American Horror Story star Emma Roberts has opened up about how her famous family has impacted her career, revealing that her celebrity lineage has sometimes been more of a hindrance than a help. Roberts, 33, is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and the niece of Academy Award-winning actress Julia Roberts. Despite the advantages that might come with having such well-known relatives, Emma claims that the Roberts name has actually cost her job opportunities.
In a recent interview with Flaunt magazine, Roberts discussed the challenges she has faced due to her family’s reputation. “I’ve lost more jobs than I’ve gained from being in the business,” she said. “People have opinions, and sometimes maybe they’re not good opinions of people in your family. I’ve never gotten a job because of it, I know I definitely have lost a couple of jobs because of it.”
Roberts also referenced a 2022 issue of New York magazine that featured an image superimposing the faces of several celebrity “nepo babies” onto actual babies. Although she was not included in the picture, she found the portrayal to be in poor taste. “Should I be offended?” she asked. “It was a cheap shot to put all the celebrity kids on the cover of a magazine on babies’ bodies. It’s like maybe the ‘Nepo Baby’ conversation would’ve been a more interesting article written intelligently in Vanity Fair with nuance, but instead, it was kind of this viral hating-on-people thing.”
The actress also recently spoke to Variety about the box office failure of the 2024 superhero film Madame Web, in which she starred alongside Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, and Adam Scott. Roberts attributed the film’s underperformance to “internet culture,” which she believes has led to a more cynical reception of movies. “I personally really loved Madame Web. I really enjoyed the movie. I thought everyone in it was great,” she said. “The director, SJ Clarkson, I think did an amazing job. She’s the reason I wanted to do that movie. If it wasn’t for internet culture and everything being made into a joke, I think that the reception would’ve been different.”
Roberts continued, “And that’s what bums me out about a lot of stuff, even stuff that I’ve done, is people just make such a joke out of everything now.”
In Madame Web, Roberts played Mary Parker, the mother of Spider-Man/Peter Parker, who is seen briefly in the film as a newborn baby but not named.
Reflecting on her career, Roberts shared that one of her “biggest heartbreaks” came when she was only nine years old and lost out on the role of Wendy in the 2003 film Peter Pan. “I came very close. I had a British accent,” she told Variety. “I was very impressed with myself, but I didn’t get the part.”
Another early disappointment was missing out on a role in I Am Sam, which ultimately went to Dakota Fanning. “I came close, but the feedback was, ‘You’re a little on the older side,’ and I was nine. To be told you’re on the older side at nine, I was like, ‘There’s my thick skin. It grew right there.’”
Roberts also questioned whether men have it easier than women when it comes to the controversial Hollywood discussion surrounding “nepo babies.” “People definitely have preconceived notions of you,” she said on Bruce Bozzi’s podcast Table for Two. “I think there’s two sides of the coin, you know. People like to say, ‘You have a leg up, because you have family in the industry,’ but then the other side to that is, you know, you have to prove yourself more. Also, if people don’t have [a] good experience maybe with other people in your family, then you’ll never get the chance.”
She added, “I think there’s something to be said where everybody loves the kind of overnight success story. And so, if you’re kind of not the girl from the middle of nowhere that broke into Hollywood, you know there’s kind of an eye roll of like, ‘Well, your dad was this.’ I always joke, I’m like, ‘Why is no one calling out George Clooney for being a nepo baby? [His aunt] Rosemary Clooney was an icon.'”
Despite the challenges, Roberts has expressed a desire to work with her famous aunt, Julia Roberts, someday. “I know that there will be something. But it’s never been the right thing,” she told Variety. “She’s the best, and I want to do something with her. We send each other books and talk about stuff, but it hasn’t been right.”
Roberts also shared that she finds comfort in watching her aunt’s movies when she’s on location and by herself. “I have movies of hers downloaded on my computer that I watch for comfort. ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ and ‘America’s Sweethearts’ are my safe movies.”
Emma Roberts’ candid revelations highlight the complexities of navigating a career in Hollywood, especially when one is part of a famous family. While the “nepo baby” label might suggest an easy path to success, Roberts’ experiences show that it can also come with its own set of unique challenges and setbacks.
Source: Flaunt, Variety, New York Magazine, Bruce Bozzi’s Table for Two Podcast
