Actor Tom Hanks is taking a stand for “nepo babies,” which is slang for children of famous or well-connected parents who often attain success and wealth more easily due to unfair advantages.
Hanks’ recent blockbuster movie “A Man Called Otto” handed a major role to his son Truman as opposed to other young actors working hard in the film industry.
Hanks doesn’t agree with the criticism of “nepo babies.” Instead, Hank claims his children are judged on their “quality of the work” and not by their “last name.”
Presumably, it was this high-quality talent that landed Hanks’ son the job.
“Look this is a family business,” Hanks said. “If we were a plumbing supply business or if we ran the florist shop down the street, the whole family would be putting in time at some point, even if it was just inventory at the end of the year.”
“The thing that doesn’t change no matter what happens, no matter what your last name is, is whether it works or not,” Hanks continued.
“That’s the issue anytime any of us go off and try to tell a fresh story or create something that has a beginning and a middle and an end. Doesn’t matter what our last names are. We have to do the work in order to make that a true and authentic experience for the audience,” he said.
“That’s a much bigger task than worrying about whether anybody’s going to try to scathe us or not.”
“It’s definitely in our blood,” Hanks said about his family. “People can call it whatever they want, but it’s not going to change it.”
“I don’t care where you come from, or what your relationship to the business is … if you work hard and you kill it,” he said.
