Kate Winslet criticized for comparing her nepo children to doctors and judges
Kate Winslet’s comments on so-called nepo babies have kicked off another round of debate, just weeks after she brushed off the term as “silly” in a BBC interview.
Earlier this month, the Oscar-winning actress reportedly spoke to the BBC to promote her directorial debut, Goodbye June, a film written by her 21-year-old son, Joe Anders. During the interview, Kate insisted her children were “not getting a leg up” in the industry and suggested the label nepo baby was being overused.
But the remarks have not gone down well with everyone, and writer Scarlett Curtis has now publicly questioned Kate’s stance. Scarlett, 30, has worked on shows including The Summer I Turned Pretty and We Were Liars, and is the daughter of filmmaker Richard Curtis and broadcaster Emma Freud.
Sharing a clip of Kate’s interview on Instagram, Scarlett wrote: “I love her so much, but I do hate this s***. Doctors and lawyers have to get degrees to follow in their parents footsteps. We have to literally just step out the door.”
She followed up with a longer explanation of why the issue runs deeper than simple handouts. “Nepotism is about so much more than handouts – it’s about growing up in a world that is notoriously hard to penetrate and learning from a young age how to navigate that world,” she said.
“It’s about not having to get five jobs to support your creative dreams. And more than anything it’s about having the confidence to go into a field of work where you’re literally just making s*** up and getting paid for it.”
Scarlett later added another tongue in cheek post, joking: “I would legit teach a class on how to talk about the nepo baby question when it comes up in interviews. If any nepo parents or babies are interested you can email my dad, and he’ll pass it onto me.”
Scarlett herself first appeared on screen as a child, with a cameo in her father’s 2003 film Love Actually, where she played Lobster Number 2 in the school nativity. She later built a writing career, contributing to The Guardian, Elle, The Times and The Telegraph. She has also curated the Sunday Times bestseller Feminists Don’t Wear Pink & Other Lies and the anthology It’s Not OK to Feel Blue & Other Lies.
Kate’s own children have increasingly stepped into the spotlight. Before writing Goodbye June, Joe starred alongside his mum in the 2023 film Lee and also appeared in the World War I drama 1917, directed by his father Sam Mendes.
Kate’s eldest daughter Mia Threapleton has also carved out an acting career. The 25 year old made her debut aged 13 with a small role in A Little Chaos and later starred with her mum in I Am Ruth. She has since appeared in Dangerous Liaisons, The Buccaneers and, earlier this year, Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme.
In the BBC interview, Kate said: “You know, [Joe] would say to me, ‘I don’t want people to think that this film is just being made because you’re my mum’. The film would have been made with or without me, the script is so, so good. And with Mia, I just try and say to my children, just follow your heart.”
She compared showbusiness to other professions, adding: “There are lots and lots of people in the world whose children go into a similar family business, whether it’s being a judge or a lawyer or a doctor.”
Kate went on to say her children’s achievements had been earned. “It doesn’t surprise me at all that my children wanted to do something creative with their lives,” she said. “But that doesn’t necessarily translate to being able to actually get jobs and actually gain respect from your peers.”
Online, the reaction has been mixed. “Kate Winslet waxing lyrical about the shock & amazement of her son getting on to a very prestigious screenwriter course & then having his first script turned into a film directed by his mum. Wow I wonder how that all happened what talent what luck,” one X user wrote.
Another added: “Just saw what Kate Winslet said about the term ‘nepo baby’. Lol can’t believe she genuinely said and meant this.”
Joe has previously changed his stage name to Anders in an attempt to avoid comparisons with his parents. Kate has also said of Mia: “What’s great for her is she has a different surname. So, she slipped under the radar and the people who cast her had absolutely no idea that she was my daughter…that was important for her self-esteem, of course.”