After New York Mag declared 2022 the “Year of the Nepo Baby,” two distinct camps emerged: Those who acknowledge the privilege that comes with having a famous parent and those who take issue with the label. Catherine Zeta-Jones is firmly in the second camp. Catherine and Michael Douglas’s two children, Dylan, 25, and Carys, 22, are both trying to break into the industry. Dylan does a political podcast on Sirius XM and has appeared in a few short films while Carys recently made her NYC stage debut in Brooklyn.
Catherine is currently promoting her new thriller Kill Jackie. In a recent interview with the Sunday Times, she brought up her kids’ aspirations and declared that she found the nepo baby label offensive. Her argument? Dylan and Carys are just two kids trying to make their way through this world. They didn’t choose to be born into a famous family, so why should they be labeled as such? Here’s more from People:
Catherine Zeta-Jones is not a fan of the term “nepo baby.”
The Wednesday actress, 56, chatted with The Sunday Times about everything from her new thriller Kill Jackie and her career to her family life and decades-long marriage to Michael Douglas. During the conversation, she opened up about how her two now-adult kids, Carys, 22, and Dylan, 25, are “plugging away” as they work in the family business.
“They’re plugging away,” she told the outlet. “My daughter wanted to be Amal Clooney for a while. But you have to go with your dreams, your passion.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, she shared her feelings on the phrase “nepo baby,” calling it “horrible.” The Gallerist star explained that her children “didn’t ask to be born” into the way of life and are simply “finding their own way.”
“Yeah, but it’s hard for them to forge a way forward on their own. This horrific phrase ‘nepo baby’ is horrible because these kids didn’t ask to be born into this; they’re finding their own way in life,” she said, before switching focus to her own kids. “But they love it, and they’re good.”
“Otherwise Michael and I would be the first to go, ‘You know what? Maybe law school looks really good,’ ” she added.
I don’t think I can roll my eyes harder at CZJ’s out-of-touch comments. She’s married to a nepo baby, for goodness’s sake. It would have been less cringe if she’d taken the “going into the family business” route. There is nothing wrong with Dylan and Carys wanting to become actors, but it is a fact that they’re going to benefit from nepotism. No one is saying they aren’t talented or hardworking. The label is just about acknowledging that the Douglas family name will open doors for them. Even Gwyneth Paltrow has enough self-awareness to admit that reality.
I won’t hold Catherine’s opinions against Dylan and Carys, though. Dylan’s website, which heavily promotes Democratic politics, does not mention his famous lineage. Carys’s Instagram page is a normal rich girl account, but it doesn’t put a spotlight on her parents. (She looks exactly like Michael, though.) That said, I’m genuinely curious to hear how they respond to the nepo baby question and whether they’re more aware of their privilege than their mother is.
Photos credit: IMAGO/Avalon, Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
