During a recent appearance on “The Howard Stern Show,” Ben Stiller offered his thoughts on the term “nepo babies,” which he himself has become famous for, referring to the children of famous parents. Stiller, who recently immortalized the lives of his famous parents in the documentary “Stiller & Mehra: Nothing Lost,” said he considers the nickname a “selling point” rather than a derogatory one.
“I think it’s like the Brat Pack, right? New York Magazine, they coined the phrase, and it just became a thing,” Stiller said. “But in human nature and in life, that’s always the case. It’s like buying a violin or a Stradivarius or something, it’s been in the family for hundreds of years. That’s the selling point.”
Stiller added that he understands “there are other things to discuss in terms of access and all these other things.” But he also pointed out that while growing up in the industry, he also saw the less glamorous side of Hollywood.
Stiller explained, “For me, growing up around this movie, I think I’m talking about all these things that my parents and I saw. I actually saw the dark underside of it as a kid. Stress, the effect it has on relationships. I saw it up close as a kid, and then I still want to get into it.”
The “Zoolander” star recalled that his first acting job was Off-Broadway’s “House of Blue Leaves.” He said his mother called him one last time as a “please” after “I couldn’t answer the phone because the casting director didn’t want to see me.”
“If you have the passion, you should definitely do it,” he added. “good luck.”
