The daughter of screenwriter Richard Curtis has taken aim at Kate Winslet’s claim that her children are not nepo babies.
Earlier this month, the Oscar-winning actress branded the term – which is used to describe the children of celebrities who also work in the entertainment industry – as ‘silly’.
While speaking to the BBC to promote her directorial debut Goodbye June, which was written by her 21-year-old-son Joe Anders, Kate said her children were ‘not getting a leg up’ in their careers.
However, a few weeks on, writer Scarlett Curtis – who has worked on The Summer I Turned Pretty and We Were Liars – has questioned this stance.
Scarlett, 30, is the daughter of writer, producer and director Richard Curtis, who was behind films including Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jone’s Diary and Love Actually. Her mother is the broadcaster Emma Freud.
Sharing a clip of Kate’s interview with the BBC, Scarlett wrote on Instagram: ‘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 continued: ‘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.
‘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.’
She went on to share another post, writing: ‘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’s first foray into the spotlight came when she had a cameo in her father’s 2003 movie Love Actually, in which she played Lobster Number 2 in the school nativity concert.
She went on to begin her writing career as a teenager, working for The Guardian, Elle magazine, The Times and The Telegraph. She’s 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.
Before writing the screenplay for the new Netflix film Goodbye June, Joe previously starred alongside his mum in the 2023 film Lee, which was based on the biography of photographer Lee Miller.
He also appeared in the World War I film 1917, which was directed by his father and Winslet’s ex-husband Sam Mendes.
Meanwhile Kate’s eldest child Mia Threapleton – whose father is artist and director Jim Threapleton has also carved out a career in showbiz.
The 25-year-old made her film debut aged 13 with a non-speaking cameo in the period drama A Little Chaos.
She went on to star alongside her mum in the TV drama I Am Ruth in 2022 and has since featured in the period drama series Dangerous Liaisons and The Buccaneers. Earlier this year she also appeared in Wes Anderson’s film The Phoenician Scheme.
When speaking to the BBC, 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 went on to compare her children finding success in showbiz to other industries.
Gilbert Flores/ Variety via Getty Images)
‘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,’ she said.
The actress then added that having connections hadn’t assisted her children and claimed their success had been off their own backs.
‘It doesn’t surprise me at all that my children wanted to do something creative with their lives,’ she explained.
‘But that doesn’t necessarily translate to being able to actually get jobs and actually gain respect from your peers and people around you. And both of them have separately carved their own paths.
‘Part of it is actually teaching them to ignore the white noise of silly terms like nepo baby, which you can’t really do anything about,’ she said.
However, her comments drew the ire of many.
‘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,’ user Lisa posted on X.
‘Just saw what Kate Winslet said about the term “nepo baby”. Lol can’t believe she genuinely said and meant this,’ MsErmaynee shared.
‘Even if your kids weren’t in the industry, (which they are), you being their mum is enough for them to be nepo babies,’ Mina added.
While Joe changed his stage name to Anders to avoid comparisons and claims of preferential treatment due to his famous parents, Kate had also previously said of her daughter: ‘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.’
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