Zooey Deschanel and her sister Emily Deschanel are both very successful actresses. Emily was the star and producer of Bones for twelve seasons, while Zooey was an indie-darling-turned-TV-star, and she’s currently moving between TV and film, plus she’s engaged to one of the Property Brothers. Before Emily and Zooey were making their big breaks as actresses, the “Deschanel” name was already well-known in Hollywood. Their father, Caleb Deschanel, is a well-respected cinematographer and director of photography, and his CV goes back to the 1970s. Caleb Deschanel has worked with directors like Hal Ashby, Barry Levinson, William Friedkin, Richard Sheridan and on and on. He’s been nominated for six Oscars. He’s a big deal! But according to Zooey, being the daughter of a six-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer father does not equal “nepotism.”
Zooey Deschanel has denied that her six-time Oscar nominee father and actor mother made it easier for her to enter the film and TV industry. The New Girl star has been branded a “nepo baby” in recent times – a term referring to beneficiaries of “nepotism” and given to celebrities with family connections allowing them exclusive access to rare opportunities.
Deschanel’s father is Caleb Deschanel, a cinematographer who has worked on movies including The Lion King, The Patriot, My Sister’s Keeper and The Passion of Christ. He also has credits on other classics including The Godfather and Titanic. He has been nominated for best cinematography at the Academy Awards six times for his work on The Right Stuff, The Natural, Fly Away Home, The Patriot, The Passion of the Christ, and Never Look Away. Meanwhile, the Elf star’s mother is Twin Peaks actor Mary Jo Deschanel (formerly Weir), and her sister is Bones and Spider-Man 2 star Emily Deschanel. Zooey denied that her family made it easier for her to become an actor, in an interview with Lewis Howes on The School of Greatness podcast.
“It’s funny because people be like, ‘Oh, nepotism’, I’m like no. My dad’s a DP [director of photography, another term for cinematographer]. No one’s getting jobs because their dad’s a DP. It’s definitely not.”
However, she acknowledged that she received some “creative” help. “My mum is an actor and my dad is a cinematographer and a director. I can’t possibly emphasise enough how much creative help I had from my family unit. My dad is a great creative mind and such a talented person. My mum is a great actor and is so nurturing. My mum would coach me when I didn’t have an acting coach, she would help me, read lines with me. She’d be so supportive. I would have so many great discussions about film and filmmaking with my dad. They both would help me. My dad would also read lines with me and give direction. Then having a sister whose an actor. It just makes you automatically have a community, and how much our communities help us – whether its our families or our found communities.”
I just… why can’t anyone just admit it and acknowledge their privilege?? Why do we have to go through this every single time?? It brings up something else I’ve been wondering, which is: do these people not understand the concept of nepotism? It feels like these idiot nepo babies think nepotism is specifically “my mother called the director and got me this role.” While that is definitely nepotism, it’s more than that – it’s having a famous name, having an inside track within the industry, having a well-connected father who has worked alongside some of the best directors in the industry for decades. It’s stepping inside the casting office and the casting director saying “Oh, ‘Deschanel,’ is your father Caleb, and are you Emily’s sister?” At the same time she’s like “no, I’m not a nepo baby,” she’s literally describing all of the privileges she had growing up in a creative, well-connected Hollywood family!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.