Domhnall Gleeson has said he won’t apologise for being the son of a famous actor, as he addressed the controversy surrounding “nepo babies”.
“Nepo baby” is a term given to the child of a celebrity or well-known public figure who has used their parents’ influence to get a step ahead in their careers.
The term went viral late last year when New York Magazine published an article about celebrity nepo babies – including the likes of Dakota Johnson, Lily Collins, Lily-Rose Depp and Maya Hawke.
New York Magazine unveils ‘The Year of the Nepo Baby’ cover.
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— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) December 19, 2022
As many fans will know, Domhnall is the son of Oscar-nominated actor Brendan Gleeson, who inspired him to pursue a career in acting.
His brother Brian is also a well-known actor, and recently starred in Sharon Horgan’s hit series Bad Sisters.
During an interview with PA news agency, Domhnall agreed that nepotism was probably a factor in his success as an actor – but the 40-year-old argued that he’s worked very hard to get to where he is today.
When asked if it was fair to assume the offspring of famous actors have an easier path into the industry or whether this undermines their own work, Domhnall said: “I think both things can be true.
“Like, it would be ridiculous to not be aware of and acknowledge that the fact my father is an actor has had an effect on both how I see myself in the industry and the possibilities presented about whether it’s a possible path, for example.”
“And just having met people and stuff like that, that does provide a different sort of access. There are truths to how far that access can take you.”
The Dublin native also acknowledged that his success came from “other privileges”.
“I would say that being able to live at home into my 20s and rent when I wasn’t working, and not getting enough work to be able to get by, I would say that had just as big an impact – but I could be wrong about that,” he continued.
“But like, having some money like available to me, was a huge thing that’s another privilege that I’ve had.
“And to me being able to stick the course because I didn’t have to pay rent all the time or go and work somewhere to the extent I wasn’t able to do auditions or tapes, for example … also had an impact.”
Domhnall explained: “There’s a luck required whether you have access or not, whether nepotism has benefitted you consciously or unconsciously.
“I think recognising that you were a part of a system, you’ve been lucky already and then you’ve had the access and all the rest of it.”
“Like I can’t apologise for who I am. And I don’t intend to,” he said.
“I also know that I worked very hard, and I also know that there are plenty of children of very successful actors who want to go into acting and it has not worked out for them, so I think both things can be true.”
The 40-year-old also admitted they experienced “tough times” growing up when his father struggled to get work as an actor.
“He wasn’t working immediately and all the time,” he said.
“There were tough times, and he had a family. My mother was the one with the steady job for a long time.”
“That was also the reality I saw growing up, knowing both sides of it – and that’s a man that’s considered to have a very successful career. There’s still a side that’s really flipping tough.”
“So, I don’t feel the need to apologise for it either or say that’s the only reason because I’ve seen that up close and I don’t believe it to be the case,” he added.
