Emma Roberts is Julia Roberts’ niece and Eric Roberts’ daughter. Emma has been working since she was a kid, and Julia absolutely “nepotized” her niece’s way into the industry, appearing in Aunt Julia’s films and benefiting from Aunt Julia’s industry connections. Emma is Peak Nepo Baby, and she was all about nepotism since childhood. Well, Emma has decided to chime in on the whole “nepo baby” discourse. Would you believe that Emma thinks nepo babies have to work harder to prove themselves more??
Emma Roberts appeared on the “Table for Two” podcast (via Vanity Fair) and was asked whether becoming a “massive movie star” was a priority for her when she decided to follow in the career footsteps of her father, Eric Roberts, and her aunt, Julia Roberts. Not quite. Emma said that watching her aunt become an A-list superstar as a kid showed her how scary that level of fame can be.
“I saw very up close what that really looks like,” Roberts said. “It’s obviously fun and it’s great, but there is a part of it that’s really scary. So I’ve wanted to kind of carve my own path. … Fame has never been the goal, because fame at a certain level is kind of scary.”
“Even in my later teens, I was like, I never want my fame to outweigh my work,” she continued. “Because there’s nothing scarier to me than being so famous that you’re never left alone, but also you’re not getting good jobs. And that was kind of happening to a lot of people when I was in my teens and early 20s. I never wanted that to happen to me.”
“There’s two sides of the coin,” Roberts said [about the ‘nepo baby’ discourse]. “People like to say, you know, you have a leg up because you have family in the industry. But then the other side to that is, you have to prove yourself more. Also, if people don’t have good experiences with other people in your family, then you’ll never get a chance.”
“Everybody loves the kind of overnight-success story. And so if you’re kind of not the girl from the middle of nowhere that broke into Hollywood, there’s kind of an eye roll of like, ‘Well, your dad was this,’” she continued. “I always joke, ‘Why is no one calling out George Clooney for being a nepo baby? [His aunt] Rosemary Clooney was an icon.’ I feel like young girls get it harder with the nepo-baby thing. Like, I don’t really see people calling out sons of famous actors, not that they should be called out.”
Roberts concluded her argument by saying that people who criticize nepo babys “only see your wins, because they only see when you’re on the poster of a movie — they don’t see all the rejection along the way. That’s why I’m always very open about things I’ve auditioned for and haven’t gotten the part for.”
The one thing I think is correct is that female nepo babies get it harder than the guys. Other nepo babies have mentioned that too, so it must have been in some kind of nepo-baby memo or they were issued talking points or something. But the whole “Everybody loves the kind of overnight-success story. And so if you’re kind of not the girl from the middle of nowhere that broke into Hollywood” construct is idiotic. That’s not the way Hollywood works anymore. While there are still those overnight success stories, they are few and far between because Hollywood has gone all-in on nepo babies. I remember years ago, Karen Elson talking about how much the fashion industry has changed because there was such an obsession with “this girl is the daughter of –.” That’s happened in Hollywood too, and it’s one of the reasons why I support someone like Sydney Sweeney, because she had zero connections and she hustled her ass off to make her career happen.
“But then the other side to that is, you have to prove yourself more. Also, if people don’t have good experiences with other people in your family, then you’ll never get a chance.” The bad experiences with family members could be a reference to her father Eric Roberts, who has kind of a reputation for being an a–hole professionally and privately. Eric was estranged from Julia and some of the family for a while as well. But no, nepo babies don’t have to “prove themselves more.” That’s completely asinine coming out of Emma’s mouth.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Kyle Rover/startraksphoto.com.
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- PALM SPRINGS, RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, USA – APRIL 13: Emma Roberts arrives at the 7th Annual REVOLVE Festival 2024 during the 2024 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival – Weekend 1 – Day 2 held at the Parker Palm Springs Hotel on April 13, 2024 in Palm Springs, Riverside County, California, United States.,Image: 864974170, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Emma Roberts, Credit line: Image Press Agency / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- PALM SPRINGS, RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, USA – APRIL 13: Emma Roberts arrives at the 7th Annual REVOLVE Festival 2024 during the 2024 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival – Weekend 1 – Day 2 held at the Parker Palm Springs Hotel on April 13, 2024 in Palm Springs, Riverside County, California, United States.,Image: 864974204, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Emma Roberts, Credit line: Image Press Agency / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- Emma Roberts attends the Disney 2024 Upfront Red Carpet at North Javits Center in New York, New York, USA on May 14, 2024.,Image: 873057083, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Emma Roberts, Credit line: Robin Platzer / Twin Images / Avalon
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- Emma Roberts attends the Disney 2024 Upfront Red Carpet at North Javits Center in New York, New York, USA on May 14, 2024.,Image: 873057087, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Emma Roberts, Credit line: Robin Platzer / Twin Images / Avalon
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- NEW YORK, NY- JUNE 26: Emma Roberts seen at CBS Mornings on June 26, 2024 in New York City. Copyright: xRWx,Image: 884953223, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/RW / Avalon
Funny, Meghan “My Father” McCain said the same thing, how she had to work harder than everyone to show she deserved the opportunity. It must be the bubble they are living in.
LMAO…LOL Love your comment!!!!
There’s a point about male nepo babies not getting called out as much. But the part about having to prove herself more is delusion. Randoms with no connections have to prove themselves just as hard if not more so. Please. I’m waiting for her to use the word journey next. John waters❤️
We rarely hear about male nepo babies. So, I agree with that. The rest..: Well, like own it. It is not like u can choose your family, so why fight the advantages?
She may be full of herself, but she is by far the best actor in the family.
I think Eric and Julia are far better actors than Emma. Personal opinion.
Right. And I don’t doubt that someone could use a nepo baby’s famous relative as a reason to not hire them for a job if they didn’t like said relative but how often does it work in the reverse? I mean, surely she can agree that her last name has benefited her more than hurt her, even taking into account the Julia & Eric Roberts-haters.
I don’t think women get it worse than men in this instance. Ben Platt was the face of nepotism for a hot minute. Brooklyn Beckham gets whacked everytime he shows up in the news. Jaden Smith was another one who had to face heavy criticism ever since he was a kid (along with his sister to be fair).
The untalented, ungrateful and in-denial ones get it worse than the talented ones who acknowledge their privilege.
Also, the nepo talk isn’t new, but “back in the day”, the conversation around someone being the son / daughter / niece / nephew of an established actor / musician / director etc. was a different one.
There’s already too much on the nepotism plate to add gender bias to it. And adding to your point, this topic goes back to the origins of Hollywood itself when studios were run by brothers, and later their sons. And actresses were often the wives and mistresses of said brothers and sons. Families like the Hustons (Walter, John, Angelica), were called dynasties and the Barrymores were considered acting royalty. But now it’s Phil Collins’ daughter or Clint Eastwood’s son.
Don’t forget Tom Hanks’ son, the rapper. He is a card-carrying member of the Nepo Babies Club.
I agree that men (especially straight white men) have a certain “Express Lane pass” while everyone else is doomed to the regular highway…
The whole point of people calling out nepotism is that nepo babies absolutely, definitely and distinctly don’t need to prove themselves more. The industry in which she works wants a certainty—look at how the Oscar voting goes, right? Having the right connections and people who can speak for you gives you a smoother ride.
Every time I start to like Emma Robert a little. She opens her mouth and reminds me why I can’t stand her.
Sure Emma, you’re the hardest working woman in Hollywood. No non-nepo baby works harder than you. Or went to somewhere like Yale Drama school and has a Master of Arts. And are working as a barista in Starbucks waiting for their break. And you have a high school degree. With the benefit of working since a child with jobs your aunt got for you. 100% the same thing.
Sure, yeah sure.
I’m with you, Flamingo. She has always come off to me as ignorant and entitled. I try to like her because I like her dad and aunt’s work, but she just sounds so dumb when interviewed, and she tries to exude a sense that she is thoughtful, but it just makes her sound self aggrandizing and full of herself. She gives me an icky feeling.
Right and if we are going by genders. She was arrested for domestic violence against Evan Peters. I wish he hadn’t declined to press charges. She should have gotten the same treatment Jonathan Majors did and lost jobs.
But no, she just keeps going along being hired by Ryan Murphy and life is grand. Then has a baby to try and soften her image, I guess.
Exactly @ Flamingo, why are we still hearing from her? She should have gotten the same treatment as Jonathan Majors. It’s infuriating.
I don’t actually think she is wrong. There can be a lot of pressure that comes with having successful or talented family, even when you’re not a nepo baby. I don’t think it outweighs the perks for her.
Yea I agree with the pressure of coming from a successful family. I also agree with the comments about men getting more of a pass. I do think it must be really hard for the nepo babies who experience people not wanting to work with them because of a grudge against a relative. I can imagine it happens quite often as many of these nepro babies might have famous parents but their parents haven’t worked for maybe 20-30 years so probably aren’t helping them as much as we think they are. Some of these parents may also have had substance misuse issues which is caused them to have this bad reputation and they might not have been a particularly good parent either so it might be difficult for some of these nepo babies to recognize the privilege they’ve had because in ways their life hasn’t been so easy as everyone thinks it has. I think some of these parents that have these substance misuse issues don’t lose custody only because they have a full-time nanny. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have more privilege than someone with no connections as they don’t have to work that hard to even get an agent.
Exactly. I don’t doubt that there are hazards to having family in the industry who piss people off. That said, the perks still outweigh the downsides. That was the point some Brazilian model made about Kendall Jenner et al.: that her family is relying on her income (added pressure), that she has to wait in line (more difficulty) while the Jenners of the modeling industry can waltz to the front, that she has no connections to get her in the door. That when she’s rejected, she doesn’t get to climb into an air conditioned vehicle and dial up her therapist. She just has to take the rejection, get on the subway, and go to the next casting call.
The point is that there are a million ways that wealth and access to some measure of existing success in the industry, through parents, make it easier for you to navigate the industry — on a logistical, emotional, and even physical basis.
Since she’s the niece of Julia Robert’s, she might have the burden of being compared to Julia. I think in her case she might have had to prove that she has some level of charisma ( which probably doesn’t compare to the massive kind Julia has). I don’t think she’s totally wrong.
She likely has had to go through the audition phase differently than someone like Gwyneth Paltrow. Both Eric and Julia also have unusual faces. Even her looks might be compared to them. They’re distinctive looking with interesting smiles and she’s attractive in a more common way.
She looks like them. She has always looked like them. But nobody is coaching her about how to talk about her enormous privilege, and it shows.
I agree with her. Women always get criticized more than men. It’s good that she has seen that A list crazy kind of fame and does not want that.
I wouldn’t be able to guess she’s related to them just by looking at her. Julia and Eric have very distinctive lips and Julia’s smile is her money-maker. I don’t see much of a resemblance. I don’t even see a resemblance between Emma and her cousins (Julia’s kids).
She just looks like a normal attractive girl you’d see in a mall. Even if Julia Roberts weren’t famous, I’d recognize her as different looking with a certain kind of charisma which stands out to a far greater degree than the average person.
Julia also appears to be about 5’9″ while Emma Roberts appears to be 5’2″, or at most 5’4″. There appears to be a significant height difference. Without looking at the last name or someone actively pointing it out to me, it wouldn’t occur to me that she’s related to Julia or Eric.
I also think Julia’s charisma is on a different level. Even in that movie with Natalie Portman, you could tell her charisma trumped Portman’s. There are benefits, but once it was pointed out to me that Emma is related to Julia, I would do that terrible thing of making comparisons since Roberts is one of the biggest movie starts of our time.
I think she has acknowledged her leg up and was saying that to be taken seriously as an actor, Nepo babies do have to work hard to prove they have talent and not just there bc of whoever they are related to….
She may feel that she has to prove herself to those that have pre-established perceptions of her relatives, but that awareness of her family members is certainly more of a benefit than a hindrance. Nepo-babies can get representation (agents, managers) and auditions, and those are the biggest hurdles in forging a career in entertainment. She may feel that she has to prove herself more but even having the chance to do that is the advantage! A vast majority of successful actors are either nepo-babies or were child actors. Those that truly worked their way to success are the exception. There’s just too many people trying to do the same thing and you can’t get to studio auditions without a manager or agent advocating for you.
I mean, it’s the industry too. People are always skeptical of the Hollywood nepo babies because it seems a little too easy to use the name to springboard into a full-blown career, even if there are actors far more talented and deserving. Contrast that with, say, the NBA. No son of a famous basketball player will have staying power in a league that chock-full of talent unless they have the proven skill/ability to back it up. It’s just not sustainable in that setting the way it can be in a place like Hollywood.
I tried to get into her book club and I still like her picks but the depth is certainly not there… She’s very pretty on screen but to me, she plays every role the same way. To be clear, women always have to prove themselves 10x harder than men in any work setting, even without the rare benefit of nepotism.
Dead behind the eyes Emma roberts is only in Hollywood because of her family
Too bad she still hasn’t proven herself!
Family connections get nepo babies their first jobs. But I don’t think they could continue to get jobs and build long careers if they weren’t talented.
I concur! The nepo babies saga is too broad for my taste. I get they are not on the same footing as everyone. Parents want to help their children. If they are talented, i do not see an issue. It is when they have no talents and they want to achieve something they cannot do. This is everywhere, the children of store owners, bankers and etc…
Nepo babies in the movie industry do bother if the talent is there like I said. It is the fashion industry that annoys me because the talents are not necessary bvious.
Haha. Not with family friends, Ryan Murphy, or people hoping to meet Julia.
I think she’s really pretty.
I’m not particularly fond of her, but I think I understand where she’s coming from. Yes, being a nepo baby opens doors, but does it keep them open?
the expectation and scrutiny from the industry – and especially from the public must put immense pressure on their lives. You walk in that door expected to be as good as your relative and if you’re not, it must be horrible to face the disappointment from the public AND your family.
I always think it must be the saddest thing to be born into a famous household.
If you choose to follow your famous parent’s footsteps, you are bound to suffer from the comparison and must live a lifelong battle with impostor syndrome…
Regarding Men nepo vs Women nepo babies, I think she makes sense too. I especially feel a lot for model’s kids – see: Kaia Gerber vs. Elizabeth Hurley’s son (don’t know his name) – two different treatments but I imagine Kaia struggles a lot more because even if she wants to create her own identity, the industry will always try to recreate her mother’s looks… while the latter well, he’s praised for being a handsome male version of his mom’s beauty. I see the same with Heidi Klum or Kate Moss’ daughters…
Women generally get more shit for any type of privilege they have. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that that spills over into the nepo-baby conversation. The benefits of nepotism outweigh any disadvantages though.