With Hollywood actors, musicians and models for parents, it’s no surprise that their equally talented children often follow in their footsteps – take Kate Hudson, the daughter of the actress Goldie Hawn, or Jamie Lee Curtis, the daughter of Hollywood legends Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis.
Now there’s a new crop of young stars to take note of. These well-connected proteges are often referred to as “nepo babies”, the children of famous parents who initially gain success through their family name.
Kaia Gerber
The supermodel Cindy Crawford and the actor Richard Gere were famously married between 1991 and 1995, and now, somewhat serendipitously, their children from their subsequent marriages are starring together in the blockbuster new TV show The Shards.
Based on the horror novel by Bret Easton Ellis, which follows a group of elite kids in Los Angeles who are being stalked by a serial killer, it features Cindy’s daughter, the model and actress Kaia Gerber, 24 – whom she has with her husband, Rande Gerber – as well as Homer Gere, 26, the son of Richard and his former wife Carey Lowell.
Kaia has already made a name for herself, modelling for the likes of Versace and Marc Jacobs, and her foray into acting began with the 2016 film Sister Cities.
© FilmMagic“I won’t deny the privilege that I have,” Kaia has said, adding that her mother has been “a really great source of information and someone to give me great advice, that alone I feel very fortunate for”.
Homer Gere
Homer, Kaia’s co-star on The Shards, has risen to fame more recently, with scene-stealing moments alongside Sydney Sweeney in the HBO hit Euphoria. The Shards is his first leading role.
© WireImageHomer has said that his movie-star father, Richard, 76, gives him great advice, which is “not necessarily related to the craft, but more like, ‘How do you carry yourself, how do you make this work in a positive way?'”.
Richard, 76, recently said of his son: “I’m proud of him on two levels. One, he’s really good. He really kind of preternaturally knows what he’s doing. But he’s also handling it really well. He’s a good kid.”
West Duchovny
Another must-see series this summer is the drama miniseries The Five-Star Weekend, led by Jennifer Garner and also featuring rising stars West Duchovny and Harlow Jane.
© Getty Images for Tribeca FestivaWest, 27, whose parents are The X-Files legend David Duchovny and the actress Téa Leoni, plays Aubrey, the daughter of Chloë Sevigny’s character, in the show, which follows a bereaved food blogger as she reconnects with four friends from different chapters of her life.
West’s parents didn’t push her into the industry, David, 65, has said. “There’s no sense that my daughter, West, becoming an actor is in any way fulfilling any dreams of her parents. We didn’t groom her to be an actor. It wasn’t like, ‘We want you to go into the family business.’ It’s completely her passion.”
Harlow Jane
© Getty ImagesWest Duchovny became good friends with her co-star Harlow, 23, who is the daughter of the Academy Award-winning actress Patricia Arquette and the Boogie Nights actor Thomas Jane; she plays Hollis’s daughter, Caroline, in the show.
Harlow recently opened up to HELLO! about her acting journey, revealing that she landed two roles early in her career thanks to family links, and accepted them as she “wanted the experience and wanted to be on a set”.
“What I really realised from that, of not auditioning for the job and getting it thrown in my face because of a family connection, was that I couldn’t walk onto that set with the confidence of knowing that I really deserved to be there and that I really had worked for it,” she said.
Patricia, 58, proudly said: “I’m so blown away by her talent.”
Moses Martin
The summer of 2026 will be a launchpad for the model and musician Moses Martin, the son of the actress Gwyneth Paltrow and the Coldplay singer Chris Martin.
© Deadline via Getty ImagesMoses, 20, is the lead singer of the alternative-rock band People I’ve Met, whose song For Hire is the soundtrack for the Burberry autumn 2026 campaign, Escape to the Countryside, which stars Moses in his debut fashion campaign.
The band will also be playing their first festivals, Reading and Leeds and Ireland’s Electric Picnic, at the end of August – but will Chris and Gwyneth make an appearance in the mosh pit?
Aran Murphy
© Golden Globes 2024 via Getty ImaThis year will see Aran Murphy, 19, the son of the Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy and the Irish artist Yvonne McGuinness, step into the spotlight, with roles in HBO’s legal thriller War with Dominic West and Sienna Miller and the film Klara and the Sun, directed by Taika Waititi and starring Jenna Ortega, which will be released in October.
“There’s no way any kid will get by on nepotism alone,” Cillian, 50, has said. “Everyone in this business gets found out unless they’re good, and he’s a good little actor.”
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