I like Jack, he’s a good actor. But he, most likely, would not be acting today if it wasn’t for his parents
Meg Ryan Defends Son Jack Quaid Of ‘Nepo Baby’ Label: “That Nepo Stuff Is So Dismissive Of His Work Ethic”
Submitted 10 months ago by ZeroCool@feddit.ch to moviesandtv@lemm.ee
https://deadline.com/2023/12/meg-ryan-defends-son-jack-quaid-nepo-baby-label-1235649710/
Comments
ME5SENGER_24@lemm.ee 10 months ago
ArugulaZ@kbin.social 10 months ago
Nobody would be doing anything without parents. It's kind of the nature of genealogy.
ZeroCool@feddit.ch 10 months ago
Davin@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Well, I liked your joke.
halm@leminal.space 10 months ago
I like what I’ve seen of Jack Quaid’s work well enough and, no matter my opinion of his parents’ output, they certainly made a life for themselves.
What gets me is that people conflate work ethics, opportunity, and talent as merit for success. Loads of actors with equal “work ethic” to the ones we see on screens are unable to find full time work as actors. Same in other sectors where opportunities are outnumbered by candidates.
In no way can I accept that the son of two film stars “deserve” his opportunities more than anybody who has trained as hard, has the same amount of talent (however you measure that), and who probably only has a menial job to fall back on if they don’t get the part. That is not Jack Quaid’s fault, though, nor do I think his parents at any point stopped to think “Y’know, imma pull a nepo for Jack”.
I do think Meg Ryan turns a blind eye on the structural advantages that her son has had growing up as he has. It will never hurt an upcoming actor to share a last name and possible likeness with established stars but, more importantly, actors’ kids grow up knowing what agents are, where to get headshots, how much time goes into auditioning and networking — and through their parents’ friends and colleagues they have ample opportunity to climb the ladder faster than others who have to elbow themselves into acting circles from the outside.
So on the one hand children of actors know the ropes from square one, or have seasoned professionals who will mentor them. At the same time, they will probably have opportunities offered to them from producers, directors or casting agents who want to curry favour with their more famous parents. Dismissing those obvious advantages is so tone deaf and privileged that Ryan really undermines her own argument.
doubletwist@lemmy.world 10 months ago
It reminds me of a headline I saw yesterday about Tiger Wood’s son winning a high school national championship golf tournament. It made me wonder how many other kids have a similar base talent, and how would they fare if, from the day they were born, they had his access to the absolute best training technology and instructors on the planet, including his father’s unmatched experience in the non-technical aspects of winning tournaments guiding him.
halm@leminal.space 10 months ago
Exactly. And just the fact that Wood Jr makes headlines for a frigging high school trophy plays into systemic/structural nepotism — where media and audiences alike love and enforce the lineage narratives — that might encourage or even pressure him into a sports career.
FoundTheVegan@kbin.social 10 months ago
Mooooom people are bein' mean about those jobs u got me!
lapommedeterre@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I’ll still look forward to watching The Boys, Star Trek, and Superman, though.
oldbaldgrumpy@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Poor little rich kid.
kool_newt@lemm.ee 10 months ago
Never heard of him, but now I’m like “oh Jack Quaid, nepo baby”.
NightOwl@lemmy.one 10 months ago
If I were him only thing worse than being called a nepo baby would be my mom coming out publicly to tell people not to call me a nepo baby. That’s like further drawing anything to the issue and as embarrassing as a student would be of their parents loudly telling everyone in school to not be bullies.
ZeroCool@feddit.ch 10 months ago
Yep, sounds like the Streisand effect. I’ve been watching him on The Boys for the last four years and never realized he was Jack Quaid as in Dennis Quaid’s kid. And I certainly didn’t realize his mother was Meg Ryan.
“Don’t call my baby a nepo baby!”
“Wait, the guy from The Boys is Meg Ryan’s kid?” lol
Slice@lemmy.world 10 months ago
He’s a voice actor/lead on lower decks (animated trek show) I liked him without knowing one of his parents ever got mail… so he holds his own, but privilege is privilege… He’s not not a nepo baby.
kool_newt@lemm.ee 10 months ago
I keep hearing good things about that show.
Anticorp@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Have you seen The Boys? He’s the lead character of the anti-supes team.
kool_newt@lemm.ee 10 months ago
No, but now I’ve got Lower Decks and The Boys on my list.
Varyk@sh.itjust.works 10 months ago
It is true that he likely received special treatment because of his parents, and it is just as true that it is dismissive to call him a nepo baby.
That’s a specifically derogatory infantilizing name that dismisses the entirety of an actor’s own work and attributes it solely and dismissively to their genetic legacy.
Successful movie stars, especially those with successful parents, do need to be coddled, but infantilizing someone and misattributing all of their success and their very personhood is dismissive and insulting.
the_q@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Reckon why you got so many downvotes, bud?
Varyk@sh.itjust.works 10 months ago
Self-consciousness plays a role, I expect, with a dose of the 'spose-tas.
ArugulaZ@kbin.social 10 months ago
Counterpoint to all this nepo baby nonsense: Nicholas Cage. Jamie Lee Curtis. Candace Bergen. John Ritter. They're all successful actors who rivaled or surpassed their celebrity ancestors.
ZeroCool@feddit.ch 10 months ago
That doesn’t change the fact that they’re nepo babies. That’s not even remotely a counterpoint lmao.
NightOwl@lemmy.one 10 months ago
Haha yeah it actually shows what a huge initial advantage it even is to be able to get a chance to act in the industry, and highlights how they could have not been in the industry without nepotism. There’s a lot of talented people but only so many people the industry is willing to give a look, so relationships really matter if you don’t want to rely on lottery type luck. Industry doesn’t have a shortage of people.
Zorque@kbin.social 10 months ago
Which doesn't change the dismissive nature of the epithet. Painting targets on specific people instead of the culture surrounding them makes them seem like the problem, instead of the very nature of the industry. It says "you didn't earn this, you just inherited it".
Just shouting "nepo baby" at people isn't an argument, it's abuse. If you want an argument, maybe change your strategy and try the next door over.
Remmock@kbin.social 10 months ago
Standing on the shoulders of giants helps you stand taller. Besides, you weren’t necessarily around to experience the star power of their predecessors. You have no idea if they’re actually more successful or not.
Anticorp@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Angelina Jolie
Akasazh@feddit.nl 10 months ago
Nicolas Cage deliberately changes his name from Coppola to avoid suspicion of nepotism.
Anticorp@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Wild! I never knew he was Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew.
caseyweederman@lemmy.ca 10 months ago
Aww, Boims!
scottywh@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I had no idea that was Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid’s kid.
ZeroCool@feddit.ch 10 months ago
Plenty of struggling actors have a good work ethic but don’t have powerful/successful mommies and daddies giving them a foot in the door, Meg.
It’s not dismissive to call him a nepo baby. It’s just a reflection of reality. It doesn’t make him a bad actor, it’s just acknowledging he was privileged by being the son of two very famous actors. Besides, [puts on Jeff Foxworthy mustache] If the biggest hardship you face in your life is being called a “nepo baby” then you just might be a nepo baby
WarmSoda@lemm.ee 10 months ago
Exactly. If he was a bad actor it would be totally different. But he’s fine. And his parents are two of the top actors of their generation… He’s simply a nepo baby. It is what it is.
NightOwl@lemmy.one 10 months ago
I would be grateful to be in a position to be called a nepo baby. That means my life is pretty good and I wouldn’t want to struggle unnecessarily if I don’t have to.
pixel_prophet@lemm.ee 10 months ago
A society that gaslights itself with the lie of being based on meritocracy requires them to engage in these mental gymnastics.
TheMauveAvenger@lemmy.world 10 months ago
This whole thing is fucking dumb on both sides. I’m not sure why she is defending so much. I’ve heard Jack on a few podcasts taking jokes/comments about it in stride, so clearly he’s not offended despite your weak attempt at a derisive Jeff Foxworthy reference.
On the other side, why does it matter now. The leg has been upped for these kids, that’s already done. It’s done in every industry the world over (born into a family farm? You’re a nepo baby). Nothing to do now but judge their actual work product to see if the success is somewhat warranted. Jack has a pretty good track record of his own and he is humble about it. That’s good enough for me compared to many other nepo babies.
ZeroCool@feddit.ch 10 months ago
Oh no some rando didn’t like my Jeff Foxworthy joke!
dpkonofa@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Doesn’t “nepobaby” imply that he didn’t earn it since nepotism is literally defined as “without merit”? If there’s another word to better describe his successes while also acknowledging his worth ethic, it is a bit unfair to call him a “nepobaby”.
ThunderingJerboa@kbin.social 10 months ago
I mean nepotism happens everywhere and it happens in a varying amount of ways. The fact you know the right someone is typically called "networking" but its nepotism with a fancy coat of paint on it. Sure people who get hired to due to nepotism probably do a ton of work but its clear the nepotism got their foot in the door to be where you are. Having 2 famous actors as parents probably helped move his career far more than most since yeah most people who work from the ground up with no reference probably work as hard as him but he had the luck of having the right parents.
BeefPiano@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I don’t see “without merit” in the definitions of nepotism I looked up. Calling someone a “nepobaby” is forcing them to confront their privilege, but also calling out a system that gives advantage to the children of privileged people.
Lauchs@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Where have you found a definition that has “without merit” ?
Varyk@sh.itjust.works 10 months ago
It is true that he likely received special treatment because of his parents, and it is just as true that it is dismissive to call him a nepo baby.
That’s a specifically derogatory infantilizing name that dismisses the entirety of an actor’s own work and attributes it solely and dismissively to their genetic legacy.
Successful movie stars, especially those with successful parents, do need to be coddled, but infantilizing someone and misattributing all of their success and their very personhood is dismissive and insulting.
lingh0e@sh.itjust.works 10 months ago
They don’t need to be coddled, but it happens. And it’s absolutely tone deaf for people who benefit from their parents fame to deny said fame had anything to do with it.