Ryan Phillippe has entered the nepotism conversation. Over the last year or so, the term “nepo baby” has been thrown around to describe people in the entertainment industry who have benefitted from their parents’ success. Some celebs own it while others take great offense to the idea and either tie themselves into knots trying to prove why they’re the exception. Ryan, as you know, has two kids with Reese Witherspoon, Ava and Deacon. The Phillippe children are interested in following in their parents’ footsteps. While doing press for his new movie Prey, co-starring Mena Suvari, Ryan brought up the nepo baby discussion, and guess what? He finds the whole topic offensive!
When asked if Ava was pursuing acting, he answered, “She is. She’s sort of getting her feet wet, you know? She’s taking time to kind of figure out exactly what it is she wants to do.”
Ryan elaborated, “That’s what always annoys me about this whole nepotism talk with the industry. You know, so many people grow up and end up doing what their parents do, you know, to some degree or another… To me, I always get offended for the children of actors and entertainers when people bring that up because yeah, of course, that’s what they’ve grown up around. By the way, that familiarity makes them handle some of what is hard about this industry. You’ve gotta have a thick skin. There’s so much rejection and nasty things that can be said about you. It’s not all celebration.”
He emphasized, “These kids have grown up watching on set with Reese or with me. It seems natural, I think.”
While Ava is exploring acting, Deacon is an aspiring musician. Ryan said he is “insanely” proud of his son. “He makes me proud every single day of his life just in regards to the young man he’s become, to how he operates in the world,” Ryan remarked. “He’s just such a source of light and love, and he’s very solid and spiritual. He’s got an incredible work ethic.”
He added, “Deacon and I are particularly close because we have so much in common. We like all the same things, same music, same sense of humor.”
Ryan also revealing, “He may be joining me on this series and playing my character’s brother in the flashbacks, so I’m kind of excited about that possibly happening.”
Talking about Deacon’s music, Ryan raved, “He’s really evolving as a musician. He’s put out a lot of really good stuff at a young age, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for him, and I just feel the world is lucky to have him.”
Ryan says his own future is one about “spiritual growth.” He reflected, “I’m sort of segueing into other sort of business realms, really into the restaurant thing. I’m working on opening a hotel in the next year. I will always be open to working as an actor, but it’s becoming less and less a solitary focus.”
I cannot roll my eyes hard enough here. He tried to take the Tom Hanks talking point! Of course it’s perfectly normal for a kid to want to follow in their parents’ footsteps and continue on in the family business. No one is even saying that a nepo baby can’t be talented! But, it’s a little disingenuous to pretend like they’re not starting on 3rd base, especially in a super competitive industry where tons of incredibly talented people don’t make it. I mean, he’s literally getting his son cast in a role on the series he’s currently filming. It’s so silly to pretend that this isn’t a case of nepotism. Ryan knows it is and that’s why he’s uncomfortable with the conversation. It’s okay to admit that nepo babies are a thing. I find it offensive when people like Ryan poo poo or get all huffy about it.
Photos credit: Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon, Marie Goujon / Panoramic / Avalon, IMAGO/Jennifer Bloc / Avalon, Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon