ROB LOWE AND his youngest son, John Owen Lowe, 28, will appear together this month in Unstable. The show is about a young man trying to step out of his father’s shadow. It’s not necessarily all about John Owen Lowe, but then again, it’s definitely not not all about John Owen Lowe.
“The number of times I got compared to my dad, and the number of times he was brought up in conversation, made me so uncomfortable that I wanted to move as far away from that as possible,” John Owen told Men’s Health in our April cover story—also featuring, yes, his dad, Rob Lowe.
Rob, understanding all too well the pressure his shadow had on the youngest Lowe, said he and his wife, Sheryl Berkoff, implored their children not to consider careers in entertainment until after college, until after they had pursued other interests. While John Owen tried stem cell research and finance, he said the instinct to pursue acting and writing kept “bubbling up.” The result: an upcoming Netflix show starring himself and his dad.
In late 2022, the internet deftly discovered the existence of legacy in Hollywood, and how many industry progeny shockingly find work in said industry—and the “nepo baby” was born. For young writers/actors like John Owen, the nepotism charge will likely stay on the tip of critical tongues, even if Unstable contends with the dark side of this phenomena. (John Owen had a drug and alcohol counselor before he had a driver’s license.)
“My take is, there is a healthy conversation in there somewhere,” John Owen told Men’s Health. “I’m always more than willing—and I think it’s important—to acknowledge that I did have opportunities that other people didn’t have. I did get that foot in the door that most people don’t, and for that I’m grateful. And what is also true is that after getting that foot in the door, you do have to prove yourself. There’s a difference between children of nepotism who have just been platformed and coasted on that and the ones who have worked hard and care about what they do.”
Rob’s own defense of the dynamic was more historical: “I’m just saying, are you telling me that the world would be better off if Kirk Douglas didn’t have Michael Douglas?”
His point: there’s nothing new about the “nepo baby.” While legacy may not entail merit, it does not preclude talent.
Assistant Editor
Joshua St Clair is an Assistant Editor at Men’s Health Magazine.
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