Michael Douglas wades into the “nepo baby” debate.
The “Wall Street” actor, who is the son of late Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, began a recent episode of his “SmartLess” podcast and said the title “really pissed off” him.
While discussing his success with hosts Sean Hayes, Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, Douglas said, “First of all, it’s Hollywood royalty. So… this ‘nepo’ thing really pisses me off.” He continued: “I don’t know if there’s a career where a father or mother isn’t trying to help their son or daughter get into their own business or something, and why they choose that job because of what it’s known for.”
Beyond the nepotism debate, Douglas also stated that the best advice he could give to aspiring actors is to appreciate “good material.” “The problem with all of us is that we don’t play an instrument, or paint, or write,” he said. “We’re stopping there. But good material, man, good material helps everything go smoothly.”
His father, Kirk, died in 2020 at the age of 103. He starred in films such as “Spartacus”, “Seven Days in May”, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, “The Champion”, “The Bad and the Beautiful”, “Passion for Life”, “Paths of Glory” and “Only the Brave”. He earned three Oscar nominations and was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1996.
Douglas is known for his roles in “Fatal Attraction”, “Behind the Candle Holder” and many more. Douglas won an Oscar for acting and producing; In 1988, he received the best actor award in a leading role for the movie “Wall Street”, and in 1976 he received the best film award as co-producer of the movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”.
Douglas’s upcoming memoir, “One Helluva Ride,” comes out Tuesday.