There has always been nepotism in Hollywood, but these 5 stars from famous families have done their best to avoid being seen as just another famous sibling or offspring, and have worked to make their careers stand out for what they’ve really achieved. Working hard to gain recognition for themselves, they’ve tried not to just use their famous name to get ahead and feel as though they’ve proven that they haven’t had it all just handed to them.
Elizabeth Olsen
Elizabeth wanted success on her own terms and didn’t lean on her famous sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley: “My parents made me write down a pros and cons list. And the cons just piled up. So I figured I’d keep acting as a hobby until I was older. Because I felt that pressure, and that people would say, ‘Oh, that’s nepotism.’ I decided that as long as I felt confident and worked hard for it, instead of having it handed to me, no one could take that away from me.”
Emma Roberts
Emma is from a famous family but says she has worked hard and been through rejection: “A lot of people think that and they talk about nepotism which I think is so ridiculous considering it’s obviously not true, because I’ve auditioned for so many things and never gotten the part. Also it’s like, you know, maybe someone can get you one part but they can’t really get you 10 parts.”
Kendall Jenner
Kendall says her famous name just made her work harder and in some instances, it was even a negative: “People think that this [success] just came to me. But it didn’t. What I have has almost worked against me. I had to work even harder to get where I wanted because people didn’t take me seriously as a model. Because of the TV show. I went on castings and some people weren’t feeling me because of my name. But it was great when people didn’t recognise me. I was like, ‘Thank you. Please don’t recognise me.'”
Lily Collins
Daughter of Phil Collins, Lily, believes she has to still work hard to convince people she’s worthy of any chance she’s given: “My last name may have opened doors, but I have to keep them open.”
Zelda Williams
Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda believes she has learnt from her father’s career: “I think the invaluable knowledge attained even just growing up around the industry and our parents is our biggest asset as a second (or third) generation entertainer. Whether through watching or listening, a lot of us are very conscious of the ways that we could fail at what we’re working to accomplish. After all, our parents have either avoided or fallen prey to these very traps before us. On my part, I strive that much harder to avoid some of these pitfalls, ones that perhaps my fellow non-actor-progeny may stumble into.”
