An interview with Sylvester Stallone from October 16 is going viral thanks to some candid comments the Tulsa King actor made about the casting of his daughter Scarlet Rose Stallone.
Stallone has a blunt message to naysayers: “Of course it’s nepotism, you idiot.”
The subject came up as Stallone was reflecting on comments he’s heard about the casting. “First they go, ‘Nepotism is terrible,’” he told USA Today. “I said, ‘Oh please, you’re not a good parent if you haven’t performed a little nepotism. Then obviously you don’t care about your kids, because they come first.’”
Stallone added, “‘Of course it’s nepotism, you idiot. That’s why we’re parents. We want the best for our children. So obviously, we let them have every advantage.’”
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The “nepo baby” charge has increased in visibility in recent years, as the offspring of Hollywood celebrities grow in prominence. Ryan Murphy alone has provided a home base for many: Billie Lourd (Carrie Fisher), Emma Roberts (Erik Roberts), Lily Rabe (Jill Clayburgh), Kaia Gerber (Cindy Crawford), Charlie Hall (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Homer Gere (Richard Gere) and Ella Beatty (Annette Bening and Warren Beatty) have all featured in various Murphy series.
Stallone, though, points out that parents can only do so much. “Can they maintain that level of excellence?,” he asks in the USA Today article. “That’s out of our hands. But if you can open the door, we’ll see if they have the ability to go through it.
“People will say, ‘She got that job, it’s too easy.’ You’re right. Perhaps it could be. But to maintain that, to be in front of millions of people, you either got it or you don’t.”