ZOOEY Deschanel has driven fans insane by denying her nepo baby status despite having an actor mother and a six-time Oscar nominee father.
The New Girl star spoke out against the nepotism claims during a recent interview on The School of Greatness podcast, hosted by Lewis Howes.
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During the interview, Zooey, 44, talked about the advantages of having family in showbusiness but denied that they’re positions in the industry landed her acting gigs or helped her get ahead.
The Elf actress told Lewis, 41, “My mom is an actor [and] my dad, like, is a cinematographer and a director.”
She then made clear, “I can’t possibly emphasize enough how much, like, creative help I had from my family unit.”
Zooey also mentioned, “It’s funny because people will be like, ‘Nepotism,’ [and] I’m like my dad’s a [director of photography], no one’s getting jobs because their dad’s a DP.”
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A Nepo Baby, short for nepotism baby, is a term used to reference celebrities whose parents have succeeded in the same careers.
The idea is that because the parents already have established connections to an industry, their children have a headstart and can use the same connections to create a career for themselves.
Zooey’s father Caleb is a successful cinematographer who has been nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
He has DP’d films such as The Right Stuff, directed by Philip Kaufman, 87, and The Natural, directed by Barry Levinson, 81.
Barry is the father of another accused nepo baby, Sam Levinson, 39, the writer and director of the HBO hit, Euphoria.
Zooey explained that her “dad is a great creative mind,” “such a talented person,” and “knows everything about film” but implied that’s what he imparted to her and her sister, Emily, 47, who was the star of the hit series Bones – not his connections in Hollywood.
The 500 Days of Summer star continued, “My mom is a great actor and is so nurturing.”
She mentioned that her mom would coach her before see had an acting coach, adding, “she would help me, read lines with me, [and] be so supportive.”
“I’ve had so many great discussions about film and filmmaking with my dad,” Zooey revealed.
“And having a sister who’s an actor,” she continued before adding, “It just makes you automatically have a community.
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Zooey then asked the podcast host, “And how much do communities help us, whether it’s our family or whether it’s our found communities?
“That’s so important to keeping going.”
FAN BACKLASH
Zooey’s fans discussed the actress’s denial that nepotism attributed to the start of her career on a pop culture-dedicated Reddit board.
One person wrote, “It’s weird that ppl just can’t be like ‘Yeah I’ve accomplished a lot but my upbringing and connections really helped me out.'”
They continued, “It’s not a bad thing to acknowledge but people have to have the mythos they built themselves up entirely themselves it’s so strange.”
“Yeah, why not reframe it as gratitude? “I’m thankful to the people who helped me get where I am today,” questioned another person.
A third commenter stated, “Literally. The only nepo babies I’ve seen acknowledge the bare minimum is Miley and Zoe Kravitz,” adding, “The rest of them don’t understand what nepotism even is.”
“I think it’s because nepo baby is used [derogatorily]. Like their talent had nothing to do with how they got the job,” mentioned a fourth.
One Redditor explained, “The problem is that having parents that can help with networking and providing acting coaching support isn’t Nepotism.
“So the Nepo Baby label is being thrown onto people who got their acting gigs ethically, and it’s natural for those people to take exception to it.”
‘CALL MY DAD’
Fans also referenced Zooey’s recent Instagram post where she shared her first professional headshots and Hollywood resume from when she was only 16.
Zooey captioned the post, “First headshots and resume. Just call my dad’s office number and my mom will drive me to the audition.”
The black-and-white photos featured a teenaged Zooey sporting a laid-back look in half the snaps and a classier ensemble in the others.
The resume revealed Zooey played “Doria Hudson in a production of ‘Smile'” as a sophomore in High School and that she was also in “Our Town,” “Little Women,” and “The Importance of Being Ernest.”
In the Reddit comment thread, one fan wrote, “Didn’t she only post that like last week.”
A second person commented, “The money for pro headshots, the capacity for her parents jobs to let them screen calls and chauffeur when needed, the pretty privilege.”
“It’s insane that even the most seemingly likeable and down to earth nepo baby actors just don’t get it,” added another.
A fourth wrote, “Also it’s one thing to acknowledge your leg(s) up and stay silent, it’s another to say crap like this out loud in an interview.”
“Maybe nobody gave her a job but knowing the business, where to go, the names, the process, that inside information is a huge leg up,” summarized a fifth.
They added, “She acknowledges the creative help they gave her but knowing how the industry works is hugely valuable even if nobody makes a call.
“Why can’t they just admit it’s so much easier for them this is so annoying lmao.”
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