Jack Quaid Says He Agrees with 'Nepo Baby' Label: 'I’m an Immensely Privileged Person'

Jack Quaid isn’t forgetting where he came from.

In a recent interview with the Daily Beast, the actor, 32, talked about his success in the entertainment industry. Coming from a famous family — his parents are Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid — Jack explained how he views his fame.

“People have called me a ‘nepo baby,’” he said. “I’m inclined to agree. I am an immensely privileged person, was able to get representation pretty early on, and that’s more than half the battle. I knew the door was open for me in a lot of ways that it’s just not for a lot of actors, and I’ve just tried to work as hard as I possibly can to prove that I deserve to walk through that door.”

Even though The Boys star has had opportunities others may not have, Jack explained that he wants to earn his space in the acting world. While his mom has said in the past that the title of “nepo baby” disregards Jack’s work ethic and skills, he said he sees both sides.

“I don’t think she's trying to say that I’m not a nepo baby," he explained. "I think she's just trying to say that, in her opinion, it undermines my talent. I don’t think it undermines my talent. I know that I work hard, and I know I’ve heard ‘no’ way more than I’ve heard ‘yes.’ But I also know that this industry is insanely hard to break into, and I had an easier time doing that than most.”

He added: “Both things can be true. So no, I don’t think she was trying to say that I’m not a privileged person. She knows. She must know. I think she was being a mom.”

Still, when it comes to rom-coms, he said he usually leaves that to Meg, 62, who he deems the “undisputed queen of rom-coms.” 

“It was a little bit of a conscious decision to not do it as much,” he shared. “I can’t just get into that space, it’s got to be right. It’s got to be something that feels different enough from what she’s done. I’m not looking to take her place or anything.”

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The Sleepless in Seattle actress opened up about Jack’s career in the December 2023 cover of Glamour. She said she has known he belonged on screen for a long time.

"I remember seeing him in a middle school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He was playing Bottom. I was newly divorced from his dad, and he was seated at the other side of the gym," she said of ex Dennis.

"I had my head in my hands and was like, 'Oh, no. He’s good. He’s really good,’” she recalled. “I leaned forward, and I see Dennis, and he’s also leaning forward with his head in his hands. I just knew.”