20 Young Hollywood Actors Who Are Not The Products Of Nepotism, As Pointed Out In This Online Group

Some young actors find a role more easily than their peers as they have influential family backgrounds or connections to some powerful sources in the industry. But a few actors make it to Hollywood solely because of their talent and hard work. Although nepotism is very common in many professions, people seem to have more respect for those who pave their own way in talent-based careers.

Therefore, when the Reddit user u/PM_me_Thor_nudes asked, “Nepotism in young Hollywood: Which currently popular actor/actress is NOT a product of being well-connected and/or rich?”, people started listing several actors and actresses who came from humble backgrounds and had no connections with the entertainment industry. Scroll below to see some celebs from that list.

More info: Reddit

#1 Jennifer Lawrence

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“Jennifer Lawrence is def one. She’s such a good actress and comes from a normal background. Grew up in Kentucky and her parents run a summer camp for kids.”

#2 Brad Pitt

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“Brad Pitt. Was working as the El Pollo Loco chicken on the corner of Sunset and La Brea while trying to make it in Hollywood.”

#3 Ryan Reynolds

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“Ryan Reynolds had a pretty humble background. I used to rent movies to his brother, back when rental stores were a thing.”

#4 Mark Ruffalo

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“Mark Ruffalo is definitely not from a wealthy or well connected family. His family actually owns a pizza place in Kenosha, WI.”

#5 Adam Driver

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“I have a lot of respect for Adam Driver. He was the only main actor on Girls who didn’t come from privilege or didn’t have a parent who was already in the industry. Not surprisingly, he was the most successful actor after Girls ended.”

#6 Selena Gomez

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“Selena Gomez. she literally came from nothing and worked as a child to support her family.”

#7 Steve Buscemi

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“Steve Buscemi was a firefighter before making it as an actor, but I think that’s common knowledge by now.”

#8 Mila Kunis

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“Mila Kunis used to work at the store her mom worked at even while she was staring on that 70s show to not let it go to her head.”

#9 The Olsen Twins

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“The Olsen Twins. They literally supported their families financially by working their entire lives and then people have the audacity to belittle them and act like everything was handed to them on a silver platter. They literally didn’t have a childhood and have always been working. They don’t get the respect they deserve. They’re now still massively successful with their fashion lines and have earned the privacy to stay out of the spotlight.

Their sister on the other hand definitely benefited from the pathway they paved. But I just think about all the child stars who were literally the sole support of their family and they had no control over it. People make jokes about child stars going down bad pathways, but that’s more on the environment and the industry than it is on the kids. Imagine blaming kids for being introduced to things at a young age they shouldn’t have been introduced to. Drew Barrymore’s talks about the things she was exposed to as a kid being part of a family dynasty are so disturbing and the media blames the kids and not the industry that cultivated that environment.

End of rant.”

#10 Chris Evans

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“Chris Evans? Isn’t his dad just a plain old dentist?”

#11 Matthew Mcconaughey And Forest Whitaker

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“Matthew Mcconaughey and Forest Whitaker both came from Longview, TX. Both from modest families.”

#12 Dev Patel

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“First thing that came to mind was Dev Patel. Mother was a caregiver, father was an IT guy.”

#13 Taylor Lautner

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“I was suppose to be childhood friends with Taylor Lautner. (His dad would ask my mom for us to hang out together as children and play I guess?) He got the gig because his karate teacher just happened to know the yellow power ranger at the time according to my mom. And his dad was a jerk apparently.”

#14 Andrew Garfield

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“Andrew Garfield’s parents were interior designers.”

#15 Dicaprio And Toby Maguire

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“I think DiCaprio and Toby Maguire weren’t connected. They were best friends growing up though and came up in the business together.”

#16 Donald Glover

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“Donald Glover. Dad was a postal worker and his mom was a daycare provider. Went on to be an insanely talented musician, producer, actor, etc.”

#17 Elijah Woods

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“Elijah woods parents ran a restaurant in Iowa city and weren’t particularly wealthy.”

#18 Jessica Chastain

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“Jessica Chastain. Grew up in a low income family and could only make it through Julliard thanks to a scholarship (actually awarded by a foundation led by Robin Williams, if I’m not mistaken).”

#19 Channing Tatum

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“Channing Tatum. Grew up in Alabama and Mississippi, he basically only got into showbiz by being signed as a dancer, and he was only a Dancer because he used to be a stripper.”