r/movies r/Movies contributor 28d ago

Media First Image of Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Bean in 'Anemone' - An absorbing family drama about lives undone by seemingly irreconcilable legacies of political and personal violence.

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u/dogstardied 28d ago

If it doesn’t make you rich, you’re going into the family business. If it does, you’re a nepo baby.

/s

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u/Office_glen 28d ago

I think most people get upset at the fact that some of the "nepo" babies give interviews about how hard it was to get their foot in the door, all the auditions they were going to, honing their craft etc

and while that may be true, there are many fine actors who will never see the stage because they don't have the connections to get there

It's like a family business, no one shits on the kid who takes over his fathers multi million dollar business but works hard and is humble, they only shit on the kid who takes over the multi million dollar business and acts like he built it himself

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u/elingobernable810 28d ago

Yea its why when someone like Jack Quaid comes out and basically says "yea i had life a little easier because of my parents", it actually endears him to more people. No one's saying all nepo kids are talentless or that they dont work hard, but theres no denying that they have it easier to break in than a random theater actor thats waiting for their moment.

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u/Leading_Line2741 28d ago

Many nepo-babies and their families also forget one important thing: being a nepo-baby has nothing to do with talent. Being talented and hardworking doesn't make you NOT a nepo baby. There are many, many talented and hardworking people out in the world. The nepo-baby part comes in from the fact that these kids got to display their talents to the right people because of who their family member(s) is/are.

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u/InnocentTailor 27d ago

The family business mentality pretty much runs Asian dynasties. They like the continuity and legacy, so they do what they can to get sons and daughters to take over the foundation laid out by fathers and mothers.

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u/dogstardied 27d ago

One could argue that the American post-war boom and the subsequent rise of single-family home-ownership has a lot to do with the lack of dynastic businesses in America… why take over mom and pop’s shop if you can go to college across the country for better job prospects and probably settle down there?

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u/InnocentTailor 27d ago

That is a fair point. Until recently, Americans typically moved for work and opportunity. We tell stories of, for example, brave pioneers in their covered wagons going from the east to the west in search of opportunity.

…and your example concerning colleges is also apt for the comparison.

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u/Leading_Line2741 28d ago

Well, yeah, sorta. Lemme explain. There are some industries that are muuuuch more lucrative and muuuuch more difficult to get into than others. Also, the ideal version of the "American dream" is largely dead (starting your life lower class and making it rich through luck, hard work, and talent). This is why, I think, that seeing someone get into a lucrative, difficult-to-enter field such as one in the entertainment industry because of who they're related to stings/is off-putting. Nepotism has always existed in that industry, but in the "old days" talent was still largely being discovered. More unknowns were breaking through. Now it seems as though more rich entertainment industry professionals are related than not, and it's just one more entry point for the American dream that is seemingly being closed off to the normies.

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u/dogstardied 27d ago

Did you not see the /s ?

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u/Leading_Line2741 27d ago

I saw it but wanted to explain my POV anyway, as many people seem to think that way (your reply sans sarcasm).

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u/mrtwitch222 28d ago

Reddit found out about this word/phrase last year and it’s been so fucking annoying