Emma Roberts has opened up about the challenges of having famous relatives in Hollywood. As the daughter of Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated actor Eric Roberts (‘The Dark Knight,’ ‘Inherent Vice’) and niece of Julia Roberts, one might assume her path in the industry was paved with gold. However, Roberts reveals a different reality.
Despite the common perception that ‘nepo babies’ – children of famous parents – have an easy ride, Roberts argues that her high-profile connections have often been more of a hindrance than a help. “I’ve lost more jobs than I’ve gained from being in the business,” she told Flaunt magazine. “People have opinions and sometimes maybe they’re not good opinions of people in your family. I’ve never gotten a job because of it. I know I definitely have lost a couple of jobs because of it.”
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This isn’t the first time Roberts has addressed the issue. Speaking on the ‘Table For Two’ podcast, she discussed the misconceptions about her career. “People kind of 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,” she said. “I think it’s important to talk about – otherwise people just think everything’s been so great and linear and easy, and no, it’s not at all. But of course it looks like that to the outside perspective or to the naked eye.”
Roberts highlighted the dual-edged sword of having a famous family. “I think there’s two sides of the coin. People like to say: ‘You know, you have a leg up because you have family in the industry’,” she noted. “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.”
Her comments come amidst a broader discussion about the ‘nepo baby’ phenomenon. Recently, singer Lily Allen also weighed in, describing the term as sexist. “I feel like young girls get it harder with the nepo baby thing,” she said. “I don’t really see people calling out sons of famous actors — not that they should be called out. I don’t think anyone should be called out for wanting to follow their dream.”