer and director of off Broadway plays. His first film, My Dinner with Andre, was a critical success at the time but hardly made him a star. I doubt that he's even made very much from his career since all his work has been in small indie stuff (or Woody Allen) and I don't think he's ever had a lead role. Anyway, certainly not nepotism as in the cases of the Smiths or Kate Hudson or Gwyneth.

"I will say, though, the homely prairie dresses probably made more of an impression on bringing the concept of Stepford wives to the mainstream. E"

I agree, seeing independent women reduced to Sister-Wife bondage was scarier than seeing them reduced to sex toys. A sexy woman has options, she can find a new man any time she walks into a room... but a Sister Wife type is the slave of one master, one who represses sexual appeal out of submissiveness. And those hats and dresses were sort of in fashion at the time, I vaguely remember seeing them as a boy, but yeah, one such outfit might be pretty, a dozen turns out to be monumentally creepy!

And BTW, the Sister-Wife dresses are coming back. Today. In 2019. Yeah, creepy.

Yeah, sometimes talented people benefit from nepotism, Sophia Coppola, Gwynneth Paltrow, and Bryce Dallas Howard are all quite talented. But it wasn't talent that opened doors for them.

Although it's talent that keeps them working, they've all had long-ish careers so far, and look to keep working a lot longer. So here's a question: Can you think of anyone who's turned nepotism and no talent into a long career?

I think Katey Sagal is a good actress. But, she probably did benefit from industry connections because her mother was a TV writer and producer and her father was a TV director. One of her early acting gigs was on Columbo episode that her father directed.

Katey Segal is multi-talented and would be a working musician had she been born without connections.

She got primo cock too, on her musical journeys, which I respect her for, greatly.

[quote]She got primo cock too, on her musical journeys

Oh, really? Such as?

Good Lord I remember katey segal's mom and twin sisters in a parking lot in the 1960s!

They smiled at me, they were a lovely family. Very nice people.

Hi Katey Segal!

Whoa, perhaps talented, but Katey Segal is truly ugly. She would never have been on screen. Behind only. A face for radio.

I think because of how prevalent on our screens these ugly industry kids have become we are inured to unattractive “beauty”. We’re living in a twilight zone episode.

Not true, Katey is lovely.

She pulled hot guys too.

Segal might be a good case of nepotism. She’s talented. I think she would be working with out the connections. It opened doors for sure. She started working at a time when the industry wasn’t closed off to outsiders. She probably would have been able to make her own connections.

R195 not everyone on screen needs to be pretty. This has always been true. All movies and TV shows aren’t aspirational. Lots of projects call for normal looking people. Movies from the 70s are full of average looking people.

[quote]Good Lord I remember katey segal's mom and twin sisters in a parking lot in the 1960s!

You remember that, but you don't know that M*A*S*H is off the air!

I remember they got into a cream colored sedan. I think it was in the Zody's parking lot.

Her mother was kindly but seemed depressed, sadly.

Later in life, I too would grow up sadly depressed

Small world.

I knew Carrie Fisher when she was still Little Carl, what a cutie.

Debbie had him set up to work as a grip on Desilu Productions, but instead the family made that ONE LAST TRIP TO EAST GERMANY and history was made as "Carrie" became the queen of gaffes and geshalt.

Not really Hollywood, but "American authors" Tabitha King and her sons.

Well King’s one son goes by Joe Hill and he specifically did so when he started out to ensure he wasn’t helped by the King name and connection. He did achieve success in the horror field before it was revealed he was King’s son, although I’m sure that reveal catapulted him to a new level of fame and fortune.

[quote] Segal might be a good case of nepotism

She's a great case of nepotism. She was married to the guy--Kurt Sutter-- who produced and created Sons of Anarchy and other shows. She was at the age where people forget about actresses but she got a plum role in her husband tv series.

All this talk of Bryce Dallas Howard and nobody has mentioned that Ron Howard's dad was actor Rance Howard. He wasn't a big star, but he had a long career. And following the Ron Howard train of thought, remember Tawny Welch and Tyrone Power Jr. in "Cocoon?" If there hadn't been a sequel, neither one of them would have made a second film. They were beautiful, though.

Billie Lourd is really the worse case of Hollywood nepotism. She is so plain-looking, charisma-free and bland. She showed up as the first guest on Jimmy Fallon's show a couple of years ago which is usually held for A-list celebrities. She got the plum role in Star Wars and AHS series.

Kate Hudson would have no career without her Hollywood connections. Not the acting career she had and not the Fabletics bullshit she shills now.

Kate Hudson is at least pretty and blonde. Without nepotism, she might actually have scored some bit parts.

this is why i don't pay for entertainment

connections get you through the door, you would still need talent and likability. having connections make things easier at first, but you still have to hone your craft, nobody will pay money to see shitty acting.

I know, I know, I know.

R209 And why is Hollywood bleeding money now, hmm?

^https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/334534/us-box-office-revenues-down-16-captain-marvel.html why so many sequels and reboots?

I liked Hudson in Almost Famous and 200 cigarettes. The problem is she just started doing cheesy rom coms. She didn’t really stretch her talent. I’ve noticed when actors don’t challenge themselves they often tend to get worse. It’s like a muscle you need to use it or lose it.

Kate Hudson looks like she has Downs Syndrome.

What's happening in Hollywood is just a very public example of what's happening to the rest of the country. Nepotism over talent.

More merit based success would do us a world of good on all fronts.

there is nepotism everywhere

bryce dallas howard is decent

Maybe Bryce Dallas Howard will win me over one day (it didn't happen in "Jurassic World" for sure, nor "The Help") . I knew and liked the Howards, actually, more Rance and Gene than Ron -- so it's good to know she seems nice at least, as I would hope.

I think what turned me off, though, was not the nepotism itself but the usual bullshit spin on it, the notion that CAA didn't know who she was when they signed her. Yeah, right, like they hadn't watched her grow up at holiday parties with her dad or would sign an unknown girl out of high school anyway. I wish they'd all just admit they had a hand up and move on and deliver and we'd forgive it. If they are good.

[quote]I remember they got into a cream colored sedan. I think it was in the Zody's parking lot. Her mother was kindly but seemed depressed, sadly. Later in life, I too would grow up sadly depressed

You can console yourself by realizing that you no longer have to shop at Zody's.

R215, nepotism has always existed.

R216, r220

If you go back far enough in time, there used to be witch burnings "everywhere" too.

We can do better. Job one is calling it out for being wrong.

Zody's in Burbank! I bought a TV there once. Back when it was still underdeveloped and quaint like Mayberry.

r215 the problem is not nepotism, the problem is corporate consolidation and the shareholder model. It squeezes out execs who had a creative side, or at least were able to evaluate a creative project properly.

I know Scott Rudin is an epic asshole, but it was refreshing to read his e-mails in the context of the amoral, Goldman-Sachs suit ethos that pervades the industry.

R223, nepotism isn't the biggest problem with Hollywood right now, but it's definitely *a* problem. New talent isn't being sought out and developed, in fact, it's being actively excluded. Hollywood used to seek out promising actors, writers, directors, and other creative talent, that's not happening now. Instead, breaks are being given to people who are connected to someone who can do you a favor, not to the most talented. Hollywood has totally forgotten how to develop actors, a few days ago there was a thread saying that the average film/TV actor's career lasts ONE YEAR.

Unless your dad can finance a film or is a bigwig at CAA. No, the Billie Lourds are here to stay.

Dick Van Dyke -- his son is talented, but Dick also stuffed his daughter and tons of his grandchildren into roles on his show about the doctor who solves crime.

r224 that's because they're risk averse because of the reasons I mentioned.

They also have horrible people skills and emotional intelligence. The old school guys didn't have to know all the MBA bullshit because they were excellent at reading people; they'd get an accurate idea of what a person was like, and fill the technical jobs (accountant, lawyer, MBA, etc.) accordingly. They themselves didn't need all the paper they expect now.

Some of them were also creatives, even if they never "made it" as such, and they could suss out bullshit like nepotistic casting. I still think there's no way Coppola puts his daughter in Godfather III with an old school exec at the helm.

I actually like Billie Lourd, despite her connections. She has a unique vibe you don’t see often. She was funny on Scream Queens.

Hudson was the laziest actress ever. She just acted like in her mom in cheap movies. She also seemed like a ding dong in real life.

I know I’m probably in the minority here, but I think Drew Barrymore is overrated. Scott Eastwood is just awful. And Michael Douglas was horrible back in his early career (Streets of San Francisco). Douglas did improve though.

R228 Michael Douglas is one that’s almost completely neglected. He wasn’t bad as such at his peak but was miscast again and again to so many films’ detriments.

R229 when was he miscast?

R223/R226 Yes! The shotcallers went from not *caring* if what they made was worth watching, to not being *able* to make anything worth watching.

R230 He can play sleazy schemers and play them well. Cop, dirty or otherwise, comes naturally, but too often he was shoehorned into “buttoned-down Dad” or “all-American paragon” halo slipping . He’s just too overt a lech and it leads to a lot of his films playing needlessly false.

[quote]Sorry but nepotism in this case has nothing to do with being from a wealthy family or an influential one on other profession.

[quote]You can be a millionaire and had zero contacts on Hollywood, in that case your money will buy you time to succeed but nothing more than that.

[quote]The smart ones start in small roles, and if they have the chops the transition is very easy, if you start in a big role you better be fantastic or it would be very easy to guess how you got the role.

I think this probably the case with someone like Ellie Kemper. Her wealthy Missouri banking family might have not had any entertainment industry contacts. She did improv in NYC for several years before getting on The Office. There was an interview years back where she did admit that her parents gave her some financial support when she first moved to New York to pursue comedy. She later worked day jobs and did TV commercials to pay her bills while doing improv at night. There was a lot of effort on her part to break through into the TV business. She got a lot of hate from her the hardcore Jenna Fischer fans when she was given a contract role on The Office. I thought she was a bit better than bland monotone Jenna.

MICHELLE PFEIFFER produced THAT?!?!

And called it DEDEE?!?!

How?

Michelle and DeDee are sisters, R234.

Kate McKinnon's sister who goes by the stage name Emily Lynne will probably end as another bad case of nepotism.

R236 OH THANK SWEET BABY JESUS

DeDee Pfeiffer played Cybill Shepherd's oldest daughter on her '90s sitcom. DeDee also dated George Clooney, who later starred with sister Michelle in ONE FINE DAY.

There is a difference between nepotism and having rich parents. Well off parents can support their kid while they try to make it into showbiz, normal families cannot, so even if talented you need to earn a living. In the UK the demise of rep theatre has caused damage, it gave a chance of a job and training. Now most of UK actors are upper middle class, extremely talented, but little diversity. Only the minorities actors manage to be working class. Nepotism places the untalented into plum roles, of course, if they are terrible their career will not last long, but they have taken a role that a good actor could have had. Dakota is pleasant but dull, quite inoffensive but it bad that someone else did not get the chance. Lily Rose Deep is terrible, but she seems to have been relegated to smaller parts in the US, she is mostly France's problem now. The Will Smith kids seem to have been forgotten, hopefully they are going to acting classes.

....

R160: sorry but that's as ridiculous as saying Lucas Hedges.

Platt won a tony and it's obviously talented

Speaking of Dick Van Dyke, r225, would the supremely unfunny Jerry Van Dyke have been a thing if not for the family connection?

Wallace Shawn is absolutely not an example of Hollywood nepotism. His father was the editor of The New Yorker and not involved in Hollywood in any way.

Shawn has been a playwright for most of his life and very well known in New York theater circles. That’s how he got his foot in the door in Hollywood, not by means of nepotism.

Jerry Van Dyke was a constant presence on the Mary Tyler Moore Show and I never understood it as a kid — why this guy?

I assume he was a personal friend of MTM from the DVDS days.

He’s been a TV star for 35 years and struggled to make it – but Kevin Whately insists it is much harder for young working class actors to get started today.

The Lewis actor believes a lack of educational grants is robbing many talented kids of the chance to follow their dream.

He fears that only those with well-off families can now hope to succeed – such as Laurence Fox, his well-heeled co-star in the cop show.

Kevin, 65, told the Sunday People : “You get these great ­actors at Eton because they have a wonderful theatre and wonderful drama teachers.

“But you need diversity in the acting profession.”

Harrow-educated Laurence, who played DI James Hathaway, recently said stars such as Julie Walters who highlight the issue should “shut up” .

Gary Lewis (of "... and the Playboys")

Dino, Desi & Billy

DeeDee Pfeiffer was pretty funny in her burger girl role in "Falling Down" -- but she sounds like a nightmare. Not just on "Cybill" either. Wasn't she in the rundown hotel room when her actor boyfriend overdosed on heroin? His now grown child sure thinks so.

If nepotism really mean everything, Dean Paul Martin would've been a HGUE star. He was beautiful and funny and very nice too. Maybe he would've gotten there if he hadn't died so young.

Connected actors often make the case that their name got them the audition, but their talent got them the role. What they don't seem to realize is that getting the audition is the hard part. They may be talented, but no more so than dozens of other actors who didn't have a parent or uncle or godparent to make that all-important first phone call for them.

Boom R49 and R60. Loving this thread.

Major fail. I have jitters from too much coffee this morning. Not R49 and R60. Just whoever posted about Dakota Johnson and Laura Lee Bell.

Linda Kaye Henning was basically the Tori Spelling of the '60s. Her daddy Paul Henning was creator of Petticoat Junction and Green Acres and Linda played one of the daughters on PJ. The two other sister roles were recast a couple of times, but Linda's part was never recast.

Tori Spelling is the Queen of Hollywood nepotism. Without Daddy Spelling, she never, ever would have had any success as an actress. At least the Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson were hot young blondes who might have scored at least a few roles on their own. Without connections and a fuck-ton of plastic surgery, Tori wouldn't have even gotten commercials.

r254 And Mike Minor, who played her husband, was the son of producer Don Fedderson (Family Affair, My Three Sons) and got into the business through his connections.

She's another one with the "Daddy had no idea I was auditioning" story. jesus...

Laura Dern is an awful case nepotism.

Laura Dern is an excellent actress, better than her father, and more successful over the long term.

And she probably never would have gotten anywhere without family connections in the business. Ocasionally nepotism allows talent to flourish, although mostly it shuts it out.

Ha! R258. I know Jackie Hoffmam was trying to be funny during the Emmy campaign, but it still came off as bitter.

I don't mind it too much if the person shows talent. I can't stand people who have little to no talent being shoved down my thoat or taking jobs from people who have actual talent. Hopefully, they don't last too long. I mean, what has Scott Easteood been booking lately?

I liked the idea of the Glen Bishop character on Mad Men, who started out as a friend for Betty's inner child, and then the forbidden friend for Sally, but I just wish they could/would have found a better child actor for that.

Let’s not forget Kevin Smith’s embarrassingly named and Herman Munster faced daughter Harley Quinn Smith.

Lily Rose Depp

r244, then how the hell did he get into New York theater circles?

R263: She even went the fake relationship route so not even the nepotism by itself is able to make her look like a decent actress

^ EVERYBODY DOES IT.

[265] She even had the gull to do the "It's really hard to be recognized for my own talent because of my last name, I swear!" Bleggh and yeah, kinda lost a lot of respect for TC for being involved in that farce

R266: No, not everybody does it. But if you really do a bearding thing you better find a guy who is better at it that Chalamet (only Shawn Mendes is worse at faking it)

I think Nanette Newman is a good actress.

Some nepotism actresses are fairly okay, Zoey Deutsch, Riley Keogh ain't that bad, they also choose kinda indie stuff.

But the Cody example from the OP is exactly that. I wonder too how she got that guest star in The Office?? What a bland forgettable actress

R242 I have my reservations about Ben Platt. I genuinely liked him in the Pitch Perfects and he was an undeniable power house in Hansen, but it was a role that was created and tailored to his strengths. I find his singing more American Idol than Broadway, and his album was a complete fail.

The episode of W&G showed no range as even a sitcom actor and he doesn’t seem likely to develop a character beyond quirky young man. He’s bland and really has no chance of leading man. I thought his desperate attempt at getting West Side Story on the Grammys shined a light on how truly lacking he is as a performer beyond technical ability to hit notes, and his phrasing of “for us” was annoying. If he gets Fieryo because his father is producing we’ll know nepotism is alive and well in LA.

I think he will end up a one hit wonder for Hansen and eventually disappear like other Tony winners before him. Right role, right place and time, but that’s it.

Now on the other hand, Beanie Feldstein seems to be the real deal despite her ties and could become the modern day Bette Midler.

lily rose depp is just a flavor of the week, her beauty is too basic.

R272 And everyone needs their ugly friend

How does one explain someone like Liza who had talent and nepotism, but had to almost 'overcome' their nepotism?

Without nepotism, Liza never have become a movie star. She could have worked in nightclubs, she might have cracked Broadway, but films?

Without nepotism, there was no hope without some serious plastic surgery. Even in the seventies, Hollywood didn't give big breaks to girls with noses like that.

R275 Barbara Streisand was the biggest female movie star of the 1970s! The New Hollywood period of the late '60s and '70s was all about non-traditional looks.

harley smith should get a nose job, it would make a huge improvement.

Ugly and talent-free since 1990.

R271: We'll see. He is the star of the new Ryan Murphy tv show. And no, he is no leading man material (so there's no problem of being openly gay) but that never was the matter. In my opinion he is talented.

And of course acting is about chosing the right roles. Nobody has that big range to fit every role, but the truth is he was great in his two most prominent roles

Without those important Jewish roots Streisand would have been nothing. That goes for an awful lot of people in Hollywood.

I’m not an antisemite but you know it’s true.

James Brolin had (& still has) the looks, and his son, Josh, has all the talent.

jesse eisenberg is bland and unattractive

R282, here's a paragraph on his parent's "careers" from Wiki. I don't know why you listed him in a nepotism thread. Douchebag thread? By all means.

"Eisenberg was born in Queens, New York, and grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey. His mother, Amy (née Fishman), who now teaches cross-cultural sensitivity in hospitals, previously worked as a clown at children's parties and choreographer for a Catholic high school for 20 years. His father, Barry Eisenberg, drove a taxicab, then worked at a hospital, and later became a college professor, teaching sociology."

Eisenberg's only connection to Hollywood was his look-alike sister who did those Pepsi commercials in the 90's.

OP had a really good one there. I know an actress who auditioned for that part. When I saw the movie I was like how on earth did my friend lose that role to that girl. She's so bland and gruff. Then I looked it up online and I was oh.............that is how she got the part. (don't know why they bothered to call me friend and probably other accomplished actresses into audition when they were giving the part to the studio head's daughter. Waste of time for everyone.

I actually like her but I know many people can't stand Ruby Keeler (aka Mrs Al Jolson).

How did she benefit from nepotism?

pauly shore

Lily Cowles aka The Baranski Spawn

[quote]His mother, Amy... who now teaches cross-cultural sensitivity in hospitals, previously worked as a clown at children's parties

Just pulled this out because it amused me. Carry on.

I think he's a good actor, but I just found out Timothy Olyphant is a descendant of the Vanderbilt family of New York. I had no idea. He is of English, German, Scottish, Dutch, Irish, and Russian-Jewish descent.

From Wiki: "His maternal fourth great-grandfather was family patriarch Cornelius Vanderbilt and his third great-grandfather was William Henry Vanderbilt, who doubled the family's railroad fortune. Olyphant's great-great-grandmother was socialite Emily Thorn Vanderbilt, his great-grandmother was socialite Emily Vanderbilt Sloane and his great-uncle was music producer John Hammond.

The surname Olyphant is of Scottish origin. His paternal fourth great-grandfather, Dr. David Olyphant, was born in Scotland and served as director-general of the Southern hospitals during the American Revolutionary War. His third great-grandfather, David Olyphant, and great-great-grandfather, Robert Morrison Olyphant, were both prominent businessmen."

Nepotism can get you in the door but it can't sustain a career.

I met Kate Hudson in 1996. She was gorgeous and bubbly. And she was great in her early roles, especially Almost Famous. She possibly would have gotten cast in something even without her famous parents.

Worked with Bob Balaban. He was nice, smart and pleasant. And he's a fine character actor.

Wallace Shawn got known by writing plays and getting stuff done. My Dinner With Andre was a critical sensation back in the day.

Cody Horn, the Smith spawn, etc.: OY VEY.

Tori Spelling is the absolute extreme example of nepotism, but I have to say I actually liked her in that small indie film called TRICK.

Ben Platt is going to do the film version of Dear Evan Hansen. His father is producing.

Theater in NYC is just as bad about the nepotism as Hollywood, but only to a point, cause you can't fake shit on stage. (And Bryce Dallas Howard was fine in the Alan Ayckbourn play she did at MTC before her film career took off.)

There was a documentary made in 2008 called “Every Little Step.” It was a behind-the-scenes look at the audition and casting process for a revival of “A Chorus Line.” It mostly follows the actresses (unknowns) vying for the role of Cassie.

Then in the last few minutes of the film, almost out of the blue, you learn the winner is.....Charlotte D’Amboise, Jacque’s daughter.

I don’t know if the filmmakers intended the film to be about nepotism, but that’s what it became. Especially after watching the other talented women work so hard.

[quote] I just found out Timothy Olyphant is a descendant of the Vanderbilt family of New York

Well that makes many of my masturbatory sessions of the last 20 years rather awkward

those of you bitching about cody horn, have you thought about the nature of her role, the real stars of magic mike are the men, they didn't need a beautiful good actress.

Gayle King wins this thread. Who on this planet would employ her were she not Oprah’s squeeze?

R292: Nepotism can get you in the door but it can't sustain a career.

From time immemorial that’s been the mantra from every beneficiary of nepotism in Hollywood. However it’s the “getting your foot the the door” that gets you 99.999999% of the way toward getting that big break when there are 10,000 actors for every role in Hollywood.

The daughter of Reese W. (wich she pushes to the public from time to time)

Some of the Varsity Blues perps

Lol!!! Lol!!! Lol!!!

R297: Sorry but that's simply not true.

It's way more difficult to sustain a career than having a hit, and all actors and singers know that.

In my opinion nepotism is way worse at fashion right now, with a lot of daughters of celebrities being models even when most of them wouldn't even have a chance if they weren't children of celebrities.

With actors it's always easier to make it if you have connections, the same way it's easier if you have money and can wait for the roles, but that happens exactly the same in other business too.

And there are people without connections that made it and they are not talented at all. Lucky is a big factor in show business, being at the right place and at the right moment could change it all

^ Preach the truth

Jonah Fucking Hill.

Eva Amurri, Susan Sarandon's daughter...UGH

R296 Agreed. Gayle King is tough to look at and listen to. Haven't heard anything positive about her character either.

Has Zosia Mamet been brought up yet? Because if not, then, Zosia Mamet.

Elizabeth olsens ascension in recent years screams nepotism.

R301 This is a catty thread about celebrity kids on the catwalk.

Isn't Brooke Smith's mother a big-time casting person in Hollywood?

The double headed dragon of bad acting and zero charisma and general mediocrity -- Rooney and Kate Mara.

Hear me out, you will say they had no Hollywood connections, but that is patently false. They had "one phone call gets u in" kind of power.

I've always had some respect for Sofia Coppola getting out of acting after Godfather III--at least she knew she wasn't good. As a director, she pretty much focuses on privileged white girls, but it's what she knows and there's room for a director who does that.

r307 Kind of. I feel like she's filling the void intended for Mary-Kate and Ashley before they ditched acting for the fashion business.

I think Kate and Rooney are decent actresses. Liked Rooney in Carol.

The Mara sisters are competent actors. That's the point. They're merely competent, serviceable, interchangeable with so many other generic white women. It should take more than that to win awards and garner superstardom.

Kate is Meryl compared to the black hole of charisma that is Rooney. Cate Blanchett could have chemistry with an ottoman, but not her.

R314, neither has achieved superstardom

r295 This is not an excuse for her to be so painfully bad. She still had a lead role with lots of scenes and was the love interest of Channing Tatum's character (the main role).

So, who around that time should have had the Cody Horn part in Magic Mike? Pick someone unknown at the time or semi-known--i.e. not Emma Stone.

R318 why do they have to be unknown?

we should start a boycott shitty actors who are succesful due to nepotism club, wait, I don't pay money to see movies

mary kate and Ashley were childish entertainment, they were never meant to be serious, I don't think they had a market as adults.

[quote]So, who around that time should have had the Cody Horn part in Magic Mike? Pick someone unknown at the time or semi-known--i.e. not Emma Stone.

I was available!

"mary kate and Ashley were childish entertainment, they were never meant to be serious, I don't think they had a market as adults."

They make really nice perfume actually. Elizabeth and James Nirvana (get the Bourbon Vanilla one).

The Mara girls, Dakota Johnson, Allison Williams, Emma Roberts...all bland as fuck, charisma-free, average in every way. Then you have the Zosias, the Mamie Gummers, the Eva Amurris...woof!

nah, watch Allison Williams in "Girls", she is pretty perfect. And her phone in the purse scene in "Get Out" was dead on too. She's earned my respect.

Billie Lourd doesn't bother me. She has a certain charm and she isn't getting MAJOR roles. Her character in Star Wars is basically an extra.

On a date with her former "too clean" boyfriend. The subway shot is one of my favorites of the series (can't stand Lena Dunham as a person but love her show, odd how that works).

Please, Lourd is ten times worse than the Maras or anyone else mentioned in this thread

I'm an "influencer" working my way through college!

Disagree R328. And considering how powerful her father is, he could be pushing her MUCH harder if he wanted.

Lourd's role in "Star Wars" is a bit part, or has been so far. If it made her mother happy to have the girl around, I'm fine with it!

Elizabeth Olsen got Oscar buzz for Martha Marcy May Marlene way back in 2011.

Exactly R331, her father could've gotten her the part of Rey if he wanted, or at least Rose. I've liked her in other stuff (Booksmart, etc)

Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow's untalented, unremarkable daughter

R334 looks like too much Apatow and not enough Mann. Eek!

R334 This is 40 was such a godawful movie. No one wants to spend 2.5 hours watching your family videos Judd EXCEPT YOU. I watched it for free and wanted money back

r336 that movie so fucking awful I wanted to walk out but the person I was with thought maybe the movie would get better... it never did.

R337 it was an Apatow home movie. I can only imagine what the studio and publicists thought. "2.5 hours of your wife and kids basically doing nothing? Sure thing, Judd!"

Apatow, puke. The creepy ass wife too. Only Elizabeth Banks annoys me more and she's reduced to Game Show Host now so maybe we are rid of her once and for all.

She's not the worst but that bellowing Liza person was so overrated. How she was nominated for an Oscar I'll never understand. Amatuer dancer and her singing voice was atrocious, all vibrato and blaring.

r340 Can it Lorna!

Bryce Dallas Howard isn't bad, but that's not enough. She is/was ballsy, though - I mean she did a gratuitous crotch shot in a Lars von Trier film.

Emma Roberts is the female C. Thomas Howell

Dakota Johnson has zero screen presence - and that's pretty it kindly.

It's annoying to see bad or mediocre people go far because of who they're related to. I'm even more annoyed by the spin or lack of acknowledgment of their privilege.

miguel Ferer and his cousin George Clooney ( kind of)

[quote]Emma Roberts is the female C. Thomas Howell

How so?

Dakota Johnson.

It's been said many times in this thread. But it can't be said too much.

[quote]miguel Ferer and his cousin George Clooney ( kind of)

Might as well throw Debby Boone in there as well.

R343 what do you mean George Clooney "sort of"? His whole career is thanks to nepotism via his father and aunt. Before he landed his big break (ER) in his early thirties, he went through a decade of flop after flop after flop film/TV shows. A regular person would not have survived that long without connections. Especially to get the opportunities he got.

George had looks Miguel on the other hand...

the family of SAG pensioner Donald Trump

For a long time, Clooney had an adoring fan base and a top publicist which made the most of that, which is one reason his career lasted longer than it had any right to. And long after his famous relatives retired and became irrelevant, he knew how to play the insider's game, playing at production and being the hostess with the mostess on Lake Como.

I have no explanation for Dakota Johnson's career. Nobody seems to like her, she isn't pretty or sexy, the critics have no respect, and she has all the brilliance and magnetism of someone's PA walking in front of the camera by mistake.

At least Kate Hudson could act. Her brother Oliver on the other hand...

R350 No other actresses were willing to star in the incredibly trashy Fifty Shades movies, so she got her shot . Repulsive books, horrendous movies, marketed as a Valentines' Day must see.

Yikes, I'm catching up on Seth Myers, and Zosia Mamet just came one. They played a clip of a movie she was in, and she's a total dud.

Clooney and Miguel Ferrer were beneficiaries of nepotism, but neither of them is close to the worst. Ferrer was actually fun to watch. Mamet, poor thing, perhaps she can write.

Clooney and Farrar are good examples of people whose relatives got them in the door, and who had enough talent or smarts to build on what they'd been given for free.

Clooney was born on first base, but it wasn't his relatives who got him to home plate.

The movie was ages ago, but when Dakota Johnson smiles she reminds me a lot of of busty character in Car Wash, played by a young Melanie Mayron.

R355 Who's that girl?

I worked with Rooney Mara on a film, and she is every bit as awful as you would imagine. Dropped something and expected my co-worker to pick it up as she walked her skinny ass away. Hated her wardrobe- there were battles.

R357 Not shocking. THANKS JOAQUIN!

Rooney Mara's had a strange career--went from that bit part in the Social Network to the lead in Dragon Tattoo, then went down to featured roles and back up to Carol, then down to supporting roles again. Last update on IMDB was for a movie in pre-production back in 2017. Guess no one besides Harvey Weinstein wants to distribute her movies.

R358 who's Joaquin?

R360, Joaquin Phoenix.

Why did he do?

Rooney Mara has very limited range.

Agreed, r363. But the critics were acting like she was the second coming. They tried to prop up Dakota Johnson, too. Blah. The long list of actors and actresses who turned down Fifty Shades of Shit speaks for itself. The two leads were not able to spin that into better projects. Well, at least they were handsomely paid.

David Fincher likes to fill his movies with the Hollywood trust fund crowd. Dakota Johnson, Rooney Mara, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, just to name a few...

R362 She hasn't really worked since they started dating.

[quote]...that bellowing Liza person was so overrated. How she was nominated for an Oscar...

Actually, she's still ALIVE, and was nominated for TWO Best Actress Oscars, and won one! Liza is an exceptional actress, and her performance in "Cabaret" is as fresh and dazzling as it was 45 years ago. I recently rewatched it with a big audience and it is as good as everyone says.

R366 Charlotte "Chuck" Finger-Dingle and Crisp Lisp are dating? That's very funny.

[quote]At least Kate Hudson could act. Her brother Oliver on the other hand.

Oliver was quite good in the TV series 'Rules of Engagement'. Wasn't their dad part of the goofy musical comedy group, The Hudson Brothers? Here they are with Twiggy. For some reason their TV series was filmed in England.

Hollywood spawn Max Landis' girlfriend is all over the interwebs this morning with some pretty damning albeit vague allegations. Not to quote any Enty since I know the vitriol will flow, but he's had some similar info about ML throughout the years

R356 Was Melanie the one from Thirtysomething who pushed her sons onto a Nick TV show? Or was that the other one?

People are wound up about Zosia Mamet, but what about his other daughter CLARA Mamet. A few years ago at age 19 (I'm not kidding) she debuted her film and it was headlining at Tribeca and blah blah blah and marquee with her name and it was terrible, as to be expected. The movie is literally about a girl getting a trust fund lol.

Even in interviews she was getting tipped for nepotism. Per example in 2014:

Q: The public relations firm run by your father’s friend and producer is handling publicity. William Macy, a frequent collaborator of your dad’s, stars in the movie. And your mother is played by, well, your mother. You are only 19 years old. Is there a concern that the reaction to the film may be that everything was handed to you?

A: I hope that’s not the case, but it’s definitely been a fear of mine. It’s a tricky business; everybody’s a critic. But I don’t care as long as I get to keep going.

Q: That raises the question of keep going where? You’re only 19 years old. What exactly do you want to do when you grow up?

A: I like to make movies; I love to make movies.

Q: In the best-case scenario, what would you like to see happen here at Tribeca?

A: Well, if everything went perfect, God willing and weather permitting I’d like to sell it [to a distributor] so more people can see it. And to be able to have the opportunity to get a lot more money on the next movie. It’s always about the next one; you always have another one in your pocket.

Ellen Travolta

Joey Travolta

Max Landis redefines nepotism.

Oof. No amount of Hollywood connections and money will ever make either of those unfortunate looking talentless Mamet girls A-listers and that's a fact.

John Ritter's sons. The Ghost of their dad has not helped them stay in the forefront.

I assume Stella McCartney has made an appearance here? She certainly has done well for herself. Are her clothes really that good? She may be a nice person, but she always looks completely bored and above it all in photos.

Jennifer Jason Leigh. Her parents certainly helped but the girl can't act.

Stella works on fashion, not even close to his father's work. She is in the business for so long that claim nepotism right now (even if Paul had any real influence in fashion ) will be absurd

Jennifer Jazon Leigh is more famous than her parents were

^ Whoops, meant JASON Leigh

Jazon Leigh is her transblack name, child.

Miley Cyrus

R218 That stuff also turned me off. I also remember reading some article after The Village was released where Bryce none of her college classmates knew she was Ron Howard's daughter until he won an Oscar for A Beautiful Mind.

I liked Bryce as Gwen Stacy in one of the Spider-Man movies

R383: Exactly the same that Jennifer Jason Leigh, she is way more famous than her father

Not Hollywood but there’s no way Georgia May Jagger would be a model if she wasn’t Mick Jagger’s daughter.

Right now in fashion there are a lot of children of celebrities who would never step on a runway if they weren't children of celebrities

How else to explain the spectacular success of the Hadid sisters?

Is Cody Horn an MTF person?

That jawline.....

What are the best cases of nepotism in Hollywood, that is to say, the kids obviously have talent and deserve to be there? I can only think of the Skarsgards, who are as talented as their dad.

A good example for me is Paul Newman casting his daughter Nell in The Effects of Gamma Rays, where she gave a touching performance as a shy girl.

I admire someone like Tori Spelling, who made it on their own.

Someone upthread already mentioned the Star Wars franchise. What about Star Trek?

Also what about soap operas, country, jazz, classical & the comedy circuit?

Any names in those areas?

Nobody can even name any of our kids in the business.

R393 Love you!

r391- The Fondas? The Barrymores? The Hustons? Ingrid Bergman/Isabella Rossellini?

Don't forget that James Franco paved the way for his brother, Dave.

R391: There are several cases of people with connections but with talent, Ben Platt or Lucas Hedges are good examples (even if both are at the beginning of their careers)

R379 ah, but she got her start because of her parentage. Thus, nepotism. She has certainly proven herself, though.

[quote]country

Hank Williams, Jr.

Pam Tillis

Rumer Willis is deformed-looking and would have gotten nowhere without A-list parents

R401 She looks like she could star in a Mask sequel.

[quote]Also what about soap operas, country, jazz, classical & the comedy circuit?

On soap operas, Susan Lucci's fug daughter Liza Huber was on Passions. Kim Zimmer's son Jake Weary started his career on As The World Turns, then did Nickelodeon shows/movies and is currently on TNT's Animal Kingdom. Then were was Drake Hogestyn's son Ben who worked on a couple of soaps and then did some other stuff. It appears Ben acted in a show or movie since 2009.

R403: Jake Weary was Luke before Van Hansis, i don't know if it's confirmed but at least it was rumoured that he quitted ATWT because his mother didn't want him to play a gay character. I suppose he really had no problem (or at leats he has no problem now) because his character on Animal Kingdom is gay

I keep trying but even the combined Hollywood legacies of Michael, Kirk and myself can't launch this dud......

"What are the best cases of nepotism in Hollywood, that is to say, the kids obviously have talent and deserve to be there?"

Oh, maybe Vanessa Redgrave and Benedict Cumberbatch, both of whom had much bigger careers than their parents. And Julia Roberts, who was 10x bigger than the brother who paved the way for her. And I hate to say this but Angelina Jolie, she really was beautiful and talented as a young woman, even if she's a crazy old witch now.

Elizabeth Olson may have gotten the door opened for her by her sisters but she is hundreds more talented and prettier than her twin sisters.

R391, Jamie Lee Curtis has made some good movies. Also, she did her time as a scream queen. I'm sure her name got her started, but she's done all right.

The Penn brothers, Sean, Michael and Christopher benefitted from having a director father. I bought a Michael Penn CD back in the day. I enjoyed some of Sean and Christopher's acting.

R404 That isn't what happened, and it's been discussed literally a thousand times on here.

R404 Was Kim Zimmer one of those soap opera fundies?

Emily and Zooey Deschanel benefitted from having parents who worked in the business.

[quote]r405 I keep trying but even the combined Hollywood legacies of Michael, Kirk and myself can't launch this dud...... CZJ

How could you possibly be old enough to have a DAUGHTER??

Would that even be LEGAL??

R371 Polly Draper is the Thirtysomething actress who made her kids into Nick stars. One of her kids is great in the horror movie Hereditary.

Political nepotism is far worse, and actually matters.

Stephen Gyllenhaal was a director before his children started acting. And he cast them both in early roles in A Dangerous Woman.

Cara delevigne, ever wonder how the ugliest girl in recent memory is a top model?

R409: And what happenede then? maybe it was discussed a thousand times but for sure that i don't know the other version

Most definitely NOT me!

R407 not only that, but she seems to have a better personality, too! Elisabeth is a joy to watch in interviews! I still love the co-interview she did with Chris Evans on Ellen several years back. She seems a bit demure but a good sport nonetheless.

[quote]R407 not only that, but she seems to have a better personality, too!

That's setting the bar awfully low.

[quote]r416 Cara Delevigne, ever wonder how the ugliest girl in recent memory is a top model?

Now stop. The best models usually have something that's a bit irregular about their faces ... something striking that makes them different from just any other pretty girl.

Otherwise they'd look like they all came out of the same cotton candy cacoon.

I still think she took the wrong route in that disasterous interview, but she has a good face when she's fixed up.

Um how about David Milch the great tv writer and his talentless daughter suddenly getting to DIRECT and write Oceans movie???

That's preposterous.

I hadn't realized the Quaid/Ryan offspring was acting.

I rather liked Jack Quaid in that HBO series about the record industry.

Emilio Esteves and Charlie Sheen

John Wilkes Booth

Diana Barrymore was no prize.

Slightly off topic, but I didn't know where to put this fact I just learned: Chrissie Hynde has a daughter with Ray Davies of the Kinks. Who knew? Also, Colin Firth has a child with one of the Tilly girls.

R426: Both had long careers

Jim Belushi

Max Landis

[quote]She's a great case of nepotism. She was married to the guy--Kurt Sutter-- who produced and created Sons of Anarchy and other shows. She was at the age where people forget about actresses but she got a plum role in her husband tv series.

I liked her on most seasons of SOA so I kind of ignored that. But, people like Judd Apatow bug me more because he really shoved his wife and kids in most of his movies. Hopefully, Jordan Peele will avoid putting his annoying Chelsea Peretti into movies.

[quote]annoying Chelsea Peretti

Not as annoying as Katie Peretti.

Melanie Griffith genuinely had talent--being 'Tippi's daughter didn't help her that much given that 'Tippi' was pretty much persona non grata in Hollywood after she turned Hitchcock down during "Marnie" (he basically had her blacklisted). All being her mother's daughter got Melanie were roles in "Roar" (which no one saw) and "The Harrad Experiment."

Melanie was terrific when she was younger in nymphet roles--she seemed very carnal in "Night Moves" and "Body Double" (she had a great lack of self-consciousness onscreen, and she had a very sexy figure at an early age), and she was fine with the comedy in both "Something Wild" and "Working Girl." Her trouble was that 'Working Girl" made her an enormous star too late--Hollywood did not know what to do with her, and either put her in dramatic roles (which she could not carry off) in films like "Shining Through" or in sexpot roles she was probably too old to carry off (as in "Milk Money"). Even when she seemed perfectly cast, as in "Lolita," she didn't have enough range to put it over. She's not untalented, but she had a very narrow range, and it was very much dependent on being young and sexy.

Dakota is much more beautiful than her mother and comes close to being as beautiful as her grandmother--but she still doesn't hold the camera quite like 'Tippi' did. ('Tippi' may have been a wooden actress, but Hitchcock knew she could arrest the eye.) I would guess that, of the three, 'Tippi' will be the one still remembered a hundred years from now--but only because her two Hitchcock films will still be.

Dakota Johnson looks rough for being 29.

R115 The problem with The Wife was that it was too short. 1 hour 30 minutes and several flashback scenes featuring the daugther playing the same character as G. The flashbacks took away from G's screentime.

R435, haven't seen Dakota in a role, but otherwise, excellent description of both Melanie and Tippi's careers. Tippi is gorgeous in those Hitchcock films. Melanie was a livelier actress--she had that ability to emotionally connect with an audience, so that you cared about her--but limited range. She could play variations of sexy waif. Minimal education and not a lot of brain power, but very good in those roles you mentioned.

All three women had/have great bodies for film.

R437 Wait, that was little Annie Maude? I had no idea.

Amazing to think of her all grown up. I remember when Glenn had that baby, and thinking, "Annie Maude," yuck. It was one of the first instances I can recall of celebrities giving their kid an old-lady name. Good thing Annie dropped the Maude.

So I can post here because I don't care about anyone on this thread?

Cheesy song thread!!!

Everyone knows that Steve McQueen wouldn't have gotten anywhere in Hollywood without his mother, Butterfly.

R442 and his son and namesake, award-winning director Steve McQueen, keeps the tradition alive.

If "worst case" means successful, then I would submit that Tom Cruise pushing his girl Nicole on us all those years ago certainly worked out well for her.

R444 LOL! I remember in the '90s how Nicole Kidman was primarily known as 'Tom Cruise's wife." I mean, she had an acting career, but it seemed to revolve around Tom's bigger career and she was always there on his arm at every red carpet event. The talk usually was more about what Nicole was wearing than anything else. She really didn't become her own person until after the divorce in the early 2000s. Then a year later she was nominated for her first Oscar, and a year after that she won her first one.

Nicole was foisted on us out of nowhere, as Tom's girlfriend when they did that race car movie. Up to then, she was known for an Australian thriller that took place on a boat. She certainly took the ball and ran with it!

Alexandra Daddario's dad had a major role in Mayor Bloomberg's administration. Does that count as nepotism?

This shit. Will Smith Energy Level at 100. His son's energy level at . 84.

Kristen Stewart. She's not a terrible actress, but has very little range or charisma.

Maya Hawke.

Nah, I like Maya's presence. There are definitely worse cases of nepotism.

Duh. Gotta be Tori Spelling. I seriously doubt she'd be much of anything but a hausfrau without Daddy.

That Glazer asshole.

Van Halen kicking Michael Anthony to the curb for Wolfie Van Halen.

Van Halen kicking Michael Anthony to the curb for Wolfie Van Halen.

Jack Quaid

[quote]Jack Quaid is the best use of nepotism in this century.

Fixed

Add one for the inept Tori Spelling.

Jaden Smith, Willow Smith, Emma Roberts, Helena Bonham Carter, Dakota Johnson, Jim Belushi, Gweneth Paltrow, Sofia Copolla, Kelly Osborne and the queen who owns this thread Melissa Rosenberg Rivers.

Lily-Rose Depp takes the cake. She makes Emma Roberts look like Julianne Moore.

[quote] I’m a big fan of Sofia Coppola’s films. Terrible actress, but I like her as a director.

Seconded. "Lost In Translation" is one of the best American movies of 2000s.

The entire cast of "Girls" is the "who's who" of nepotism.

[quote]Also, Colin Firth has a child with one of the Tilly girls.

That would be Will Firth, his son with Meg Tilly.

The son is also an actor (surprise!), with nary a scintilla of his father's looks and charisma.

Cody Horn was fine.

R458, um, she auditioned for the role of Donna Martin under a DIFFERENT name!

Rashida Jones. Loved her and Quincy until the documentary. It was creepy, her fawning. He seemed so douchy! Later on read an article by a female writer from The Root/Grapevine explaining Quincy's historically misogynistic ways. Ugh. Quincy was married to Peggy Lipton whom I loved in Twin Peaks. On VCR!

[quote]Rashida Jones. Loved her and Quincy until the documentary. It was creepy, her fawning. He seemed so douchy!

Could you elaborate?

Most of these actors and actress don't own their nepotism. They come up with excuses or they don't mention it at all.

Mark Ronson got his first job in business, an internship at Rolling Stone, when he was 12 because of family friend Jann Wenner. He's an ambitious sapiosexual.

Does Trump thumping his brood count?

goop and Melissa rivers stink @!!!!!…..NO TALENT NO CLASS

[quote]His mother, Amy (née Fishman), who now teaches cross-cultural sensitivity in hospitals, previously worked as a clown at children's parties and choreographer for a Catholic high school for 20 years.

Well, she clearly used her clown connections to get Jesse into the business.

Lily Collins

Ryan Murphy is obsessed with nepotism.

That's because he's a starfucker.

Sailor Cook Brinkley deserves an honorable mention or at the very least an asterisk.

Billie Lourd is dull and can't act.

Eglbort getting any role !!!!!

What do we think of director Gia Coppola?

Spencer Grammer, who got Daddy's face and later her very own ABC/Disney vehicle of four seasons.

Bright side, at least foxy Scott Michael Foster & Jake McDorman were eating much better c. 2007-11. I wonder if they ever fucked.

Emma Roberts

Lauralee Bell on The Young and the Restless

I remember she really ruined the movie. I kept thinking why are these male strippers hanging out with a soccer mom?

R10 - You will NOT slander Carrie Fisher like that.

Why isn't there any union rules against nepotism?

The untalented Smith children.

One of things they say is "I wouldn't tell the casting agents when I would go on auditions" or "I would make up last names." Like the casting agents wouldn't know who they're related to. I can't tell if these actors/actresses are lying or actually believe this bullshit.

Maya Hawke literally came from nowhere three years ago. There's no way she'd have this career without nepotism. It's weird how anyone can deny it with a straight face.

Zosia Mamet and Allison Williams were painful to watch until at some point the writer/s turned on them and made their characters as contemptible as the actors playing them.

[quote]Many people were shocked when the plum role of Peter Pan in NBC’s second highly-anticipated live musical went to newcomer Allison Williams, who was only known for playing a supporting character on a cable TV series.

"On a cable TV series" is hardly a bad thing. "On a major commercial TV network," on the other hand is I would say. For more than two decades the former has been responsible for the best of television and the latter for a combined 750 episodes of Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, How I met Your Mother, and Two and a Half Men -- and those are the award winning shows. Williams was terrible all the same, though, I agree.

Those Geldof sisters have no business being models and singers or whatever. They got opportunities because of their name.

Interesting.

The entire cast of “Girls”. They should’ve just named the series “Nepotism”.

Cody Horn haha. She’s giving me Teddi Mellencamp vibes. I don’t think Elizabeth Olsen is a BAD case of nepotism. She was highly acclaimed in her very first film. I think a bad case of nepotism is like Eve Amurri who is talentless, or Kate Hudson, very close to talentless... AND is she just a real life slut and dipshit? I haven’t seen her do anything where she was likable, demure, or seemingly half-intelligent. Please tell me if I’m wrong.

Zosia Mamet isn’t a bad actress. She was good in this thing with Jessica Biel. And I’ve always found Lena Dunham really funny. Williams? I think she’s bad. Strident, vapid though unconvincing and unlikeable.

I think the Gyllenhaals can act. Also Paltrow. And I love a few of Sofia Coppola’s movies.

The Gerber kids piss me off.

The only thing I’ve ever seen Eva Amurri in was SAVED! and I quite liked her in that. I didn’t even know if she was ever in anything of note after that.

I am surprised to one has mentioned Lily Rabe. I think she’s great, but I get the feeling she is not well liked here.

Has there ever been a thread on famous people’s kids who have gone into “normal” careers? No acting, singing, Instagram hoes...

Neither of her parents are particularly attractive IMO, and the daughter is no exception. Yet here she is on the runway. Certainly not unattractive, but completely average.

Barry Van Dyke.

I own this thread.

Zosia Mamet and Allison Williams - I'm OK with Zosia because she is truly a hip girl, homely, doesn't pretend otherwise, seems of normal weight and personality, and I like when homely chicks dress fashionably and expensively. She the non-annoying rich girl.

Allison Williams is an attractive horsy girl who thinks she has successfully transformed herself into a glamazon beauty through starvation and lots of expensive clothes and grooming. But she has not transformed into a beauty, at all. Its all smoke and mirrors and she looks quite worse all glammed up than if she just presented herself as the field hockey playing big boned girl grown up.

There's a new series on HBO called The Gilded Age. I generally like period pieces set in this time and thought overall this is a pretty good series. I initially thought the only weak link is the lead actress as she's rather homely with a big nose and her acting makes Dakota Johnson look like Meryl Streep. In other words, her acting is very wooden. Her name is Louisa Jacobsen.

SHE IS MERYL STREEP's daughter! No wonder she got this role because she is fucking terrible. Nepotism at work.

I like Jack Quaid in his roles. He's in The Boys and he's pretty good. Not as good-looking as his father but has the comic timing and talent of his mother.

Jack Quaid seems fine to me, too.

Lately it’s easier to note who hasn’t benefited from nepotism. It seems every young actor has a direct connection. Someone mentioned above that the open doors surely help, but that is underselling it. In the entertainment industry, the opened door is 90% of the battle.

Alison Eastwood, director Clint Eastwood's daughter, with her charm-free performance in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

R499 I absolutely loathe Allison Williams. Everything about her makes me want to slap her silly. My 25 y/o son says he does not find her attractive at all and she looks like a man. I put her in the same unwatchable category as the equally mannish Hilary Swank. They both also have a tinge of the theatre-kid aspirations of AnnE Hathaway.

R505, does your 25 y/o son post here? If he can't be bothered to post for himself, then we don't give a fuck what he thinks about Allison Williams. Are you one of those helicopter parents who's going to visit a Friends board next to post what your 25 y/o son thinks about Jennifer Aniston?

What a bizarre response.

Michael Consuelos on TV's "Riverdale." Dad, Mark, is Executive Producer.

R22 lies have this way of showing just a glimpse of truth.

R343 Miguel Ferrer was a great actor. Rarely if ever top-billed in anything, but consistently very good over a diverse career. Funny as hell in person too. RIP.

Zoe Kravitz

Pat Hitchcock: looks like a boiled owl. Omnipresent in many of her father's movies. Starring as "The startled onlooker." "Creepy stalkerish person." The bank teller who knows you are up to no good.