Jack Quaid Agrees With ‘Nepo Baby’ Label: “I Am an Immensely Privileged Person, I Don’t Think It Undermines My Talent”
Courtesy of Mega Agency.
The term “nepo baby” is thrown around a lot in the Hollywood sphere, and Jack Quaid is no stranger to hearing this terminology.
‘The Boys’ star, whose parents are Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, touched on the fact that the term could have some negative implications by masking talent.
“No matter what I do, people are going to call attention to it. People have called me a ‘nepo baby.’ I’m inclined to agree,” said the actor. “I am an immensely privileged person, was able to get representation pretty early on, and that’s more than half the battle.”
Quaid’s mother, Meg Ryan (‘Sleepless in Seattle’) recently defended her son against being called a nepo baby with Glamour magazine. “Jack is really talented. He’s more of a natural than I’ll ever be,” Ryan said. “That nepo stuff is so dismissive of his work ethic, his gifts, and how sensitive he is to the idea of his privilege.”
Quaid added to her comments on a podcast with The Daily Beast saying, “She’s being a loving mom. But I don’t think she’s trying to say that I’m not a nepo baby. I think she’s just trying to say that, in her opinion, it undermines my talent. I don’t think it undermines my talent. I know that I work hard, and I know I’ve heard ‘no’ way more than I’ve heard ‘yes.’ But I also know that this industry is insanely hard to break into, and I had an easier time doing that than most. Both things can be true. So no, I don’t think she was trying to say that I’m not a privileged person. She knows. She must know. I think she was being a mom.”
The term ‘nepo baby’ has been a topic of hot discussion in the past few years, and recently, Emma Roberts added to the fire. She said men from similar ‘nepo baby’ backgrounds have it easier. “I always joke, ‘Why is no one calling out George Clooney for being a nepo baby? [His aunt] Rosemary Clooney was an icon.'”
Robert comes from a famous show business family — she is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and Kelly Cunningham, and the niece of iconic Hollywood actress Julia Roberts.
Earlier this year, Maya Hawke, daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, got involved with the conversation, and was praised for accepting the term and leaning toward its perks as an actress in Hollywood.
