It Pays to be Privileged
Hollywood loves to tell gut-wrenching “rags to riches” stories, but nobody in the industry can relate because basically everyone was hired because they know somebody who knows somebody. Right now, people are buzzing online about Patrick Schwarzenegger’s nepo-casting in White Lotus. But nepotism is nothing new in our world, especially in Hollywood. Patrick is just the latest, most recognizable last name out there. Since the Golden Age of cinema in the 30s and 40s, Hollywood has been a gatekept industry based entirely on who you know—and like the commoners lining up for a glimpse of the Queen as she peruses the streets, most audiences gobble up the fame and notoriety.
On the flip side, aspiring actors rightfully resent nepotism because they’re perpetually losing a one-sided popularity contest. While this frustration is entirely understandable, nepobabies in Hollywood are far more acceptable because they have one trait that nepobabies in other industries lack: Competence. Many entertainment nepobabies, especially from families of famous actors, have spent their lives preparing for the big screen. In a recent interview, Patrick Schwarzenegger told USA Today, “I know there are people who'll say I only got this role because of who my dad is, [but] they're not seeing that I've had 10 years of acting classes, put on school plays every week, worked on my characters for hours on end or the hundreds of rejected auditions I've been on."
Julia Vorbeck, a journalist from The Southern, says, “[Good nepobabies] understand that while their family name may get them through the door, staying in the room requires talent and effort.” Patrick Schwarzenegger’s take on his character, Saxon Ratliff in White Lotus, has been pretty phenomenal and while he may have gotten places because of his last name, it’s ultimately his undeniable talent that will take his career even further.
Obviously, not all nepobabies are created equal, they don’t all prove to be amazing actors like their parents. Statistically speaking, however, chances are pretty good. According to Chloe Laws, the entertainment expert at Glamour, more than half of Hollywood is a nepobaby, so perhaps the privileged rituals of the last several decades are working. Why reinvent the wheel when you can score some serious talent with half the effort through tried-and-true, who-you-know casting practices?
Riding Daddy’s Coattails Straight to the Red Carpet
Vetted by legacy actors and industry pros, many nepobabies in Hollywood were literally born to act. With their beautiful faces, experience on set, and a family lineage they can’t afford to get blackballed, nepo-actors are the perfect fit. Beyond that, human psychology suggests that audiences inherently prefer a twinge of familiarity. As the expert in human happiness and decision-making with Psychology Today, Dr. Raj Raghunathan says, “From an evolutionary perspective, familiarity breeds liking. Generally speaking, things that are familiar are likely to be safer than things that are not.” And when it comes down to a popularity contest between a well-known nepobaby and a wildcard no-name actor, a casting director is going to make the safe choice to protect their multimillion-dollar movie investment.
The entertainment industry can get away with the pageantry of nepo-hiring, because ultimately, many nepo-actors are actually pretty good at their jobs. Unlike nepo-hires in other industries—finance, politics, tech startups—nepobaby actors have been steeped in artistry and a lavish lifestyle from an early age and will likely not be bothered by flashing paparazzi, the blinding spotlights on set, or the overwhelming weight of fame. Furthermore, Hamza Shehryar, an entertainment reporter with Medium, says, “[Nepobabies] have the opportunities to get first-hand experience in and develop contacts with key individuals by virtue of their last name, they are able to procure opportunities that other aspiring individuals simply cannot.” In short, they have been prepped and ready for the spotlight ever since they checked out of the maternity ward.
More importantly, an actor’s skills ultimately have very little impact on the greater good of society. Oftentimes, nepotism greatly affects the efficacy of a project or the health of a company. In other industries, an incompetent nepo-hire may steal the job of someone far more qualified, crippling an entire department and leaving hardworking underlings to pick up the slack for their poor decisions. But let’s be real, nepo-actors aren’t signing a bill into law, they’re not doing open heart surgery, they’re not farming our crops, and they’re not in the Presidential cabinet, so who cares if they got the job over someone else? At the end of the day, Hollywood nepobabies are just entertainers and they’re usually darn good ones at that—let them cook!
Familiar Faces
You may have noticed, but producers are becoming more conservative with their movie-making. We’re no longer seeing new releases where Daniel Radcliffe is running around in his skivvies in the jungle as a human Swiss army knife—that’s too “weird.” And we rarely see a no-name newbie actor in leading roles either. Why? Because unusual, weird, nuanced films and actors are too risky these days in a streamer’s world with infinite choice. Run like a corporate hedge fund, the film industry’s artistry is waning, forcing producers to hedge their bets in as many arenas as possible, including casting. Jake Ures, a film critic with Jacobin Magazine, says, “In the best-case scenario, both the artist and the capitalist investor can strike a balance to appease each other’s competing interests—the former to do something unique and interesting, the latter to reduce the chance that it won’t land. But this partnership has become unbalanced in recent years.” This new model capitalizes on an audience’s desire for a semblance of familiarity. Ures continues, “The new way of doing things is better for investors.”
These days, predictably successful movies and shows are all that make it out of the Hollywood writing rooms and it’s because there’s so much content competition. If a movie doesn’t make a huge splash on opening weekend, producers can basically kiss a couple million dollars goodbye, because it’ll be lost in the chaff within hours. Joshua Caldwell, a director, producer, and writer for Medium, says, “Algorithms are unpredictable and often prioritize viral, easily digestible content over nuanced, artistic pieces. A quirky 30-second clip might get more traction than a meticulously crafted film.” So when producers have $25M on the line for their movie budget, having a doorbusting, recognizable face headlining your movie helps ensure a slam dunk on streaming platforms.
When it comes down to the hiring process, casting is key to getting audiences in the door. Entertainment seekers are more likely to select a movie with a familiar face than they are to pull the thread of the unknown, because most people in the movie theater aren’t looking for overwhelming stimuli. Ultimately, many movie-goers are looking to kick back, relax, and be entertained.
Ringing the Dinner Bell
Your dinner starts to get cold as you’re scrolling Netflix, HBO, Paramount+, and Amazon for the perfect mood-movie for the evening. It’s been a long day and you’re tired of decision-making, but you rack the deepest recesses of your lizard-brain—all that’s left at this point—for the perfect entertainment vibe for the evening. After who-knows-how-long doomscrolling your preferred platforms, you see a familiar face pop up, some nepobaby in Hollywood headlining a movie with a little buzz around it. You don’t know why, but it tickles some part of your brain, triggering a domino effect that compels you to click “Watch Now.” You may be aware of nepotism in Hollywood or even against it, but it’s decisions like this that perpetuate it. In my opinion, a nepo-hire in the film industry is entirely inconsequential, so while I eat my delicious hot dinner while watching a movie I know I’ll like, I tip my hat in acknowledgment.
Let ‘em have their easy win in Hollywood so we can have our easy choice at home.