Here are 10 young celebrities from Asia who had, or were accused of getting a head start in their careers, because of their famous and well-connected families.
1. Fabienne Kwan
Daughter of the much-loved TVB actor Eddie Kwan Lai-kit, 27-year-old Fabienne participated in the 2021 Miss Hong Kong Pageant. She didn’t win a place in the competition but made it to the finals.
She doesn’t seem to mind being known as “Eddie Kwan’s daughter”. According to an article by Jayne Stars, the young, up and coming actress said, “I am really happy that he is my daddy.”
Last year, she signed to TVB and is now preparing to officially start her career in showbiz, according to Hype Malaysia.
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2. Ayla Sham Yuet
Currently one of the city’s most prominent second generation stars, Ayla Sham is in fact the daughter of Hong Kong’s now retired actress Chingmy Yau, dubbed the city’s “sex symbol” for her roles in adult films, per Asia One. To top that off, Sham’s father is local fashion tycoon Sham Kar-wai.
With parents as famous as hers, Sham grew up a socialite with friends like Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon, stated Vogue Hong Kong. The report adds that the 20-year-old model made her runway debut during the 2019 London Fashion Week, and has modelled for Izzue, a clothing brand under I.T., a fashion conglomerate that her father owns.3. Leah Dou
The 25-year-old is a singer-songwriter and the daughter of Hong Kong music icons Faye Wong and Dou Wei.
She attended the renowned Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, US and dropped out to pursue music on her own, The Cut reported.
Dou was only 19 when she opened for English pop rock band Bastille at London’s O2 arena in 2016, via an article on Free WeChat. That’s a big feat for someone so young but not impossible for someone whose parents are considered the Beyoncé and Jay-Z of China.4. Ashley Lin
The 22-year-old daughter of veteran actors Mimi Kung and Wei Lin, Ashley Lin has gained quite a bit of attention in recent years because of her good looks and has been named “the prettiest second-gen star” by netizens.
According to 8days, Lin entered the limelight at the age of 16 as a model and made her acting debut in the 2020 movie Find Your Voice, working alongside big names like Andy Lau.Now signed to Hong Kong’s prolific director Johnnie To’s agency, she is currently starring in a ViuTV drama Rope a Dope opposite Hong Kong’s most famous boy band, Mirror, alongside members Yeung Lok-man and Alton Wong, with Anson Kong playing her love interest!20 years on: who is the richest Infernal Affairs star? Net worths, ranked
5. Chantalle Ng
Singaporean actress Chantalle Ng followed in the footsteps of her parents Lin Mei-jiao and Huang Yi-liang, both prominent actors in the industry. Ng signed a contract with the Singaporean media conglomerate Mediacorp, the same agency that represents her mother, in 2019, according to Today Online.
The 27 -year-old actress has previously spoken up about accusations of nepotism. “If it were not for her [her mother], it would be harder to step into the industry, but she has never once approached a producer or director to give me a role,” she said in an interview with TNP.
6. Chen Yi-xi
Similar to Chantalle Ng, Chen’s parents – Mediacorp’s actor and actress Edmund Chen and Xiang Yun – are household names in Singapore.
The 31-year-old second generation star used to work in an entirely different field with no intention of becoming a celebrity until a director called him in 2017, reported 8days, offering him a debut role in 118 Reunion.
According to an article by Smartparents in 2018, both Chen and his younger sister Yi-xin, who is also an actress, feel pressured to live up to other people’s expectations because of their famous parents.
7. Babil Khan
Babil Khan is the son of late Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, whose performance in Hollywood movies like Life of Pi made him well-known internationally.
The 24-year-old is following in his father’s footsteps onto the big screen with his debut role in Netflix’s latest film Qala. Despite his connections and his father’s prominence in the industry, Khan has so far avoided harsh criticisms on being a “nepo baby”.
“If I wasn’t Irrfan Khan’s son, nobody would have cared,” Khan said to Hindustan Times, regarding the splash he made with his debut. While acknowledging his popularity comes from his father’s name, he denied ever using connections to land a role, stated the same source.
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8. Suhana Khan
At the age of 18, Khan graced the cover of Vogue India and now she’s preparing for her debut in Netflix’s upcoming film The Archies. Of course with her father being who he is, the backlash and nepotism accusations are non-stop, especially considering the film will be launching two other “nepo babies” as the main cast, per Vogue India.
9. Jennie Kim
A rapper, vocalist, dancer and a model, K-pop girl group sensation Blackpink’s Jennie has a long list of talents. The 26-year-old has been dubbed the “YG Princess” by netizens who claim she receives favouritism from her label YG Entertainment, but the term princess can also refer to her privileged upbringing.Blackpink concert chaos: could the Born Pink World Tour be the band’s last?
Korean netizens were quick to discover and accuse her of not only coming from an affluent family but for reportedly having a mum who is a shareholder of South Korean entertainment and mass media company CJ E&M.10. Sunny Lee Soon-kyu
Sunny Lee Soon-kyu from Korea’s iconic K-pop group Girls’ Generation is the niece of Lee Soo-man, the founder of one of South Korea’s biggest entertainment companies, SM Entertainment, which also happens to be the company that she’s signed to.
As this fact is widely known in the industry and among fans, Lee has defended herself once during Knowing Bros, a South Korean television show, saying that she isn’t close to her uncle and despite working under him her whole career, she has never referred to him as “uncle”.
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