Hayley Hasselhoff is the latest celebrity to join the "nepo baby" conversation. The 30-year-old actress and plus-size model, who is the daughter of Baywatch star David Hasselhoff, recently spoke her mind about the hot topic. Her take: she auditioned "just like everybody else".
Scroll down for more on what she said.
Speaking to Daily Mail at the Remus pre-award tea time event, Hayley shared her opinions on the controversial topic. She insisted that her journey to making it in Hollywood is genuine.
Everybody's journey is different, says Hasselhoff. "You can’t compare everybody’s journey on how they got into the industry if they are a 'nepo baby', or, however you call it.”
“But at the end of the day, I know mine — and mine was a very genuine one,” the model said. “I had to get my own agent. I got my own agent at 14. I auditioned for it like everybody else.”
She looked back at her hardships to get to where she is now and recalled how much she bawled her eyes out when she was booked in the ABC show Huge, where she played Amber for 10 episodes.
Hayley's first acting gig was in her dad's show, Baywatch, back in 1999. She was only seven years old when she appeared in the hit series. She was also in their family's reality show, The Hasselhoffs, which was canceled after only two episodes.
Hayley caught the acting bug when she was a young girl, despite her family discouraging her from it. According to her, she always knew that she wanted to be a star.
She put herself into acting school at a young age and it became a way for her to release and express her emotions.
"I actually didn't do theater in school because of the relationship to my family, I think really because I think I didn't want people to think that I was just doing it to do it."
When she got the lead role in Huge, everyone was surprised because she kept some of her acting auditions a secret from her family.
In the candid interview, Hayley shared that it took hard work, training, and therapy for her to become an actor.
Being the daughter of a Hollywood icon put her in tough situations where she was judged for their family name. "I've definitely had specific situations that have been tough, and then I've had ones that have been welcoming," she said.
Confident in her talent, she didn't let anyone stop her from achieving her dreams. Her mantra throughout the years has always been to prove the haters wrong.
"I think that's always kind of been my attitude. I have always said, 'Well, let me show you why I'm here'.''
In 2021, Hayley made history when she was featured as a cover girl for Playboy Germany, making her the first plus-size model to pose for the European magazine.
In her cover feature, the curvy babe bared her body while wearing a red silky robe with nothing underneath.
She shared the cover photo on Instagram, along with a lengthy caption that expressed her pride in the project. "I am overcome with emotion around what this cover signifies for inclusivity and its greater purpose towards female empowerment."
She continued by saying how grateful she was to be able to live unapologetically and wishes the same for other women. "I can only hope this cover will allow women to know that they are loved, valued and desired just as they are - right here, right now."
Hayley shared that if there's one thing she could tell her younger self, it would be "you are worthy just as you are."
Regardless of whether she may or may not have received privileges and advantages for being a nepo baby, this queen is definitely doing great things with her fame and platform!
