Skarsgård’s Son, 13 Gets Labeled ‘Nepo Baby’ by ‘Cruel, Ignorant’ Kids: ‘He Doesn’t Have Any Friends at School’

Stellan Skarsgård at the U.S. premiere of “Dune: Part 2” held at Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Centeron February 25, 2024 in New York City.

Stellan Skarsgård said in an interview with Vulture that his 13-year-old son gets picked on at school because his father is an actor. “Cruel kids” call his child a “nepo baby,” which has become the ubiquitous term to describe children with famous parents.

“My 13-year-old, Kolbjörn, the youngest, suffers from that,” Skarsgård said. “When his pals at school call him nepo baby, he gets so sad. He doesn’t have any friends at school. He gets isolated. Cruel kids — or cruel and ignorant. But it is such a bullshit thing. Because nobody would hire you, at least not for anything good, if you’re not good enough.”

While the internet has mostly rallied against nepo babies, industry figures have refuted the idea that having a famous parent results in career longevity. Jennifer Aniston recently said that it’s only natural for kids to want to follow in the path of their parents, a trend that far exceeds the entertainment industry. Aniston’s father is the late John Aniston, who starred on the soap opera “Days of our Lives” for nearly four decades.

“I mean, look at all the law firms. Blanky Blank Blanky and Blanky Blank. I mean, all right, isn’t that a version of it’s all in the family? It’s all in the family,” Aniston said. “So, maybe you got into a door because you’re so-and-so’s kid, but if you suck, guess what? You’re not going to continue to do it.”

Kate Hudson

Kate Hudson, the daughter of actors Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson, told The Independent in 2022 that she shrugs off any nepo baby backlash that comes her way, explaining: “I look at my kids and we’re a storytelling family. It’s definitely in our blood. People can call it whatever they want, but it’s not going to change it.”

“I actually think there are other industries where it’s [more common],” Hudson continued. “Maybe modeling? I see it in business way more than I see it in Hollywood. Sometimes I’ve been in business meetings where I’m like, ‘Wait, whose child is this? Like, this person knows nothing!’ I don’t care where you come from, or what your relationship to the business is – if you work hard and you kill it, it doesn’t matter.”

Jamie Lee Curtis, the daughter of actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, notedn around the same time that the discourse around the topic is designed to hurt.

“I have been a professional actress since I was 19 years old so that makes me an OG Nepo Baby,” Curtis wrote. “I’ve never understood, nor will I, what qualities got me hired that day, but since my first two lines on Quincy as a contract player at Universal Studios to this last spectacular creative year some 44 years later, there’s not a day in my professional life that goes by without my being reminded that I am the daughter of movie stars. The current conversation about nepo babies is just designed to try to diminish and denigrate and hurt.”

Skarsgård has been doing press trail for his new movie, Sentimental Value, since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The drama, directed by “The Worst Person in the World” filmmaker Joachim Trier, tackles the subject of nepo babies dead on, as Skarsgård plays a legendary director at odds with his actress daughter.

Read Skarsgård’s full interview with Vulture here.

Nepo Baby: Stellan Skarsgård’s Son, 13, Suffers from Stigma

Skarsgård’s Son, 13 Gets Labeled ‘Nepo Baby’ by ‘Cruel, Ignorant’ Kids: ‘He Doesn’t Have Any Friends at School’

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