Emma Roberts Slams Sexism Around Nepo Babies' Backlash in Hollywood: 'Why Is No One Calling George Clooney?'

Actress Emma Roberts has certainly benefited from her family's fame (her father is actor Eric Roberts and her aunt is Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts), but she questions whether men have the life easier than women when it comes to the controversial debate in Hollywood surrounding “nepo babies.”

“People definitely have preconceived notions about you,” Roberts, 33, told Bruce Bozzi on his podcast “Table for two“to be born into a famous family.

“I think there are two sides of the coin, you know. People like to say, 'You have a head start because you have family in the industry,' but the other side is, you know, you have to prove yourself more,” she explained. “Also, if people don't have [a] a good experience maybe with other people in your family, then you will never have the chance.”

EMMA ROBERTS ON AUNT JULIA ROBERTS FEELING NO PRESSURE TO MATCH HER CAREER: “I NEVER Aspire TO BE HER”

Emma Roberts says the conversation around nepotism or “nepo babies” in Hollywood is sexist. (Rolf Vennenbernd/alliance photo | Araya Doheny/Getty Images)

Roberts' father, Eric, is Julia's brother.

Roberts also suggested that having a unique Hollywood history was arguably more appealing than a family connection.

Julia Roberts is Emma Roberts' paternal aunt. (Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

“I think there's something to be said that everyone loves that kind of overnight success story. And so if you're not a girl from the middle of nowhere who made it in Hollywood, you know that there's kind of a roll of your eyes like, 'Well, your dad was that'.” she declared.

“I always joke, 'Why doesn't anyone call out George Clooney for being a Nepo baby?'” [His aunt] “Rosemary Clooney was an icon,” she said of the late singer and actress.

Clooney and Julia are longtime friends.

LIKE WHAT YOU READ? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Singer and actress Rosemary Clooney, George Clooney's paternal aunt, rose to fame in the 1950s. (Bettmann/Getty Images)

“I'm kidding, but I also feel like young girls are having a harder time with the whole baby nepo thing. I don't really see people criticizing the sons of famous actors, it's not that they should be criticized. I don't think anyone should be criticized for wanting to follow their dream,” Roberts said.

“I always joke, 'Why doesn't anyone call George Clooney because he's a baby nepo? Rosemary Clooney was an icon.'”

Emma Roberts

Examples of male actors with famous parents include, from left, Kiefer Sutherland, Ben Stiller and Michael Douglas. (Steve Granitz/FilmMagic | Dominique Charriau/WireImage | Jason Mendez/WireImage/Getty Images)

“People only see your victories, because they only see you when you’re on a movie poster. They don’t see all the rejections that come along,” she said. “I think it’s important to talk about it, otherwise people just think, ‘Oh, you know, it’s all been so great and so simple and so linear.’”

Emma Roberts says there are pros and cons to being born into a famous family. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

Although Roberts has starred in TV shows like “Unfabulous,” “Scream Queens” and “American Horror Story” and has appeared in numerous films, she's the first to admit that auditions don't always go the way she wants them to. But she says fame was never her ultimate goal.

“I've seen up close what it's really like with my Aunt Julia. It's obviously, you know, it's fun, and it's great, but there's a part that's really scary. And so I always wanted to carve my own path,” she explained. “For me, fame was never a goal, because fame on a certain level is kind of scary.”

Julia Roberts and George Clooney have been friends for a long time. (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

““In my late teens, I told myself that I didn’t want my fame to take precedence over my work. Because nothing scares me more than being so famous that you're never left alone, but at the same time not getting good jobs,” she admitted. “And that happened to a lot of people, I think, when I was a teenager and early 20s. And that really scared me. I never wanted this to happen to me. So I was very conscious of not wanting to do this for the fame. »

Roberts previously said she never had ambitions to reach her aunt's level of fame.

“I never aspired to be her. I love her so much. I love her work, but I just do my own thing,” she said. Tatler Review in 2022.