7 People Who Escaped Their Famous Parents' Shadows
Sometimes, the apple does fall far from the tree.
Nepotism has been making a lot of headlines recently, with Hunter Biden catching a lot of heat for riding his father's coattails into a $600,000/year gig in Ukraine.
And while some of that heat has come from sources that are laughably ill-positioned to criticize, it's depressingly true that the children of famous and powerful people have an easy time finding their ways into boardrooms, record deals, universities, and runways. But what about the world leader's son who performs in drag? Or the actor's daughter who took up painting? If we're really going to criticize nepotism, then we should take some time to celebrate the children who step out of their parents' shadows to do something truly original.
Eddie Murphy's Daughter Is an Incredible Painter
Chase Contemporary
Bria Murphy is obviously a beautiful woman, and she had the opportunity to leverage her looks and her father's connections into a lucrative modeling career, but she chose to follow her passion instead. She says that her paintings are inspired by her belief in the Ancient Astronaut theory and the slightly more grounded desire to empower African American women. Whatever her motivations, there's no denying that she's incredibly talented.
▲Nike Founder's Son Is an Amazing Animator
If your dad was Phil Knight, the founder and Chairman of Nike, it would be tempting to coast by in life. You could go into the shoe business, meet famous athletes, sit in meetings. None of this appealed to Travis Knight, who told his father he would rather "play with dolls." What he meant by that was a bit more involved than it sounds. Knight is one of the most talented stop-motion animators working today. He is the lead animator at the animation studio Laika, and you've probably seen his work in films lie Coraline, ParaNorman, and Kubo and the Two Strings.
▲Alberto Fernàndez's Son is Kickass Drag Queen
Alberto Fernàndez was elected last Sunday to be the next president of Argentina. He'll be assuming the office this December, but in the meantime his son Estanislao has been making headlines for his budding career as a drag queen named Dyhzy. Dyhzy's diverse looks draw from cosplay themes, and they f*cking slay. Having an openly gay son could already be grounds for a scandal in much of Latin America, let alone a son who delivers Pikachu-realness to hordes of Instagram followers, but Alberto has been very supportive of Estanislao's career, saying, "I am proud of my son. How can I not be?" We could not agree more.
▲Roy Disney's Granddaughter is a Political Activist
If you had to guess what the Granddaughter of Disney co-founder Roy Disney was doing today, "making movies" and "being an heiress" would be solid options. In Abigail Disney's case, both are correct, but she's not making the kind of movies you'd probably expect. She makes documentary films on fraught political issues, including 2015's Emmy Award-winning The Armor of Light, which followed an Evangelical pastor wrestling with the issue of gun violence. Disney has also made headlines by advocating for higher taxes on...people like her. It's always refreshing to see someone willing to criticize the forces that benefit them.
▲The Dullest VP Candidate Has a Radical Activist Son
Remember Tim Kaine? No? We don't either. The Virginia Senator was Hillary Clinton's VP pick for the ill-fated 2016 election. He seemed like a safe bet because everyone in the world found him as inoffensive as a slice of white bread. Beyond that, we couldn't tell you a thing about him, but in March of 2017 his son Linwood Kaine made headlines when he was arrested, along with a group of black-clad radicals who disrupted a pro-Trump rally at the Minnesota State Capital. Linwood, who was 24 at the time, was suspected of throwing a smoke bomb and was taken in on suspicion of "second-degree riot," though no felony charges were pursued in the end. You may not agree with the Antifa approach to activism, but its not often that you see someone with any status taking their beliefs to the level of radical action. Linwood Kaine has guts.
▲David Bowie's Son is a Gifted Filmmaker
David Bowie casts a huge shadow. He was not only a musical genius with four decades of unforgettable albums to his name, but he was also a talented painter and actor, and he gave his son a name so ridiculous that it makes Moon Unit Zappa sound almost sane. Needless to say, Zowie Bowie had a lot of work to do to distance himself from that tremendous legacy. For a start, he didn't keep that name, choosing to go by Duncan Jones as he started his career as a filmmaker. His first feature length film was 2009's haunting sci-fi mystery Moon, made on a shoestring budget. In 2011 he followed it up with the critically acclaimed Source Code. While he's had some difficulty following up those early successes, his skills are undeniable.
▲Hunter Biden Took in a Homeless Woman
Wall Street Journal
Twist! Bet you weren't expecting this. Hunter Biden is different than the other people on this list, in that he has absolutely cashed in on nepotism at pretty much every step of his adult life, which he openly admits. But Hunter Biden has also dealt with a lot of darkness and difficulty in his life. His struggles with drug addiction have been a continuous challenge and have placed him in dangerous situations. Perhaps those experiences have allowed him to empathize with people at the margins of our society, because what earns Hunter Biden a spot on this list is an act of kindness that he showed to a homeless woman known only as "Bicycles" (what is it with Bidens and these weird nicknames?). While his father was still Vice President, Hunter took this woman into his home, and gave her a place to live for several months. As far as I'm concerned, that makes him a much more interesting person than the guy who confronted CornPop with a length of chain.
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