Catherine Zeta-Jones brands 'nepo baby' a 'horrific phrase' and defends her children for following her and Michael Douglas into acting

Catherine Zeta-Jones has hit out at the term 'nepo baby', branding it a 'horrific phrase' amid her own children's foray into the entertainment industry.

The Oscar-winning actress, 56, shares son Dylan, 26, and daughter Carys, 23, with her film star and producer husband Michael Douglas, 81, who is also a double Academy Award winner.

And in a new interview, Catherine defended her children's decision to follow in their acting footsteps as she remarked 'the kids didn't ask to be born into this,' noting how the nepo baby tag has affected their ability to forge their own paths. 

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Catherine told how her children were 'plugging away', adding: 'My daughter wanted to be [human rights lawyer] Amal Clooney for a while. But you have to go with your dreams, your passion.

'It’s hard for them to forge a way forward on their own. This horrific phrase "nepo baby" is horrible because these kids didn’t ask to be born into this; they’re finding their own way in life. But they love it, and they’re good.'

The term nepo (short for 'nepotism baby') refers to the offspring of a famous and successful person, usually in the entertainment industry, who have followed their parent into the same career, with the term implying they've had a boost or success through their family name rather than their own merit. 

And Catherine insisted that if Carys and Dylan didn't have the talent to succeed, then she and Michael would guide them to an alternative career path. 

She explained: 'Michael and I would be the first to go, "You know what? Maybe law school looks really good."' 

The star's son Dylan is an actor and political radio host, made his film debut in the psychological thriller I Will Come to You, with upcoming film credits including Killing Hitler and Exit to the Guillotine.

While Carys, who graduated from Brown University in 2024, with a degree in film and international relations, has had a small number of short film roles and earlier this year landed the lead role in Anton Chekhov's classic play The Seagull.

During a conversation with People, Carys opened up about her desire to follow her passion for acting and performing arts post-college.

'I grew up doing theater, and I didn't study acting in school, but that's why I'm happy to be in such an informative arts space, so hopefully more of that.'

And while talking to Town & Country back in 2018, she got candid about growing up with parents in the spotlight. 

'My parents do a really good job of reality-checking me and being like, "Look around you. The life you have is extraordinary."' 

Catherine has previously spoken about her children's passion for the arts, admitting in 2021: 'Michael and I would be the first parents to say, "You know, maybe you should think of another career," but we've seen how passionate they are about the craft.'

She continued: 'They know what celebritydom is. They know the good, the bad, warts and all that. But their passion is about acting as a craft and they've done every theatre camp - my kids went off to summer camp every year, to theatre camp with the Broadway kids, and held their own very, very well, I have to say.'

Michael stepped back from acting in 2022 after a nearly 60-year career and has said he will only return to the screen for something 'special'.

Catherine though has consistently worked throughout their marriage and in recent years has had huge success with her role as Morticia in the Netflix hit Wednesday.

Next up, she is using her natural Welsh accent for the first time in decades to play the former cocaine queenpin lead in Prime Video series Kill Jackie.