Since New York Magazine declared 2022 "The Year of the Nepo Baby," the term has been a hot topic of conversation. The article, featured on Vulture, called out the children of actors, musicians, producers, and industry insiders who have successfully followed in their parents' footsteps. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery star Kate Hudson, who is the daughter of Goldie Hawn and musician Bill Hudson, and the step-daughter of Kurt Russell, recently spoke about nepotism, and her own experience, with Independent.
"The nepotism thing, I mean... I don’t really care. I look at my kids, and we’re a storytelling family. It’s definitely in our blood. People can call it whatever they want, but it’s not going to change it. I actually think there are other industries where it’s [more common]. Maybe modeling? I see it in business way more than I see it in Hollywood. Sometimes I’ve been in business meetings where I’m like, wait, whose child is this? Like, this person knows nothing! I don’t care where you come from, or what your relationship to the business is – if you work hard, and you kill it, it doesn’t matter," she said.
Hudson added that when she began to pursue a career in acting, she avoided talking about Hawn and Russell (Russell and Hawn have been together since Hudson was 3 years old).
"I really wanted to have my own career. Once I was a good decade in, though, I realized it just didn’t matter. Sometimes talking about my parents was actually a great distraction from talking about the movie I was meant to be promoting."
For Hudson, coming from Hollywood lineage meant added pressure. She always worked to be as prepared as she could be and like she "had to live up to something." She said she believed that there were actors and directors who did not want to hire her, as they did not want her famous parents to "become what the movie was about."
Hudson's breakout role came in 2000 when she starred as Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous. The film earned her an Oscar nomination and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. Hudson went on to star in a slew of romantic comedies including How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, You, Me and Dupree, Fool's Gold, and My Best Friend's Girl, among others. Other films and television credits include Glee, The Skeleton Key, Raising Helen, and Deepwater Horizon. She currently appears on Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery as Birdie Jay, a former model turned fashion designer.
'Nepo Babies' Fight Back
Hudson is not the only "nepo baby" to recently address the term. Jamie Lee Curtis, the daughter of actors Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, identified as an "OG Nepo Baby" said that the ongoing discourse about nepo babies is "just designed to try to diminish and denigrate and hurt." Actor and musician O’Shea Jackson Jr., whose father is Ice Cube, took to Twitter following Vulture's report. The actor acknowledged his father's support but credited his work ethic and professionalism to his success.
Musician and actress Lily Allen, the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen, also took to the social media platform to offer her own take on the matter. Saying that the conversation about nepo babies should focus on people "working for legal firms, the ones working for banks, and the ones working in politics" as those had "real world consequences" and robbed "people of opportunity."