Elle Women in Hollywood - Arrivals. 14 Oct 2019 Pictured: Gwyneth Paltrow.

Gwyneth Paltrow Says Celebrity Kids Have To Work 'Twice As Hard' For Recognition

Home / Stars / Gwyneth Paltrow Says Celebrity Kids Have To Work 'Twice As Hard' For Recognition

By Favour Adegoke on July 29, 2022 at 8:30 PM EDT
Updated on July 29, 2022 at 8:48 PM EDT

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow doesn't think nepotism babies can get very far in Hollywood without working hard. Celebrities who have famous parents or come from affluent homes are usually referred to as "nepotism babies" because it is assumed that these people don't have to work as hard as others to be famous.

Paltrow, who is a nepotism baby herself, recently spoke about the topic and claimed that a famous name was only good enough for getting them the opportunity. The actress said that due to the amount of criticism that comes with it, the stars usually had to work really hard to prove themselves.

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The 49-year-old took after her late father, Bruce Paltrow, and mother, Blythe Danner, both of whom had successful careers in the film industry. She starred in several movies, including the one that earned her an Oscar award in 1999, "Shakespeare in Love."

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Gwyneth Paltrow Said Nepotism Babies Had To Work Twice As Hard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Snp_DXeHU

Paltrow just revealed she thought having a famous name could only do so much. The "Iron Man" actress was recently in an episode of Hailey Bieber's "Who's in my Bathroom?" YouTube series. There she talked about nepotism and how it wasn't as advantageous as people hoped.

The actress revealed that while having famous parents could give more significant opportunities, the children had to work hard to keep said opportunities. She explained, "As the child of someone, you get access other people don't have, so the playing field is not level in that way. However, I really do feel that once your foot is in the door, which you unfairly got in, then you almost have to work twice as hard and be twice as good."

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The 49-year-old added that this was mainly because people were always ready to downplay their success and bring them down. Paltrow continued, "Why, you may ask? Because people are ready to pull you down and say, 'You don't belong there' or 'You are only there because of your dad or your mom."

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Gwyneth Paltrow Wants People To  Not 'Limit' Themselves

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Paltrow further advised people like her, who had famous parents, to not limit themselves or their dreams and that no one had enough power to dent their decisions negatively. "'It shouldn't limit you because what I believe is that nobody in the world, especially somebody who doesn't know you, shouldn't have a negative impact on your path or the decision that you make," she said.

Bieber, who also has famous parents, seemed to receive and understand the message and responded, "I need to hear this today." Paltrow also discussed previously working with the 25-year-old's father when she was much younger and described him as "great."

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The actress recalled, "I think I know your dad and your uncles. I did a movie with your dad. It was a tiny independent movie. I think I was like 20 years old, so it was a really long time ago, but he was great."

Gwyneth Paltrow's Children Don't Watch Her Movies

Gwyneth Paltrow and Kal Penn at Kimmel
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Despite following in her mother and late father's footsteps to venture into acting, Paltrow revealed that her children didn't appear interested in the same career path. The actress shares two children, 18-year-old Apple and Moses, 16, with Chris Martin, her ex-husband.

In an episode of Shop TODAY, Paltrow said, "My kids have never seen me in a movie. I mean, I think my son has seen the Iron Man things, but I don't think my daughter has ever seen me in a movie." The 49 further revealed that Apple was more content living her life away from public attention and thought it was strange whenever her no was on screen.

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Jennifer Aniston Faced Backlash For Being A 'Nepotism Baby'

Jennifer Aniston launches her own haircare brand LolaVie
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Paltrow's comments on nepotism in Hollywood came after several references to the issue. One was when "Friends" actress Jennifer Aniston suffered backlash online. The actress also has famous parents and was criticized after talking about how easily internet figures became famous.

She appeared in a Variety interview with "Pam & Tommy" Star Sebastian Stan and cited celebrities like Paris Hilton and Monica Lewinsky. She claimed that how the two celebrities got famous gave rise to the current trend of internet stars being popular.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L98Olj4a69I

Her comments sparked outrage from social media, some claiming that the actress was attempting to "gatekeep" fame. Some also said Aniston's comments were ironic because she was born to celebrity parents whose names gave her a leg up in the industry. The actress's parents are "Days of Our Lives" actor John Aniston and late actress Nancy Dow.

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