Emma Robertsis opening up about her famous family’s impact on her acting career, revealing it’s led to missed opportunities.Emma, who is Eric Robert’s daughter and Julia Roberts' niece, recently weighed in on the “nepo baby” conversation during an interview withFlaunt. A 2022 Vulture article titled “The Year of the Nepo Baby” had previously ignited a discussion after celebrities mentioned in the piece spoke out publicly. Despite her father’s successful career (Eric Roberts has appearedin over 700 projects and earned nominations forKing of the GypsiesandRunaway Train),Emma was not included in the list. “Should I be offended?” she joked, adding:
“It was a cheap shotto put all the celebrity kids on the cover of a magazine on babies' bodies. It’s like, maybe the ‘Nepo Baby’ conversation would’ve been a more interesting article written intelligently inVanity Fairwith nuance, but instead, it was kind of this viral hating-on-people thing.”
Surprisingly,Emma Roberts revealed that having famous relatives actually worked against herprofessionally:
“I’ve lost more jobs than I’ve gained from being in the business. People have opinions and sometimes maybe they’re not good opinions of people in your family. I’ve never gotten a job because of it, I know I definitely have lost a couple of jobs because of it.”
Related:Emma Roberts' 15 Best Movies, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes
And Roberts is not alone. Since the “nepo baby” article, several other actors with famous parents have spoken out about the challenges of navigating Hollywood. Kate Hudson said that being the daughter of Goldie Hawn and stepdaughter to Kurt Russell meant added pressure, as she felt like she “had to live up to something.” Additionally, she felt that some directors wanted to avoid hiring her due to her famous roots.
WhileAllison Williams recognized that she had been fortunate(she is the daughter of formerNBC Nightly Newsanchor Brian Williams and producer Jane Stoddard Williams), she shared that she sometimes felt like she had to “seem perfect all the time” because of her parents' connections to the entertainment industry.
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Emma Roberts on the Challenges of Following in Her Aunt’s Footsteps
Emma is the niece of Julia Roberts, whose illustrious career spans decades. Julia rose to fame in the late 1980s with films likeMystic Pizzabefore heading the iconic romantic comedyPretty Womanopposite Richard Gere. She later earned an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role inErin Brockovich. Julia Roberts' career (and stardom) served as a cautionary tale for Emma. Late last month, during an appearance on theTable for Twopodcast, Emma told host Bruce Bozzi:
“I saw very up close what that [fame] really looks like with my aunt Julia. It’s obviously, you know, it’s fun and it’s great, but there is a part of it that’s really scary… I remember as a kid, even in my later teens, I was like, ‘I never want my fame to outweigh my work, becausethere’s nothing scarier to me than being so famous that you’re never left alone.'”
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Emma began her career as a child actor and gained popularity on Nickelodeon’sUnfabulousafter early roles in films likeBlow. AfterUnfabulous, she transitioned into movies likeNancy DrewandHotel for Dogs. In her adult career, she’s become known for horror and thriller roles, includingScream 4, Scream Queens,and several seasons on the FX series,American Horror Story. She has also appeared in comedies, includingWe’re the MillersandHolidate. In recent years,Roberts has also stepped behind the cameraas a producer for several television shows.
Emma now stars in Prime Videos’Space Cadet, which follows her character Rex, a Florida party girl who finds herself on a prestigious astronaut training program by lies and luck.
