Hayley Hasselhoff has joined the ongoing debate about Hollywood’s “nepo babies” after saying that the children of celebrities deserve recognition for their own successes.
Hasselhoff — daughter of “Baywatch” stars David Hasselhoff and Pamela Bach — told The Daily Mail last month that her career came from years of hard work and dedication despite her parent’s attempts to dissuade her from becoming an actor.
“It’s difficult because at the end of the day, everybody’s journey is going to be different,” Hasselhoff, 30, said. “So 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 30-year-old continued. “I had to get my own agent. I got my own agent at 14. I auditioned for it like everybody else.”
Hasselhoff — who made history last year for being the first plus-sized nude model to appear on the cover of Playboy magazine — also commented that the entertainment industry is filled with people who make misconceptions regarding the reasons why children of celebrities follow in their parent’s footsteps.
The model and mental health advocate recalled that she had always wanted to be an actor since a young age but did not participate in school productions due to her family’s legacy.
“I actually didn’t do theater in school because of the relationship to my family,” recalled Hasselhoff. “I think really because I think I didn’t want people to think that I was just doing it to do it.”
The Post reached out to Hasselhoff for comment.
Hasselhoff landed her first lead role on screen in the 2010 ABC show “Huge” at the age of 17 after a seemingly arduous audition process.
According to the star, she never received any special treatment and went through every single step everybody else went through.
“And it’s a trying time, because they know as well if they’re booking you that it’s going to come with a certain perception,” recalled the actress.
Hasselhoff stated that the pressure of having a famous family has forced her to show up and “be prepared” as well as being “passionate about what she was performing.”
The “Why Women Kill” star recalled a scene from the reality show “The Hasselhoffs” — which aired in 2010— where she booked her role on the ABC show.
“I’m bawling my eyes out because I was like, ‘Do you know how much I’ve been through,’ remembered Hasselhoff. “I knew how hard I wanted this and how much training and how much just therapy to be an actor really brought me to that place. So it was a dream come true.”
The “Huge” star said that being the daughter of two Hollywood icons is also not without its struggles.
“I’ve definitely had specific situations that have been tough, and then I’ve had ones that have been welcoming,” admitted Hasselhoff. “But I think it’s the end of the day, I’d say I have had few situations when I was first starting out where I would go into auditions and I’d feel the misconception, and I kind of just would sit there and be like, ‘Well, let me show you why I’m here.’”
“My art will speak for itself, and I don’t think that I need to speak for it,” continued the actress. “And if it’s not here, that’s okay, because it’s a lesson to be learned and it’ll be the next.”
Hasselhoff said that she has also found acting to be therapeutic for her.
“It was a way for me to really release my emotions through somebody else, and I needed that,” said the star. “So there’s a very sentimental relationship between me and acting more than anything else that I do.”
“And I know that when we speak all the arts, I think it’s so important for children just to be able to get into it,” concluded Hasselhoff.