• A new study reveals the best nepo baby breakout film performances of all time based on audience reviews and Google searches. 
• Jamie Lee Curtis’ iconic role in horror-favourite Halloween takes the top spot, boasting a score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and an average of over 763,000 searches worldwide per month. 
• Nepo baby actors also placing in the top ten for successful debuts include Lily Collins, Maya Hawke, and Miley Cyrus.

A new study reveals the best films of all time in which nepo babies gained their first big break. 

The study by Chicks Gold analysed the success of the first starring roles of nearly 50 ‘nepo babies’. Nepo baby actors are those who have famous parents or extended family, meaning they started their careers with strong connections in Hollywood. 

To determine the rankings, the researchers identified the first significant role in each of the actors’ careers using IMDb filmographies and calculated the average reviews for the respective films on IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Google reviews, as well as the global average search volume for the films, to establish their popularity. 

These factors were weighted to create an overall index score for each nepo baby in each film, providing the final rankings as shown below. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emily In Paris (@emilyinparis)

Top 20 best nepo baby breakout roles

Rank	Nepo baby	First significant film for the nepo baby	Index score/100
1	Jamie Lee Curtis	Halloween	92.50
2	O’Shea Jackson Jr	Straight Outta Compton	90.61
3	John David Washington	Malcolm X	87.28
4	Josh Brolin	The Goonies	87.23
5	Lily Collins	Tarzan	84.77
6	Maya Hawke	Little Women	80.96
7	Colin Hanks	That Thing You Do!	80.78
8	Miley Cyrus	Big Fish	79.67
9	Jack Quaid	The Hunger Games	78.55
10	Nicholas Cage	Fast Times at Ridgemont High	78.13
11	Mason Gooding	Ballers	77.16
12	Emma Roberts	Blow	76.82
13	Billie Lourd	Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens	74.27
14	Maude Apatow	Knocked Up	72.21
15	Scott Eastwood	Flags of Our Fathers	70.67
16	Timothée Chalamet	Loving Leah	70.35
17	Rumer Willis	Now and Then	70.07
18	Dan Levy	Degrassi Goes Hollywood	67.69
19	Laura Dern	Foxes	63.54
20	Riley Keough	The Runaways	62.38

#1 Jamie Lee Curtis 

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 review score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and an average of over 763,000 searches worldwide per month. 

#2 O’Shea Jackson Jr.  

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% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Not only that, but it received high acclaim across the board, with 87% of Google reviewers responding that they enjoyed the film and over 595,000 monthly Google searches. 

#3 John David Washington 

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% satisfaction rate on Google Reviews and 91% amongst its audience on Rotten Tomatoes.  

#4 Josh Brolin 

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 analysed 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%. 

#5 Lily Collins 

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%, 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 it. 

Several other famous names make up the top ten, including Maya Hawke – daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke – who ranks sixth in the study for her debut in Little Women (TV series), Hollywood A-lister Tom Hank’s son, Colin Hanks places seventh with his appearance in That Thing you Do!, while superstar Miley Cyrus takes the eighth spot, with her role in Tim Burton’s Big Fish. 

Completing the top ten is Dennis Quaid’s son, Jack Quaid, with his credit in The Hunger Games – the first film in the popular global franchise. Finally, and perhaps a surprising nepo baby, Nicholas Cage, who made his first film debut in 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High, can make the list of famous nepo babies, as part of the legendary Coppola family.  

A spokesperson for Chicks Gold commented on the findings:  

“Children with famous parents have an advantage in the acting world, as they are likely to have access to contacts in the film industry who can help them get their foot in the door at a young age. While it may not be the fairest route into the business, that doesn’t mean nepo babies don’t bring a lot of talent to their roles. Acting is in their bones, and they often go on to earn success through merit alone. This is made clear by the data in this study, as many nepo babies have been part of some amazing films that are held in high esteem to this day.”