Earlier today, I came across a post online talking about James Gunn facing backlash over his decision to yet again cast his brother in a movie he’s working on. Anyone who is a movie lover and knows James Gunn knows very well that Sean Gunn, his younger brother, has always featured prominently in his movies. Even in the tiniest roles.

Sean had a cameo in Superman, but that was only as a snippet to Peacemaker, whose second season is coming out shortly, where he has a more pronounced role. He also had a role in The Suicide Squad (although it was a tiny one). He had a major role in the Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy. If you go back, you’ll see that the brothers have worked together on multiple movies.

_{Sean and James Gunn}

And therein lies the problem. But funny enough, James and Sean always seem to get this backlash, even though this is Hollywood, and we know that nepotism is not new in this industry. There are so many actors who are mainstream now simply because of who their parents, siblings, or even friends are. Their parents and connections had saved them from all the struggles they had to go through, giving them direct access to where the magic happens.

I think the most mind-blowing one is Jason Mamoa’s son, Nakoa Wolf, who has been cast to act in the third installment of Dune that’s upcoming. As in, do you know what it means for an upcoming actor’s debut film to be in one of the most highly anticipated movies of the decade? The very first film he gets to act and it’s this mega franchise. Jason keeps insisting that his son isn’t a nepo baby, but I don’t think Nakoa would have been able to bag such a lucrative deal right off the bat without that sweet Mamoa name attached to his person.

_{Jason Mamoa and his son, Nakoa Wolf Mamoa.}

The funny thing is, many of us fans don’t have issues with nepotism in Hollywood. After all, there are so many examples. We have Jaden Smith (Karate Kid), Timothee Chalamet (Dune), Jack Quaid (The Boys), Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades trilogy)… just to name a few. I could go on and on, telling you about actors you didn’t even know were nepo babies, and who are Hollywood royalty because they were lucky enough to be born to parents who already had both feet planted in the industry.

I think in the long run, the only issue there would be the question: can they actually act? Can they embody their roles and sell them? Because if they can act well and sell their roles, then how they got the role is not an issue. We don’t care about Timothee’s parents when we watch him in Dune, all we know is that he’s making a killing of the character. What matters is that they can pull you in with their acting, and you won’t care who their parents are.

And thankfully, many of them are good actors. Many even try to make names for themselves outside their family name, so that their successes would fully be theirs, and not linked to their parents. A good example of this is Nicholas Cage, who chose a different name so he would build a name for himself outside his famous uncle's. This can be because, for many of them, they already face backlash for having an uncommon advantage compared to everyone else.

_{Timothee Chalamet}

I can’t blame them for doing what anyone else with half a brain would do in their shoes. Using their family’s connection and network to build their careers. If my father’s network can clear the path for me, why do I have to compete with the other 1 billion people who want the same thing I do? It doesn’t sound fair, but that’s just life. People will always use the resources at their disposal to get ahead of the crowd and stay there. And so far, it’s working for many of them.

And for movie makers and directors like James Gunn, you can’t fault them for wanting to work with people they know and trust. Everyone will always go the path of least resistance. He’s not the only one. Sam Raimi is known to use the same actor over and over in his movies. Adam Sandler and Tyler Perry are not different. Every movie maker has what works for them and who they resonate deeply with, and if the actors earn some money while at it, good and fine. In the end, what matters is whether the movie makes sense or not.

So, my dear friends, nepotism in Hollywood is very real. And it’s not going anywhere. Because the actors we enjoy watching today will have kids tomorrow, and these kids will most likely grow up to become actors themselves. And talented or not, they’ll always have more opportunities than those who are trying to start their acting careers from scratch.

It is what it is.

_{Adam Sandler}