The long-standing debate on nepotism in Hollywood was reanimated when Harvard alumnus and ‘The Black List’ founder Franklin Leonard replied on a Twitter post about a news update on Hopper Penn and Brian D’Arcy’s casting in Destry Allyn Spielberg’s directorial ‘The Rightway’ that is written by Owen King.
Incidentally, Hopper Penn is eminent Hollywood actor Sean Penn’s son, Destry Allyn Spielberg is legendary Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s daughter while Owen King is Stephen King’s son. Franklin Leonard replied by saying that “Hollywood’s a meritocracy, right?” indicating the involvement of these three star-kids in a single film.
Leonard’s reply got the attention of ‘Meet the Parents’ actor Ben Stiller, who responded by saying “Too easy @franklinleonard. People, working, creating. Everyone has their path. Wish them all the best.” And this kicked off a spate of intense exchanges on the sensitive subject of nepotism between these two. Interestingly, Ben Stiller is the son of deceased legendary comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.
Later, Destry Allyn Spielberg also jumped into the nepotism debate by saying that “I acknowledge that I was born with privilege! I own that through and through! I make it my mission to bring new talent into the industry & give opportunities to artists of all backgrounds. No one should be left out because of the connections they don’t have.”
Consequently, Ben Stiller was at the receiving end of many Twitteratis for, in a way, defending the involvement of the sons and daughter of established Hollywood celebrities with reference to the short film ‘The Rightway’. Ben Stiller eventually detached himself from the heated debate.
It’s a fact that Ben Stiller is the son of veteran performers, but the talented actor has worked hard to make his way to Hollywood stardom. He has films like ‘Meet the Parents’, There’s Something About Mary’, ‘Tropic Thunder’ and any more under his belt. He has proved his acting chops time and again.
However, that might not be the case with most of the other Hollywood star-kids. Barring a few like Nicolas Cage (nephew of Francis Ford Coppola), Colin Hanks (Tom Hanks’s son), and ‘Tenet’ star John David Washington (Denzel Washington’s son), few have been able to effectively carve a niche and make an impact that is purely based on merit.