Nepo Baby Ben Platt Refuses to Answer Question About Nepotism

By Allyson Johnson | Celebrity | July 16, 2023 |

By Allyson Johnson | Celebrity | July 16, 2023 |

Someone needs to tell Nepo Baby and Pitch Perfect star Ben Platt (or his publicist) that he comes off poorly when he refuses to talk about the nepotism that has undoubtedly aided his career thus far. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, leading up to the premiere of his film Theater Camp, he was asked about his status as an industry professional’s kid who, while talented, has certainly reaped the benefits of having a foot in the door. More than just a foot, some may argue, considering his father, mega producer Marc Platt, produced the film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen in which Nepo Baby Platt starred.

A few actors, such as Allison Williams, have so far given thoughtful, eloquent responses regarding their status and the benefits of having a connection in the industry. Platt isn’t one of them. The interview is in-depth, delving into the inspirations for Theater Camp and his and Molly Gordon’s (who co-directed the film) real-life friendship. It comes to a momentary, screeching halt when Rolling Stone asks:

“You were on the cover of New York Magazine’s Nepo Baby issue. I’m curious, what was your response to that? And what do you make of that whole discourse?”

Which, for the record, is a harmless question. It’s rather lenient in reality when it could’ve been asked more pointedly, but the interviewer noted at the top of the interview being excited for the conversation. The question allows for a broader discussion, one that doesn’t force Platt to address only his own privilege, but rather opens up discussion about the discourse itself. Platt doesn’t answer, instead saying:

“We’re going to skip right over that if we can.”

When the reporter asks for clarification, if this is Platt saying ‘no comment’, his publicist steps in asking, “If we could just focus on Theater Camp, that would be great. Thank you.”

The interview goes on but is cut short by the publicist, ending at the halfway mark of what should’ve been a 45-minute interview.

Yikes.

It’s not out of the norm for an interview to be set up between a reporter and the film’s talent with a request that the reporter assigned to the story keeps to questions related to the subject the talent is representing. That said, this would seem more on par with junket interviews that allow for anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, if you’re lucky, to cram as many questions in as possible. But it’s a tad more peculiar when it’s for a feature piece with a website such as Rolling Stone. It becomes even more bizarre when the talent’s ego is so fragile that their publicist steps in before even a “no comment” can be uttered.

Making it even richer is the fact that the next question is in regards to Platt’s upcoming film, Parade, for which he’s received positive recognition. So obviously, there are allowances for what’s being asked about; it just can’t be anything that would highlight Platt’s privilege. Though, by not answering, the result is much more damning.

I won’t deny that he has talent. I will argue if it’s enough to suffer through a film like Dear Evan Hansen and that he, like other Nepo Babies, shouldn’t be afraid to be asked about their Hollywood ties. Hollywood is a cutthroat business, something that’s become increasingly apparent with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes going on. It’s not just hard to break into the industry; it’s hard to maintain a level of success while in it. It’s why there are frustrations over the likes of Platt because he didn’t have to work as hard for it, and there are plenty of equally or more talented actors out there who haven’t received the chances he’s been given.

So, whatever, dude. Continue to reap the benefits and be a pain to interview.