“I think there’s something to be said where everybody loves the kind of overnight success story,” Emma Roberts said of the larger “nepo baby” debate
Emma Roberts is speaking out about how people view “nepo babies.”
During Roberts’ appearance on the Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi podcast by iHeartMedia to promote her new movie Space Cadet, the actress emphasized that even actors with famous relatives face tough challenges on their journey to success.
“That’s the thing that I always talk about — people usually only see your victories because they see you on a movie poster. They don’t notice all the rejection you went through along the way,” Emma, whose aunt is Julia Roberts and father is Eric Roberts, told podcast host Bruce Bozzi.
“That’s why I’m always very open about roles I’ve auditioned for but didn’t get,” she added. “It’s important to share this side of things. Otherwise, people think everything has been smooth and easy, and that’s not the case. It might look that way to outsiders or to the naked eye.”
Emma began her acting career in 2001 and initially gained fame on the Nickelodeon sitcom Unfabulous and in movies like 2006’s Aquamarine and 2007’s Nancy Drew. More recently, she has starred in several seasons of American Horror Story.
“I think there’s two sides to this. People say you have an advantage because of your family’s connections,” she shared during the podcast. “But the flip side is you have to prove yourself even more. Additionally, if someone had a bad experience with a member of your family, you might not get a chance at all.”
“I think everyone loves the idea of an overnight success,” Roberts continued. “So if you’re not the girl from the middle of nowhere who made it big in Hollywood, there’s a bit of an eye-roll and ‘Well, your dad was this famous person.’”
Roberts humorously pointed out that actors like George Clooney could also be considered “nepo babies” because of his aunt, Rosemary Clooney, who was an actress and singer.
“I’m half-joking, but it seems young girls face harsher criticism about being ‘nepo babies,’” she said. “I don’t see people calling out sons of famous actors — not that they should be called out. Nobody should criticize anyone for following their dream.”
