Nepo babies undoubtedly have a leg up in Hollywood, whether they recognize it or not — and that’s never more obvious than when they literally start out in their parents’ projects.
Even if it’s just a small role, appearing in a high-profile project is something that many actors never get close to — most people don’t even get into the audition room for these projects unless they have a great agent and a ton of credits (and don’t even get me started on whether they’re in the SAG-AFTRA union or not).
Here are 15 Nepo babies who were literally raised by their parents… basically making them the ultimate Nepo babies.
1.
Judd Apatow cast his daughters Maude and Iris Apatow in three of his films when they were children: Funny People, Funny Peopleand This is the 40th. Maude was then cast in three episodes of Girls (in which his father was an executive producer).
His next role was in Other people: She was recommended for the role by casting director Allison Jones. Jones had previously cast Judd Apatow’s Freaks and geeksThe 40-Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, Knocked Up, Superbad, Funny People and This is 40… and so I’ve known the Apatows since Maude was two years old.
All of this led to a role in a film by Sam Levinson, himself a nepo baby (more on that later). He then cast her in Euphoria, widely considered his breakout role.
2.
Speaking of Sam Levinson…his father is Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson. His father cast him in his 1992 film Toys (starring Robin Williams) when Levinson was a child, and later eased his way into writing by asking him to co-write the 2017 drama Wizard of Lies starring Robert De Niro. The elder Levinson told Collider, “I discussed it (the project) with my son, Sam, and he put together 20 pages. I sent it to Bob and Jane Rosenthal, and we had the meeting and they thought it sounded good, so I told them my son wrote it. Bob has known Sam since he was 10, and he said, ‘Okay, great.’ That’s how we proceeded.”
Levinson — who had only a single credit as a writer/director on an independent film before his father asked him to work on The Wizard of Lies —jumped from the film to the 2018 dark satire Assassination Nation. Euphoria followed quickly.
3.
Gwyneth Paltrow was born to an actress mother and a director/producer father… and her godfather is literally Steven Speilberg. Her first role was in a TV pilot (with Zach Braff, by the way) called High, written and directed by her father. She then made her professional stage debut in 1990 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, where her mother starred in several productions.
After a small role in the John Travolta film Shout, she was cast in her godfather’s movie Hook. She then did a few smaller projects before taking a bigger role in Flesh and bone, and, most memorably, Se7en —his career took off way after that.
4.
Sofia Coppola, daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, began her career as an actress, appearing in her father’s films The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Strangers, Rumble Fish, The Cotton Club, Peggy Sue got married and The Godfather Part III (a performance that was criticized). Coppola later said that it was never her dream to be an actress and that she was just helping her father.
She would become a writer/director, and also gained a leg up here with her father, who asked her to co-write his segment of the anthology film. New York Stories — the other segments were directed by Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen. After directing a short film and some music videos, Sofia read The Virgin Suicides and decided he had to adapt and direct a film version. The film was critically acclaimed and his career took off.
5.
Bryce Dallas Howard is a nepo baby to the extreme — her mother is a writer and her father is director Ron Howard. She is the granddaughter of actors, her godfather is Henry Winkler. Her first roles were as extras in her father’s films, including the Oscar-winning Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, plus the box office success How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
After studying acting in college, most of her first big roles were in theater — she was noticed in How do you like it? by M. Night Shyamalan, who cast her in The Village and The Lady in the Water — none of which she had to audition for. After that, her career continued to take off.
6.
Blake Lively’s father is actor Ernie Lively, and her first role was in a film he directed called Sandman. Her mother is a talent agent. Her brother was also an actor and got his agent* to send Blake to a “couple” audition one summer — which is when she booked The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (in which his father also appeared). Of course, his career took off from there.
7.
Jeff Bridges is the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and actress/writer Dorothy Bridges. As a child, he appeared on his father’s shows. Hunting at Sea, The Lloyd Bridges Show, and The Lonely One. He continued with a handful of small papers before landing The Last Movie Sessionstarting his career.
8.
Jessica Capshaw — best known now for starring as Arizona in Grey’s Anatomy — is the daughter of actress/producer Kate Capshaw and stepdaughter of Steven Spielberg.
His first role was in a film starring his mother, The Grasshoppers. She had a few other small roles before being cast in her stepfather’s film. Minority Report, which was a success.
9.
Will Smith’s son Jaden Smith began acting alongside his father in The search for happiness. After landing a role in the critically panned film The Day the Earth Stood Stillhe was cast for The Karate Kid, which his parents produced and starred again alongside his father in After Earth.
10.
Cooper Hoffman, son of Philip Seymour Hoffman, grew up making small films with his father’s collaborator and friend Paul Thomas Anderson and his son. Hoffman wasn’t even interested in acting until Anderson told him about Licorice Pizza and asked him to read the script. After Hoffman told Anderson he wanted the role, Hoffman underwent a series of screen tests with the Haim sisters (who he said he would consider auditions “to see if I could really do it”). He was only 17 years old, with no previous acting experience.
11.
Scott Eastwood may have tried to avoid cashing in on his surname by initially using his mother’s surname, but I’m not sure he fooled anyone (in fact, one director noted that he looked exactly like “his father from 25 years ago”). His first film or TV role was in his father’s film Clint Eastwood. Flags of Our Fathers. He later appeared in his father’s film Great Turin and Undefeated, and has had a long and consistent career ever since.
12.
Anjelica Huston — daughter of director John Huston and granddaughter of actor Walter Huston — didn’t even want to act, saying she was offered roles in her father’s films “without really [her] consent.” His first substantial role was in his father’s film A walk with love and death, and her acting was not well regarded…but she continued to have a long career in Hollywood, and worked with her father again in The Dead.
13.
John David Washington, whose father is Denzel Washington, has appeared in two small roles in his father’s projects (including Malcolm X), then co-produced one of his father’s films before starting to make them on his own.
John David’s breakout role was starring Klan Negro, a Spike Lee film — Lee was a frequent collaborator of Denzel and had previously directed John David in Malcolm X.
14.
In another example, Ang Lee’s son Mason Lee is set to make his major debut (after a series of small roles, including as a baby in one of his father’s films) in an upcoming Bruce Lee biopic, which will be directed by his father.
15.
And finally, the three members of Please Don’t Destroy (Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy) were most famous for their comedy TikToks before they joined together. SNL (TV Series). It seemed like a Cinderella story to them — until they discovered that two of them had fathers who were longtime writers and producers. SNL (TV Series).
To close the cycle of this post, after their work in SNLThe trio is working on a film with Judd Apatow. They will write and star in the film, as well as executive produce.
What do you think — do these nepo babies deserve the stars they got? Let us know in the comments!
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