Updated July 31st, 2021 at 13:43 IST
Steven Spielberg's daughter Destry joins Ben Stiller & Franklin Leonard's nepotism debate
Steven Spielberg's daughter, Destry Spielberg, recently took to Twitter to respond to the nepotism debate between Ben Stiller and Franklin Leonard -
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Steven Spielberg's daughter, Destry, recently addressed claims of nepotism made by Vanity Fair contributing editor and The Black List founder, Franklin Leonard. Destry Spielberg is slated to direct an upcoming short film titled, The Rightway. The debate sparked when Deadline reported that actors Hopper Penn (son of Sean Penn) and Brian d'Arcy James (whose uncle is the late Blade Runner producer Brian Kelly) joined the cast of Spielberg's upcoming film, which is written by Stephen King's son Owen King.
Steven Spielberg's daughter responds to nepotism claims
Franklin Leonard, Vanity Fair contributing editor, took to Twitter to reshare the Deadline article about the four children of successful Hollywood personalities. He shared it, sarcastically asking if Hollywood was indeed a "meritocracy." Destry responded to the tweet, which was then deleted and replaced with a new tweet, according to E! News.
Hollywood's a meritocracy, right? https://t.co/jELCVujYyB
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard)
Destry's deleted tweet in response, according to E!, read:
"I am just a young aspiring female filmmaker who admires the art of cinema. People can argue nepotism, but I know deep down that I worked hard to get where I am and it wasn't easy. Beyond proud of this film and proud of the team it took to make it."
Destry then deleted the tweet, presumably after receiving criticism for not acknowledging her privilege, and shared a new one in its place. She wrote about how she acknowledged all the privileges she had and that she wanted to give opportunities to artists of all backgrounds. Check it out:
I acknowledge that i was born with privilege! I own that through and through! I make it my mission to bring new talent into the industry & give opportunities to artists of all backgrounds. No one should be left out because of the connections they dont have.
— Destry Spielberg (@destryallyn)
Ben Stiller's lengthy debate about nepotism
Destry Spielberg's response came after Ben Stiller got in a debate earlier with Leonard, as he defended the work of the children of Hollywood's elite. Stiller, who himself is the son of the comedic duo Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, had a rather long conversation with Leonard, on Twitter. While Leonard maintained that Hollywood was not a meritocracy, Stiller defended the culture in Hollywood arguing that not everyone who was privileged made it big.
Leonard on the other hand, talked about how Stiller was incorrect since there were plenty of people who weren't qualified to be on or off-screen, but still persevered. Check out the debate below -
In fairness, this is apparently a short film.
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard)
A short film whose casting apparently merited trade coverage. https://t.co/CKZZt1wopH
Too easy @franklinleonard. People, working, creating. Everyone has their path. Wish them all the best.
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen)
I do, without fail, but I also think it's important that we acknowledge those paths.
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard)
Yes. Just speaking from experience, and I don’t know any of them, I would bet they all have faced challenges. Different than those with no access to the industry. Show biz as we all know is pretty rough, and ultimately is a meritocracy.
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen)
I don't for a second doubt that they've all faced challenges. They're human. I simply reject the claim that the industry is - in the short term or long term - a meritocracy.
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard)
If it were, how do you explain the utter lack of diversity behind the camera? Lack of merit?
100 percent agree. Diversity is much bigger issue. No question. And I see your point, access is access. So yes. I’m saying that untalented people don’t really last if they get a break because of who they are or know or are related to.
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen)
Fundamentally disagree, and again numbers don't lie.
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard)
Based only on the exclusion of other folks, statistically speaking, roughly 1/3 of the industry has their job not because of merit, but because of other factors (who they know, colonial legacy, sexism, whatever).
And we both know plenty of unqualified people who manage to stay employed for reasons other than their talent, though both of us have enough decorum not to name names.
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard)
It's not just access. It's undervaluation. It's active discrimination. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard)
The Hollywood film C-suite is the least diverse sector in American business. Less diverse than Trump's cabinet.
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard)
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen)
Following this Twitter debate between the two, The View, discussed the comments made on the thread on their episode on July 29. Stiller was criticised for his comments, however, Leonard stood by his comment although admitting he did not expect the backlash Stiller received. He said:
Suffice it to say I did not anticipate this being the result of my stating the simple fact that Hollywood is not a meritocracy along any timeline. https://t.co/98FSLM4S17
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard)
IMAGE - DESTRY SPIELBERG INSTA/ AP
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Published July 31st, 2021 at 13:43 IST