Nepo baby Ben Platt doesn’t like being called a nepo baby, apparently
Ben Platt wasn’t too happy about being asked to comment on the nepo baby discourse. (Getty)
Broadway star Ben Platt’s publicist reportedly cut an interview short after the actor was asked to comment on the ‘nepo baby’ discourse.
The singer, songwriter and actor wasn’t too happy to be asked his thoughts on the infamous 2022 New York Magazine cover story which saw his and several other actor’s heads superimposed on the bodies of babies with the headline: “She has her mother’s eyes. And agent.”
Platt, best known for his role in Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen, has become part of the months-long discourse over the “nepo baby boom”.
For the uninitiated, ‘nepo baby‘ is short for ‘nepotism baby’ which typically refers to children of celebrities whose parent’s own fame has, to some extent, contributed to their success in a related career.
The actor has been accused of being a nepo baby thanks to his starring role in the 2021 film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen, which was produced by his father Marc Platt – best known for producing movies including the beloved smash-hit Legally Blonde.
Furthermore, the film adaptation received criticism for Platt’s involvement, with some saying that the then-27-year-old was too old for the role of a high school senior.
Other major Hollywood stars at the centre of the nepo baby discourse include face of Chanel No. 5 and The Idol star Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of actor Johnny Depp and model Vanessa Paradis, American Horror Story‘s Emma Roberts, niece of A-lister Julia Roberts, Mad Max: Fury Road‘s Zoë Kravitz, daughter of singer-songwriter and actor Lenny Kravitz and actor Lisa Bonet, and Nicholas Cage, nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola and a cousin of directors Roman Coppola and Sofia Coppola.
More notable names in the biz of acting, modelling and music with nepo baby status include Dan Levy, Willow and Jaden Smith, Maude Apatow, Gwyneth Paltrow (and Apple Martin), Lourdes Leon, Robert Downey Jr and Timothée Chalamet.
Platt was asked how he feels about being a nepo baby in an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone on Friday (14 July), to which he responded by saying he would “skip right over” the question.
“We’re going to skip right over that if we can,” Platt said to the interviewer, to which they replied: “No comment?”
Platt’s publicist then reportedly intervened and asked the reporter to focus on his new comedy film Theater Camp, which Platt was promoting.
A few questions later and the publicist then intervened again, cutting the would-be 45-minute interview in half and giving the reporter just one more question, which they dedicated to a question about his recent engagement.
Platt’s refusal to engage with questions around nepotism drew the attention of users on Twitter, with some describing his reaction as significant and telling.
Forget the nepo baby allegations, one social media user wrote, said, “he ain’t beating the diva allegations.”
“Exactly how I imagined Ben Platt would answer this,” another posted.
Regardless of Platt’s reaction to being asked about a magazine cover, fans are still excited to watch Theater Camp once it hits cinemas in August.
When discussing the film with IndieWire, Platt said the film had become a passion project.
“If you’re in the position to do something that’s actually going to fill you up and be joyful and fulfilling and meaningful, then that needs to be a priority,” he shared.
“I don’t think that there’s anyone who is going to look on paper at this somewhat niche subject matter, this small alt-comedy film – especially right now in the landscape of filmmaking – and in our individual lanes of our careers tell us to prioritise that.
“We feel so wonderfully lucky and grateful and vindicated that it has come to fruition the way that we always dreamed that it could.”
