It’s not really a good expression, “nepo baby”. But there was a time when the Americans decided to call it. A couple of years ago, they kicked off a debate about famous actors and filmmakers who are the children of famous parents, and how the public should relate to this kind of success. The word is a compound of “nepotism” and, of course, “baby”, and somehow does not quite fit grown-up people who, after all, both have their own CV and their own lives. But it is successful in the sense that everyone understands what is meant by it. It is not positive. A “nepo baby” is someone who has been carried along through life, who would not be able to accomplish anything on their own. Who have been given opportunities that other actors would give an arm for, if they hadn’t needed it in the job. Who live on their parents’ position and network. NEXT GENERATION: Maya Hawke, daughter of actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, broke through with “Stranger Things” and now has a film career. Here from the film festival in Cannes. Photo: AFP Among those who are frequently mentioned among Hollywood’s “nepo babies” are the actors Zoë Kravitz, Maya Hawke, Maude Apatow, Lily-Rose Depp and Jack Quaid. They are the children of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann, Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, and Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid respectively. How many magazine covers, star interviews and award statuettes there are in that generation of parents, I don’t know. But they are numerous and spread over several decades. That several doors have been open to these star children because they have the name they have and the pedigree they have is beyond doubt. But that is not to say that they have not seized the opportunities they have been given. Or that they are not good at their job. CRITICIZED: Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of actors Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, has been criticized for being blind to her own privilege. Photo: AP In fact, it is possible to think that successful “nepo babies” have not only received connections as a cradle gift, but also something more, something else, that has made them attractive to the producers and casting agents out there. This week we see a Norwegian film dynasty develop in a way that is reminiscent of the stories from the United States. Today is the cinema premiere of “Armand”, the debut of director Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel. The film has already had a dream start. It won the so-called Golden Camera, the award for best debut film, during the Cannes Film Festival. And last week it was announced that it will be Norway’s Oscar candidate. Tøndel has been whispered about for a number of years as one of Film-Norge’s great talents. But he has brought more than that with him. He is the son of Linn Ullmann and the grandson of two legends in film history, Liv Ullmann and Ingmar Bergman. FAMOUS FAMILY: Director Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel is the child of writer Linn Ullmann and grandson of film legends Ingmar Bergman and Liv Ullmann. Photo: NTB This naturally means that industry people in Norway and around the world, who have a strong relationship with what Tøndel’s grandparents created, take an extra look at his name and perhaps do a Google search. Yes, that Ullmann. Only there does a young Norwegian director have an advantage over the thousands of aspiring filmmakers with a thousand ideas and a thousand needs, for money, for people who are willing to see what they have made. But it also creates a basis for comparison that can take most people’s breath away. Those who become curious about Tøndel’s films because they love their grandfather’s masterpieces may want to look for an imprint of the legend Bergman in them, rather than a young filmmaker’s own vision. He won’t have to work as hard as others to be seen, but he will be seen with a certain type of glasses. Tøndel himself has not singled out his grandparents in particular, but he has not avoided answering questions about them either. For the most part, he has done that briefly, and it is probably wise. As a film, “Armand” does not seem particularly Bergman-like. TENSE SITUATION: The meeting between parents and school management in “Armand” is thrilling, and deliberately not entirely realistic. The oppressive story of a meeting between parents and teachers at a remote primary school, where nothing is completely realistic and claustrophobia creeps in, is perhaps more reminiscent of another of film history’s great names, namely David Lynch. But the same applies to him as to other children and grandchildren of celebrities. They get the opportunities, but after that they have to fly on their own. If no one wants to listen to what they have to say, they won’t get very far. It is easy to point to the many Hollywood actors who are the children of actors and think that the system is rigged, that someone has slipped in the queue. And to a certain extent that is true. For someone who sits for hours waiting to get an audition, and then finds out that the role goes to a rich kid who didn’t have to sit in the same, sweaty waiting room, that must be bitter. NEPO-VOKSEN: Actor and director Ben Stiller is one of those who grew up in a showbiz family, but who became an even bigger star than his parents. Photo: AP At the same time, it is easy to forget how many celebrity children are unable to build a career, despite the resources they have at their disposal. Kevin Costner’s daughters have almost exclusively acted in their father’s films. Elizabeth Taylor’s son never got beyond the soap opera roles. Sean Connery’s son Jason has kept a film career going, but the titles and roles are not among the ones you’ve heard of. And the less said about the photographs of Brooklyn Beckham, the better. No one must underestimate that it is also about luck and bad luck when some succeed and others do not in the harsh, artistic industries. Bad luck and bad timing regularly cost the world great gifts. But luck is not enough either, and good connections are not enough. Those who make it through must have something that is just their own, talent or work ethic or flair or all of them, and that someone else wants. THE LEGENDS: Ingmar Bergman directs actor Liv Ullmann. They are the grandparents of the Norwegian filmmaker Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel. Photo: AFP And perhaps it is precisely this that is one of the great injustices in the world. That those who are somewhat condescendingly referred to as “nepo babies” have not only inherited a famous name, a network, and parents who can help them, but also talent and knowledge. If you grew up with conversations about film and film work swirling around you, with classic films on the screen when the family sits down on the sofa, you also get a kind of second-hand experience, an internalized know-how, which will help you further. For children and young people, adult working life is often somewhat unclear and strange. But it’s easier to imagine a working day you’ve witnessed up close, whether your parents were teachers, electricians or movie stars. Those societies that try to put mechanisms in place to compensate for this, to give insight and internal tools to those who want to try their hand at a completely different industry than the ones their father and mother worked in, have this as a badge of nobility. It is in everyone’s interest to oppose pure nepotism. But for those who do well, even after having their family as a trampoline, one still has to consider the possibility that they may have deserved it. Published 27/09/2024, at 18.17
ttn-69
Perhaps the star children deserve the success. – Speech
