We all know that making it in Hollywood takes a lot of luck. But it’s also about connections – and if that connection used to change your diaper (or hire a live-in nanny to…), all the better. And Lily-Rose Depp – the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis – is all too aware of the label of “nepo baby.” But with Nosferatu on its way to theaters and Depp earning unanimous praise for her performance, she’s doing about as well as anyone to shut the critics up.
Even though Lily-Rose Depp is likely to earn an Oscar nomination for playing the object of Count Orlok’s desire, she knows that there is still a struggle in being the daughter of one of the world’s most famous actors. Speaking with Vanity Fair, she spoke of the pressure and always being rooted against. “Somebody asked me the other day what was the hardest part of the role, and I said, ‘Getting over the imposter syndrome of, like, ‘Why am I here and why do these people think that I can do this?’’ Getting to a place where I felt confident enough within myself to be like, ‘I can do this and I am here for a reason,’ I definitely have struggled with that. Humility is incredibly important, especially in this business. In a way, I always want to feel like I’m just starting out and like I still have so much to learn—which is how I do feel.”
No doubt Nosferatu offers Lily-Rose Depp her most challenging role, something that let her sink her teeth into a character that also let her move towards showing that she was a real actress. “I feel like people have been ready to see me fail, in a way, since I was a kid. That has made me only want to work harder and prove people wrong. Not in a vindictive way at all, but just in a sense of, like, fuel to my fire. I do want to prove that I’m a hard worker and I’m not here for anything else but to work hard.” While not all “nepo babies” have proven their actual worth in their chosen industry, it looks like Lily-Rose Depp is going to be a dominant exception, at least with Nosferatu.
Will you be seeing Nosferatu on opening weekend? What do you expect to see from Lily-Rose Depp in the future?
