Actor Stellan Skarsgård has joked that he’s a “nepo daddy,” given that six of his eight children have followed him into acting.

But the 74-year-old star admits the so-called “nepo baby” label has had a painful impact on his youngest child.

Speaking to Vulture, the Mamma Mia! and Dune actor said that while he enjoys the goodwill that comes with being a proud father of successful performers, his 13-year-old son Kolbjörn has been hurt by teasing from classmates.

“I consider myself a nepo daddy because I get so much goodwill,” Skarsgård said.

“But my 13-year-old, Kolbjörn, the youngest, suffers from that. When his pals at school call him ‘nepo baby,’ he gets so sad. He doesn’t have any friends at school. He gets isolated. Cruel kids, or cruel and ignorant.”

He added that while social media loves to mock the idea of “nepo babies,” the reality is far less glamorous.

Credit: Kristy Sparow/Getty Images.

“It is such a bullshit thing,” he said. “Because nobody would hire you, at least not for anything good, if you’re not good enough.”

A famous acting family

Skarsgård’s youngest son recently joined the family trade, landing a role in the upcoming horror series Blood Cruise, following in the footsteps of his older brothers Alexander (True Blood), Bill (It, John Wick: Chapter 4), Gustaf (Vikings), and Valter (Katla).

Stellan’s family has long been one of Scandinavia’s most prominent acting dynasties.

He shares six children (Alexander (1976), Gustaf (1980), Sam (1982), Bill (1990), Eija (1992), and Valter (1995)) with his first wife, Swedish doctor My Skarsgård, whom he married in 1975, per Mail Online.

Following their 2007 divorce, he married Irish screenwriter and producer Megan Everett in 2009.

The couple share two sons: Ossian, 15, and Kolbjörn, 13.

While several of his children have gone on to major Hollywood success, others have pursued different careers; Sam, for instance, became a doctor, and Eija worked as a model before moving into other pursuits.

A grounded approach to parenting

Asked how he maintains such a strong relationship with his large family, Skarsgård said mutual respect is at the heart of it.

“They have no respect for me just because I’m their father. Because that’s bulls***,” he explained.

“You shouldn’t be respected for five minutes of joy. I don’t demand respect for being a father, I demand respect for a good idea or if I do something well or if I create something for them.”

Skarsgård, who became a grandfather in 2022, said he tries to stay connected to each of his children as individuals, rather than through the lens of fame or family legacy.

Awards buzz for the Skarsgårds

The interview comes as Skarsgård earns Oscar buzz for his performance as an aging filmmaker and family patriarch in the Norwegian drama Sentimental Value.

He reflected on the awards season process, saying that while the Oscars can be “good for business,” they also demand immense financial backing.

Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images.

“The Oscars have their place,” he told Vulture.

“They’re good for independent films because there are many films that wouldn’t be seen at all if it wasn’t for the Oscars. But it costs a lot of money to participate in that race, and fortunately, we have American distributors that are paying for it because no European film company could afford it.”

Meanwhile, Stellan’s son Alexander Skarsgård is also drawing attention for his bold new role in Pillion, a steamy gay romance from debut filmmaker Harry Lighton.

The film, co-starring Harry Melling (Harry Potter), explores an intense relationship between a biker and a parking attendant.

It earned rave reviews and an eight-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, before playing to more acclaim at the BFI London Film Festival.

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Alec Baldwin has taken to social media to give his reasoning as to why he has chosen to have such a big family.

It's hardly uncommon for celeb dads to welcome a rather large number of children. I mean, there's Nick Cannon, who has kids with four different women, expecting his eighth child.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has had 10 children and is a passionate advocate of having big families. In fact, it was reported earlier this month by Insider that the billionaire fathered twins with a top executive at one of his own companies last year.

Shivon Zilis - an executive at his artificial intelligence startup Neuralink - reportedly gave birth in November 2021, meaning the twins were born just before Musk and his ex-partner Grimes welcomed a child via surrogate in December.

So, Baldwin, a soon-to-be dad of eight, is in good company.

The actor and his wife, Hilaria, currently share six children together: Carmen, 8, Rafael, 7, Leonardo, 5, Romeo, 4, and twins Eduardo and Lucia, 1. And they're expecting another baby girl later this year.

Baldwin also has a 26-year-old daughter, Ireland, from his first marriage to model Kim Basinger.

But the Saturday Night Live star has received his fair share of flak for having such a big family.

One critic tweeted: "It's not always the middle class or poor..... Alec Baldwin (actor) is preparing to have his SEVENTH child!!! And Elon Musk has SIX. WTF is going on here?"

Another wrote: "Do these people not consider the environmental issues of having such large families?"

A third described the actor's large family as "completely irresponsible".

Well, Baldwin has now explained why he feels the need to welcome more bundles of joy into the world.

The 64-year-old actor took to Instagram this week to share a video of his two youngest children, Eduardo and María Lucía, both a year old.

In the clip, the pajama-clad toddlers are seen drinking milk as they interact with their mom, Hilaria.

Baldwin captioned the sweet post: "People comment about how many children we have and ask why. This is why. The thing in this life that matters most to me are these people."

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Little Rascals actor Bug Hall has been criticized for calling his son his "heir" and his daughters "dishwashers" online.The 39-year-old actor, who starred as Alfalfa Switzer in the 1994 film, left several people stunned after sharing a post about the birth of his fifth child, Mark Athanasius Chad Anthony Hall-Barnett.Bug Hall sparked backlash on X for his "disgusting" comment about his daughters. Credit: Paul Archuleta / Getty“I have an heir,” Hall wrote on the social media platform X, alongside a series of pictures of the newborn and his wife, Jill Marie DeGroff, inside the hospital room."Mark Athanasius Chad Anthony Hall-Barnett of the Holy Cross was born at 4AM, weighing in at 9.5 lbs. Mama and baby are both doing great. My bride's fifth delivery, third all natural," he added in the post.Check out the post below: When one X user pointed out that he already has four older daughters, Hall shockingly responded: "I said heir, not dishwasher."His comment caused even more outrage, with one person criticizing: "You’re disgusting. You’re publicly demeaning your daughters to try and generate rage bait clicks. It’s the behavior of petulant, emasculated, child, and I pray for all of your children.""I pray god protects those precious little girls from your toxicity and projected self-loathing until they're old enough to disown you. get your heart right or end up in hell bro," a second person slammed."Congratulations. You’re an awful person. Also, you’re not at all funny," a third detractor interjected. "I feel bad for your children. Especially your daughters," a fourth added.The Stupids actor, who describes himself as a “patriarch to 5 ladies,” a “medieval moralist” and a “patriot" in his X bio, continued to defend his bizarre joke to users who flooded his post.He responded to a user who suggested Jill should divorce him by claiming that they shared a “good laugh” over the remark:“I made the same joke to my wife while she was in labor. We both had a good laugh. Hard as it is for you to comprehend, most normal people are still rich in humor and joy. Stay miserable, curmudgeon,” he said.He also replied to someone who questioned why his newborn son has a hyphen in his name. “I legally took my stepfather’s last name before I got married, because I wanted to honor him by giving my family his name. He’s a great man who raised me from a toddler," he wrote."At the time I didn’t think it was good idea to get rid of my professional name, hence the hyphen,” he added in the post.Hall and his wife welcomed their four daughters in five years between the years of 2017 and 2022. The former actor's first role was Alfalfa Switzer in The Little Rascals (1994) at the age of nine. He also starred as Newt Shaw in The Big Green in 1995 and, a year later, landed the role of Buster Stupid in The Stupids. Hall also went on to perform voice-over work in the Hercules animated film and more recently starred in Harley and the Davidsons in 2016, The Shadow People in 2017, North Blvd in 2018, Prime Time in 2019, and This is the Year in 2020.His last credit in the film industry was in 2020 - which was the same year he was apprehended by police in Weatherford, Texas for allegedly huffing air duster cans, per FOX News.Featured image credit: Paul Archuleta / Getty

Rod Stewart has opened up about what it's like to be the father of eight children.

The 76-year-old says he caters his parenting style to each of his kids as he's learned to adapt his method of parenting to fit each child.

The British rocker shares two sons, Alastair and Aiden, now 15 and 10 respectively, with wife Penny Lancaster, whom he wed in 2007.

Additionally, Stewart has daughter Sarah, 58, whom he and ex-girlfriend Susannah Boffey placed for adoption as teens; son Sean, 41, and daughter Kimberly, 42, with ex-wife Alana Stewart; daughter Ruby, 34, with ex-girlfriend Kelly Emberg; and daughter Renee, 29, and Liam, 27, with ex-wife Rachel Hunter.

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The singer told People: "I have to be several different fathers because of the different age groups of my kids. You really have to treat all of them as individuals with individual problems.

"For instance, my 15-year-old is dating girls, so I had to give him a sex lesson. I just told him what he should and shouldn't do, but he's on top of it. He was like, 'Dad, I've got the internet. I know everything.'"

He went on: "All the [older] kids went through their little bad period of drinking too much and dabbling in drugs - except for Liam; I don't think he ever did - but they all came out on the other side. As a dad, I've learned to listen and not blow my top."

As for the key to his 14-year marriage, Stewart says intimacy has been crucial.

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"I'm not talking about sex, but a kiss and a cuddle and a hold," he explains. "Penny and I do that every morning. We hug each other - sometimes in bed, sometimes out of bed, all throughout the day. It's a wonderful relationship. Lucky geezer, aren't I? I couldn't ask for anything better," says Stewart.

"What makes me happiest now is seeing all my kids and my wife with big smiles on their faces."

Elsewhere in the interview, the rocker told People that he learned that firsthand when he married his first wife Alana Stewart at age 34 in 1979. Even though he thought he was ready, he says he "wasn't."

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"When I told my dad I was getting married, he said, 'You're far too young,'" Stewart recalls. "He was right. I still had a lot of living, partying, drinking, and shagging to do."

Stewart and Alana ultimately divorced in 1984. Six years later, the London native found love again with model Rachel Hunter.

"When I got married a second time to Rachel [at 45], I really thought she was the one  - but I got that wrong," he says.

Hunter left Stewart in 1999 after nine years of marriage. Just days later, he met his current wife, model Penny Lancaster.

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Tom Hanks has recently slammed the "nepo baby" accusations that have been circulating his family, branding the industry as a "family business."

Now, the "nepo baby" theory has recently been a hot talking point online following the release of New York Magazine's controversial article about the booming nature of nepotism in the entertainment industry.

The piece pointed its fingers at the children of famous actors who now themselves have flourishing careers, basically stating that the array of opportunities that they were given to them was "unfair" or "problematic."

"She has her mother's eyes and agent," read the cover which had edited some of the world's most famous actors' heads - including the likes of Lily-Rose Depp and Zoë Kravitz - onto the bodies of cartoon babies.

The scandalous article raised questions for a lot of fans, especially about the "hard work" that some actors claim to put into their work despite getting a head start.

Now, during a recent interview with The Sun, 66-year-old Tom Hanks dismissed the claims hurled at this family and explained claiming that all of his children are "very creative" and "involved in some brand of storytelling."

"Look, this is a family business," Hanks said during the interview. "This is what we’ve been doing forever. It’s what all of our kids grew up in. If we were a plumbing supply business or if we ran the florist shop down the street, the whole family would be putting in time at some point, even if it was just inventory at the end of the year."

He continued: "The thing that doesn’t change no matter what happens, no matter what your last name is, is whether it works or not."

Actor Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson greet their son Chet Hanks at the premiere of "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close". Credit: Abaca Press / Alamy

"That’s the issue anytime any of us go off and try to tell a fresh story or create something that has a beginning and a middle and an end. Doesn’t matter what our last names are. We have to do the work in order to make that a true and authentic experience for the audience."

As per Variety, Hanks has two children with his wife, Rita Wilson; rapper and actor Chet Hanks and another fellow actor, Truman Hanks, who appears in Hanks' new movie A Man Called Otto.

Colin Hanks, Hanks’ son from a previous marriage, has also landed many acting roles throughout his career, including The Offer, Dexter, and A Friend of the Family.

And Hanks isn't the only one to speak out against the nepotism claims.

Just a few weeks ago, Kate Hudson - daughter of Goldie Hawn - also dismissed the term.

Kate Hudson attending the Vanity Fair Oscar Party 2022. Credit: Doug Peters / Alamy

"The nepotism thing, I mean... I don’t really care," she told The Independent. "I look at my kids and we’re a storytelling family.

"It’s definitely in our blood. People can call it whatever they want, but it’s not going to change it."

She added: "I actually think there are other industries where it’s [more common]. Maybe modeling? I see it in business way more than I see it in Hollywood. Sometimes I’ve been in business meetings where I’m like, 'wait, whose child is this? Like, this person knows nothing!'

"I don’t care where you come from, or what your relationship to the business is – if you work hard and you kill it, it doesn’t matter."

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Scarlett Johansson has revealed the unique way she named her son - by just throwing "a bunch of letters together."

In 2021, the Black Widow star welcomed her second child; a son named Cosmo - the star's first child with husband Colin Jost. Now, the Marvel legend has shared the unusual moniker she gave her son during a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson show.

"You have a new addition since last time we talked," host Kelly Clarkson said to Johansson.

"I have a baby, yes. Cosmo," the 38-year-old actor replied. "He's, I think, about 15 months."

Check out the segment below:

Clarkson then asked how Johansson and her husband came up with the name, Cosmo. To which the MCU alum answered: "Oh, gosh. Um, yeah, we just threw a bunch of letters together. We were like 'that works.'

"I just thought it was so charming. And then, you know, our friends all liked it," she added.

The Academy Award nominee then revealed that her mother-in-law wasn't so sure about the name.

In 2021, the Black Widow actress had her second child, a son, named Cosmo - her first with third husband, Colin Jost. BFA / Alamy

"Colin’s mom had a little bit of a harder time with it," Johansson said, before jokingly adding: "It wasn't sitting. She kept suggesting other versions of it for a while. I was like, 'He's already here. He's out. Like, it's past that time.'"

Clarkson noted that it was "kinda cool" that both of Johansson's children were named after flowers.

"Not a lot of people make that connection," Johansson stated. "But, yeah, Cosmo is like a really sweet, little flower."

"It comes in different shades of orange and yellow - that's why my daughter liked it," Johansson revealed.

Johansson's eight-year-old daughter, Rose - whom she shares with ex-husband Romain Dauriac -  is also named after a flower, hence why she allegedly loved Cosmo so much.

Johansson joked that husband Colin Jost's mother didn't particularly like her new grandson's name. Credit: ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy

The actor's appearance on Clarkson's show seemed to confirm SNL comedian Jost's earlier statements that his mother was not so into their son's name, making the comments last year on Late Night With Seth Meyers.

He revealed: "My family is very supportive, always. My mom, I would say, was slightly thrown by it and didn't quite understand it. I don't know if she thought it was kind of like a hippie thing."

"She would call us after three or four days," he explained. "And she'd be like, 'And now, is it final? Like, did you submit the birth certificate?' And we're like, 'Oh, yeah, we did that at the hospital.'"

But, Jost's mother-in-law didn't stop there, with Jost stating: "She was like 'OK, interesting. Because I was reading that there's also a name Cosimo with an 'I,' so that could also be an option. Maybe Cosimo, that's his real name, but then you can call him still Cosmo.'

"Eventually, she started meeting various members of the Italian community who have a lot of Cosmo relatives," the new father added. "And so then she would call, and she would say, 'I met someone — they said their uncle's name is Cosmo. So it is OK.'"

Well, thank goodness we got all that cleared up!

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