Catherine Zeta-Jones has defended her children, Dylan and Carys, against the label of “nepo babies” as they embark on their own acting careers.
“This horrific phrase ‘nepo baby’ is horrible because these kids didn’t ask to be born into this. They’re finding their own way in life,” Zeta-Jones stated in an interview with The Sunday Times. She acknowledged that having famous parents makes it difficult for them to establish themselves independently.
Zeta-Jones and her husband, actor Michael Douglas, share son Dylan, 26, and daughter Carys, 23. Both are pursuing careers in the entertainment industry.
“They love it, and they’re good at it,” Zeta-Jones said of her children’s passion for acting. “Otherwise Michael and I would be the first to go, ‘You know what? Maybe law school looks really good.’”
Both Zeta-Jones and Douglas have achieved significant success in their respective careers. Zeta-Jones earned an Oscar and a BAFTA for her role in the 2003 film “Chicago” and a Tony Award in 2010 for her Broadway performance in “A Little Night Music.” Douglas, an Oscar winner himself, received the award for Best Picture as a producer for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1976) and Best Actor for “Wall Street” (1988). Michael Douglas is also the son of the late screen legend Kirk Douglas.
Carys recently starred in the short film “F—k That Guy” (2024) and made her professional stage debut in a production of Anton Chekhov’s play at St. Lydia’s in Brooklyn. Dylan is currently working on the thriller film “Killing Hitler,” which centers on Jewish mobsters planning to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1933.
