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One study found the top Nepo baby breakout roles, including Jamie Lee Curtis’ iconic role in beloved horror film, Halloween. Curtis is joined by O’Shea Jackson Jr, John David Washington, Miley Cyrus and Timotheé Chalamet. Check out the Top 10 best Nepo baby breakout roles inside.
The study by JeffBet analyzed the success of the first starring roles of nearly 50 “nepo babies.” As a reminder, a nepo baby is an entertainer, who has famous parents or extended family, meaning they started their careers with strong and likely beneficial connections in Hollywood.
To determine their findings, researchers identified the first significant role in each of the actors’ careers using IMDb filmographies and calculated the average reviews for the films on the platforms, Rotten Tomatoes, Google reviews, and the global average search volume to watch these movies to establish their popularity. These factors were weighted to create an index and the ultimate list of the best nepo baby breakout roles of all time.
Curtis takes the top spot with a 92.50 out of 100 in the index with her role in Halloween. Since then the actress has gone on to appear in several fan favorites like Freaky Friday with Lindsay Lohan, Everything, Everywhere All At Once, where she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2023.
Ice Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr’s portrayal of his father in the acclaimed Straight Outta Compton biopic landed him the second ranking on the list. Denzel Washington’s son John David Washington follows behind Jackson with the third spot for his first significant role alongside his father in Malcolm X.
Other Nepo baby actors featured in the top ten for impressively successful debuts include Cyrus, Lily Collins, and Maya Hawke. Check out the full list on JeffBet’s website here.
Check out a gallery of the Top 10 Nepo baby breakout roles below:
1. Jamie Lee Curtis
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According to the study, the nepo baby actor with the best and most successful first significant role is Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween – scoring an immense 92.50/100 in the index.
Daughter of actors Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, Jamie’s portrayal of Laurie in the horror classic has garnered popularity worldwide even 45 years after its release. The study found that the film has an incredible Rotten Tomatoes review score of 96 percent and an average of over 763,000 searches worldwide per month to watch the slasher.
2. O’Shea Jackson Jr.
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Second in the ranking is O’Shea Jackson Jr., who made his feature film debut portraying his father, Ice Cube, in 2015’s Straight Outta Compton. The film achieved an index score of 90.61/100, with the study finding it has an impressive audience review score of 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, highlighting its popularity among viewers.
Not only that, but it received high acclaim across the board – with 87 percent of Google reviewers responding that they enjoyed the film and over 595,000 monthly Google searches to watch the biographical drama.
3. John David Washington
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Son of Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington, John David Washington places third on the list with his first significantly credited role alongside his father in Malcolm X, gaining an index score of 87.28/100. John David was only seven at the time of the film’s release but has since gone on to be cast in feature films like Tenet and Amsterdam.
According to the findings, the film receives an average of over 137,000 global Google searches per month, achieving a 90 percent satisfaction rate on Google Reviews and 91 percent among its audience on Rotten Tomatoes – cementing its success among viewers.
4. Josh Brolin
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For his debut role in the 1980s cult classic The Goonies, the study found that Josh Brolin has the fourth most successful acting debut of nepo babies – with an overall index score of 87.23/100. As the son of Golden Globe awardee James Brolin, Josh’s stardom as a child was likely propelled by his father’s success on screen.
One of the most searched-for films analyzed in the study, The Goonies, receives an incredible average monthly search volume of more than 463,000 global searches, highlighting its long-standing popularity 38 years after its release. Not to mention, its Rotten Tomatoes audience review score of 91 percent.
5. Lily Collins
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Rounding out the top five nepo baby actors’ first movies is Tarzan, which features the film debut of musician Phil Collins’ daughter, Lily Collins. Only ten years old, upon its release in 1999, Lily is credited as voicing Baby Ape in the animation – which achieved the nepo baby an index score of 84.77/100 in the analysis.
With an IMDb rating of 7.3 and a Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ score of 89 percent, the film was clearly a hit among Disney fans who have taken to review the feature. However, most impressively, the film continues to receive an average of nearly 759,000 searches every month across the world by people looking to watch the children’s classic.
6. Maya Thurman-Hawke
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Maya Hawke is the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, who ranks sixth in the study for her debut in the TV series, “Little Women.”
She received the 80.96 score.
7. Colin Hanks
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Hollywood A-lister Tom Hank’s son, Colin Hanks places seventh with his appearance in That Thing you Do!
Colin receives an 80.78 index score.
8. Miley Cyrus
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While superstar Miley Cyrus takes the eighth spot, with her role in Tim Burton’s Big Fish.
She receives a 79.67 index score.
9. Jack Quaid
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Dennis Quaid’s son, Jack Quaid, makes the ranking at No. 9 with his credit in The Hunger Games – the first film in the popular global franchise.
His index score is 78.55.
10. Nicolas Cage
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Finally, and perhaps a surprising nepo baby, Nicholas Cage, ranks at No. 10 on the list as part of the legendary Coppola family. He made his first film debut in 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Cage’s index score is 78.13.
