Sad! This Nepo Baby Is Mad About Movie Stars ‘Not Giving Space’ to People Like Him.

Variety revealed its “Young Hollywood” issue cover star on Thursday: Sam Nivola (aka the White Lotus twink). In the accompanying interview, the 21-year-old tackled the following trenchant topics: not being a nepo baby (“I didn’t get my dad’s agent to call up so-and-so. I did it by myself. I didn’t want to give anyone an excuse to be able to say that anything I’ve achieved has been because of anyone other than me”); how he differs from his White Lotus role (“My character jerked off Patrick [Schwarzenegger]. I don’t like that. It’s a bad thing he did. But I try not to pass judgment.”); and his DMs while the HBO series aired (“flooded with thirsty older men”).

The interview reads like, well, any other interview with a clueless 20-something born to actor parents. Nivola’s, if you didn’t know, are Emily Mortimer and Alessandro Nivola—though he very deliberately doesn’t credit them with anything. “Other than my genes, I don’t think I can attribute much of my success to my parents,” Nivola told Variety. “I feel proud that I’ve done it for myself, and sometimes in spite of them.” However, that’s not even the most ridiculous thing Nivola said during the interview.

According to Nivola, it’s the fault of “old movie stars” (namely Tom Cruise) and Hollywood’s reliance on them that young actors such as himself aren’t getting meaningful opportunities. That’s right. And not only did Nivola do an ageism, he also plastic surgery-shamed his—frankly, more talented and charismatic—elders.

“The old movie stars are getting plastic surgery, and they’re looking younger and they’re staying young,” Nivola explained. “You have these really old people playing young roles. And it’s not giving any space for the young’uns to move in and make a name for themselves.” This kid plays one weirdo with a proclivity for incest and suddenly he thinks he’s owed the opportunity to make a name for himself…

He added: “With all due respect to those people, one day they won’t be here anymore, literally, and they will have to create new stars.”