Teen star Emma Roberts just turned 20 and has decided to take an agent. David Sweeney of David Sweeney Management, who has repped her for 12 years, is organizing a series of meetings at the major tenpercenteries for Roberts, who is Eric Roberts’ daughter and Julia Roberts’ niece. But what an interesting TV/movie career she already has. Starting out as Johnny Depp’s daughter in the film Blow for the late (and great) Ted Demme, she became a big teen star on Nickelodeon’s Unfabulous. That led to starring roles for her in Warner Bros.’ Nancy Drew and DreamWorks’ Hotel For Dogs. She’s co-starring in Scream 4 in theaters this April and also starred in Homework, the Sundance film that sold to Fox Seachlight for a June 17 release. Already, she’s been on the covers of Vanity Fair, Teen Vogue (twice) and of course Seventeen. As for an agency, she and Sweeney are looking for reps who’ll help groom her to be a serious actress, aka “the next Natalie Portman.”
Young Hollywood's Emma Roberts Is Taking Agency Meetings
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Wow what amazing accomplishments from the most spoon fed actress in hollywood. Should we also do a posting about how amazing will smiths kids are for “making it” in Hollywood?
And Emma Roberts will NEVER be the next Natalie Portman, because Natalie is actually talented
She is indeed the next Portman. Very talented actress, and quite probably more so than her aunt or father.
CAA will win, they always do
Not so fast…..
Patrick Whitesell always gets his girl.
Definitely going to BRENT MORLEY at WME. Rooney Mara, and is on the cover of THR’s 35 under 35? Nough said.
The next Natalie Portman, please! She is where she is because of aunt Julia….
I loved her in Lymelife. She was so sardonic and cool.
That video for the KIlls GO OUTSIDE she did with Dave Franco was the best video I’ve seen in awhile. She looks beautiful in it. Classic.
Tedious. Stop the nepotism! Isn’t Gwyneth bad enough?
My daughters love her from Unfabulous! She’s a great role model and they can’t wait to Scream 4.
She’ll have to improve her entitled attitude a lot before her people can start talking her up as the next anything, let alone the next Natalie Portman. Her personality’s a big turnoff.
Once again it is not what you know, it is who you know. Nobody should be surprised here as the laundry list of actors working today got it all the same way.
Angry blog comments are the only response that makes angry out-of-work people whose parents aren’t famous feel like justice has been achieved. It’s pretty silly. Hollywood has always had generational families where children went into the family business. JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER BUSINESS ON EARTH. It’s only nepotism if the person doesn’t deserve the opportunity, or sucks at their job. So the talent part should always be up for opinions and debate. But making comments as if it’s somehow immoral for kids to go into the same industry as their parents is petty and childish. And I don’t know how often Anjelica Huston got made fun of. Or Isabella Rosellini. Or Angelina Jolie. Or cooler than cool director Duncan Jones, who is insanely talented, but certainly wasn’t hurt by who his father is. But my guess is not as much as this comment thread would suggest.
Make fun of her acting, if you don’t like it, but who her Dad and Aunt are? Petty. It got her in doors. But it won’t keep her working (examples: Billy Baldwin, Sophia Coppola as an actress, and many others).
Oh, and the world isn’t fair. But it’s a huge myth that there are all these talented people out there just waiting to be discovered and the only thing standing between them and success is the chance… talent finds a way. But it’s a comforting way for untalented people to continue their self-delusion. Good luck with that.
I’ve always said “The Cream Rises To The Top”…if you’re good in this town you’ll work! If you’re not there’s always “Can I supersize those fries for you?”
Emma Roberts seems like a very nice young woman and I liked her in Lymelife, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to cast young actresses that aren’t children of famous actors, rockstars etc… The money people want a name and the name gets them in the door and they keep working because they have a name. I think many of our young actresses are coming from England and Australia, because they have the opportunity to build their careers. Once they’re ripe Hollywood agencies pluck them. I would like to see us develop our talent pool of young American actresses and that involves giving them parts even when they don’t have a name.
“But it’s a huge myth that there are all these talented people out there just waiting to be discovered and the only thing standing between them and success is the chance… talent finds a way. But it’s a comforting way for untalented people to continue their self-delusion. Good luck with that.”
I completely disagree! I’ve been working in Hollywood almost 4 years now and have worked with producers on 3 theatrically released movies. I’ve met all sorty of actors, young, old, white black, men, women. There is one common theme about those who make it and those who don’t…LUCK! Talent does not find a way, luck does. Whether it be the luck of your last name, the luck of being able to meet/sleep with a producer/director, or just being in the right place at the right time (Charlize Theron in line at a bank when an agent sees her). Are there talentless people in this town claiming nepotisim in order to justify the reason why they can’t get a job? Of course! But the reality is, there are thousands of people with real talent in music, film, sports, print, etc. that never get lucky enough to get “discovered”. Becoming a real working actor in this town is like winning the lottery. It just happens and you thank your lucky stars that it did.
Jealous much, I’m sorry you are very wrong. If you’re not in the industry, you should still know that talent does NOT always find a way. I don’t want to mention any names, but I’m sure everybody can name 10 HUGE film stars that are NOT talented nor choose to develop their acting skills (or maybe they do and STILL fail).
Making it in this town takes hard work, talent and LUCK. When your father is a well-known actor and your aunt is a huge star, that is LUCK. I like Emma and not saying she doesn’t deserve what she has, but if it weren’t for her family, she’d have to compete with thousands of other talented, similar looking actresses to even land representation.
Shut the F up about nepotism. Talk about tedious! Did you ever think that having two actors in the family might expose her to said skill set at an early age?
No one claims nepotism about sports. Eli and Peyton Manning are the son of NFL quarterback great Archie Manning. They were exposed at an early age to the skills needed to become a great and of course had an innate ability. If you read Malcom Gladwells’ OUTLIERS you’d know these things!
Its a simple logic. She’s put in some great performances so lets see what else she can do.
Your argument that being exposed to such things at a young age has its merits, but trying to argue that nepotism in sports is as common as it is in Hollywood is a fallacy and comparing apples to oranges.
True, if someone rises in Hollywood because of nepotism, they’ll most likely fall back down (somewhat, at least) if they don’t have talent, but in sports they never would’ve been able to rise in the first place, if they didn’t have it. Otherwise every sports stars kids would be just as successful as mom or pops, but it aint so.
The professional sports analogy couldn’t more inaccurate.
Professional sports are quite possibly the last true meritocracy in American life. Watch Jake Gyllenhaal try to take a snap as an NFL quarterback or play point guard for the LA Lakers and see what happens. But watch him “act” his way through “Prince of Persia” and pose for a few EW spreads and he’s “amazing!”
In the world of entertainment faking your way through things is not only possible but happens with alarming regularity. Mira Sorvino has an Oscar for God’s sake.
God, Brett! Jesus H.
I wasn’t saying that Eli and Peyton earned their spot because of nepotism. I was saying they were exposed to the “football” skills necessary to help them succeed in football based on a “meritocracy”.
Just as Emma has been exposed to “acting” skills that has helped her advance, not nepotism.
@ Dana California — you don’t need to put “meritocracy” in quotes. It’s an actual word.
In fact you could probably benefit from cracking a dictionary because what you’re describing with the Manning brothers is not nepotism at all. The fact that they had an opportunity to develop skills at a younger age may have given them an advantage over similarly-gifted peers, but that is not nepotism.
Being shown favoritism because you’re Julia Robert’s niece is nepotism. Nepotism is not having a parent who’s a good musician and makes you practice violin at a young age and as a result you become a good violinist.
Whether or not Emma Roberts actually HAS developed and proven an extraordinary level of skill is the point that is up for debate.
I know what meritocracy is. Its not a big word. Just because someone puts something in quotes doesn’t mean its a fake word. GOD! Crack a book? LIke that’s really hard. U think you’re the only one that reads?
If you would just shut up for one second and try to understand what I’m saying. I’m saying the Mannings and Emma are not a product of nepotism.
“The fact that they had an opportunity to develop skills at a younger age may have given them an advantage over similarly-gifted peers, but that is not nepotism.” That’s exactly what I’m saying! Jesus!
I’m saying the same goes for Emma that she had an advantage developing skills not “nepotism”.
Why don’t u actually understand what someone is saying before you try to get all corrective on me?
Brett if you were here right now in front of me. I’d give u the meanest look ever. Then I’d say let’s get over our differences and be friends.
There is an absolute solid argument here that can be articulated, but cannot be fully expressed on these boards. Nikki, we need a message board on here!! Pronto!
Brett – your argument makes no sense. The problem is that sports has objective tangible results. Hollywood is a subjective business. Of course you succeed or fail based on results. You still get opportunities you might not based on who you know. Same with Hollywood – the movies you name good or bad – its subjective. If an audience shows they will keep working. Also if you want to put blame on someone put it on financiers who NEED names to be able to sell product.
No, the reason these Hollywood babies can make it is because they have the means to not have to work. They can get in the doors, and then afford not to get paid if need be. Real, talented un famous actors only have a short window before the crushing reality of the world come knocking on their doors.
Sure, some of these kids are talented, but no more talented than the 100s of other kids out there that actually have to make a living.
As much as I hate nepotism in the business, the kid has got acting chops. I can’t rightfully praise Michael Douglass for winning a Best Picture Oscar as a Producer for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as well as a Best Oscar for Acting in Wall Street and deny Emma the future of possible greatness because I seen an intelligence and gracefullness in her acting abilities.
Such is life.
GOD I cannot stand her. Talk about untalented
Full disclosure…
I actually saw TWELVE a bit ago. I kinda found it to be a nice little guilty pleasure and NOT the crapfest I expected, also Chacelocks wasn’t that bad.
BUT…
the brightest spot was that beautiful little thing Emma Roberts.
I like her and all but a major obstacle to her achieving “serious actress status” is her unfortunate affliction with vacant “dumb girl eyes”.
Agreed. She has a kind of charisma but she’s vastly uninteresting. She’ll have some form of success but it won’t be anything like her aunt’s. The vacant eyes thing btw is cultural; it’s what’s cool with teen girls everywhere. My neighbor’s otherwise lovely teen daughter does it. Blame the Kardashians making it cool to be “dead behind the eyes”.
as long as she starts smiling “with” her eyes then she might have a chance!:)
I’m a film maker and i’ve met with Emma Roberts. she is absolutely talented without a doubt. She is intelligent, self possessed, sophisticated and very funny. this girl is going to be a star and it has nothing to do with aunt julia. maybe that made the initial start a little easier but she’s doing this all on her own power now. no one casts actors in their movies because of who they are related to. it may get them in the room but they don’t stay in that room for long if they don’t have talent.
she is a lot more interesting that Ms. Portman. you’ll see.
Her personality is a bit of a turn-off, but she IS talented (see Lymelife). Hopefully she can show her talent off on a bigger stage with Scre4m. I do like that she is doing independent work though, showing her diversity rather than all hollywood blockbusters.
Her personality is a “bit of a turn off”. You know what’s the biggest turn off of all? YOUR FACE! Even I couldn’t love that.
Nepotism is detrimental to the writing field. There are many many screenwriters who are there because of who they know with sub-par mediocre material. It’s easy to re-write a script. You can’t do that with actors so they have to have the goods. Screen does not lie.
Too-Tah.
I’ve run into Ms. Roberts at several events and she has always been a delight. Very charming and talented. I hope to continue to see her career grow.
Well, there are only two agencies in town. CAA or WME. It depends on which one promises Sweeney a client in return.
All the teen girls call Emma “Basic”. Not sure who her fanbase is supposed to be.
DEAD EYES.
Her brain is fried.