Jamie Lee Curtis weighs in on the “nepotism baby” conversation

[Guest]

OH so now the nepo queen gonna preach to us?

[Economy 48,900]

2 hours ago, djBuffoon said:

She is absolutely right. What is the purpose of calling it out? The reality is, those with connections tend to come first. We all know that.

But, in the case of Jamie Lee, Laura Dern, Jeff Bridges, and countless other actors and performers who came from at least one famous parent, there is no denying that their talent is what took them from opportunity to fully-formed, highly regarded career.

That's an excellent way of putting it. Some ppl have more opportunities and chances than others in this unequal capitalist world. We been knew

 

But having an advantage doesn't mean ull succeed or be good at something

 

Someone having an advantage doesn't automatically have to detract from their accomplishments when they are good at something

 

We are not talking about someone bragging about being rich when they did nothing and simply inherited it. That's a different situation 

 

[Shipper 12,990]

Tbh, we should divert the attention to nepotism in politics instead of celebrities. I mean, they are there to entertain and are not in charge of political issues and laws that directly affect us. Those in politics however affect us more and should be criticized more. *Looks at the Tr*mps*

[Ladle Ghoulash 19,785]

In a recent interview, she answered the question about how she was impacted by nepotism by basically saying that, regardless of nepotism, if you've got the goods, can perform, and can handle yourself on set, it doesn't matter who your parents are. Imo, this answer completely avoids the question. Like, yeah, of course on some level you have to have the goods regardless of any connections you have, but when she uses the example of being able to handle yourself on set, I feel like she completely ignores that children who grow up in families with other actors are probably exposed to being in front of cameras, being on set, and performing way more frequently than the average person. That kind of exposure and experience absolutely informs the extent to which you can perform well in a professional setting. 

[Ladle Ghoulash 19,785]

I don't think nepotism is intrinsically bad, but I think the recent obsession with nepotism boils down to the need to deconstruct the myth that the entertainment industry is a meritocracy. It's just not.

[djBuffoon 12,075]

3 hours ago, deactivated001 said:

I don't think nepotism is intrinsically bad, but I think the recent obsession with nepotism boils down to the need to deconstruct the myth that the entertainment industry is a meritocracy. It's just not.

Whoever said that it was? Even as a kid who loved movies, I knew that becoming a film actor was either tremendous luck or connections, but that talent was essential for a career with any longevity. 

[moonsago 7,285]

7 hours ago, iku iku iku said:

Do you think the internet will ever reach a point where extremism is viewed negatively? I find it very interesting. 

I would hope so, at some point more people will notice the holes in this kind of approach and speak up. I was kinda the same, I was there to agree with every point somebody ‘offended’ by something had to make until I started to realize how unrealistic it was to eliminate individual experiences and lump everybody together and act like just because they all have this 1 thing in common they FOR SURE go through X Y and Z. It’s just not true. So I hope more people will come to the same realizations I did. 

[Economy 48,900]

7 hours ago, RahrahWitch said:

You can be a nepotism baby and have a good work ethic. Doesn't change the fact that the odds were heavily in your favor to begin with.

Celebs need to stop taking it so personally, people are just pointing out an unfair system that theyre a part of.

How u say it also matters tho. Ppl do not know how to say things kindly

 

Ppl on the internet rarely just "point out" something. They full blown just drag u more often than not

[Economy 48,900]

6 minutes ago, moonsago said:

I would hope so, at some point more people will notice the holes in this kind of approach and speak up. I was kinda the same, I was there to agree with every point somebody ‘offended’ by something had to make until I started to realize how unrealistic it was to eliminate individual experiences and lump everybody together and act like just because they all have this 1 thing in common they FOR SURE go through X Y and Z. It’s just not true. So I hope more people will come to the same realizations I did. 

That's the thing. The internet doesn't view ppl as individuals anymore. Every body belongs to a category and that category always defines u and ur life experiences aparently

[Ladle Ghoulash 19,785]

2 hours ago, djBuffoon said:

Whoever said that it was? Even as a kid who loved movies, I knew that becoming a film actor was either tremendous luck or connections, but that talent was essential for a career with any longevity. 

Actors and artists propagate this myth in their rhetoric constantly. Award speeches are always filled with platitudes about how hard work and endurance are the sole keys to success in the entertainment industry. 

[djBuffoon 12,075]

On 12/23/2022 at 9:23 PM, deactivated001 said:

Actors and artists propagate this myth in their rhetoric constantly. Award speeches are always filled with platitudes about how hard work and endurance are the sole keys to success in the entertainment industry. 

I’ve never heard anyone in any acceptance speech say that hard work and endurance are the only keys for success. But yes, connections or not, talent and work ethic is essential for longevity. Connections and a good opportunity do not equal a career. That is JLC’s point. 

[Ladle Ghoulash 19,785]

39 minutes ago, djBuffoon said:

I’ve never heard anyone in any acceptance speech say that hard work and endurance are the only keys for success. But yes, connections or not, talent and work ethic is essential for longevity. Connections and a good opportunity do not equal a career. That is JLC’s point. 

Conversely, I have never heard anyone say, "Thanks to my daddy for being in the entertainment industry and giving me these opportunities that I wouldn't have otherwise had." But, I do hear a lot of, "Work hard and you can be where I am today." Of course no one would ever explicitly say that hard work and perserverance are the only keys, but what I'm saying is: artists will often talk about the importance of hard work and perserverance, while conveniently neglecting to mention their good fortune of being given opportunities and exposure that are not afforded to most. Feels like you're being purposefully obtuse to what I'm saying, tbh. I don't think this phenomena of calling people out for being nepotism babies would exist if it was a well-known fact that many successful artists were born into well-connected families, nor do I think that idea would carry any weight whatsoever if there wasn't a propagated myth that the entertainment industry was a meritocracy. 

[RenegAde 18,739]

I wouldn't mind being a nepo baby myself . The world is not fair.

[Ladle Ghoulash 19,785]

48 minutes ago, djBuffoon said:

I’ve never heard anyone in any acceptance speech say that hard work and endurance are the only keys for success. But yes, connections or not, talent and work ethic is essential for longevity. Connections and a good opportunity do not equal a career. That is JLC’s point. 

Connections and good opportunities are going to make it exponentially more likely for someone to have a career, though. You could have two actors who have the exact same level of talent and degree of professionalism, but because one of the two has connections in the industry, they're more likely to get the part. And you also can't pretend that there aren't people who come from nepotistic situations that haven't had artificially inflated careers, either. I agree that individuals born into well-connected families who are more talented and professional will make more of the opportunities that have been given to them, but that doesn't change the fact that it's not a level playing field. Again, if you go back to my original comment, I never said I thought nepotism was intrinsically bad, but, regardless of whether or not you personally believe it, there are plenty of people who believe that the entertainment industry is portrayed as a meritocracy whose perceptions have been changed by the prevalence of nepotism. That's literally all that I'm saying. Should the fact that someone is born into a well-connected family necessarily invalidate their hard work and success? No. Does that information put it into a different context for the viewer, nonetheless? Yes.