Can Suri Cruise avoid the Nepo baby pitfalls? Tom’s daughter sings for Katie Holmes’ movies

Suri Cruise hasn’t had the easiest time in life: Paparazzi follow her and her mother Katie Holmes around the streets of Manhattan, and the 17-year-old has being the subject of painful reports that her mega-famous father Tom Cruise distanced himself from her because Holmes wouldn’t raise her in his beloved Church of Scientology.

But as Holmes recently told Glamour, her daughter has grown up to be an “incredible person.” She also revealed that Suri does some singing — a statement brimming with possibilities, including whether the teenager could be Hollywood’s next prominent Nepo baby.

When the writer of the Glamour story praised Suri for her really “good” singing voice, Holmes said  that she always likes having her daughter work with her on her films. That includes Suri singing the cover of “Blue Moon,” which played during the opening credits of “Alone Together,” the 2022 romantic comedy that Holmes wrote, directed and starred in.

“I hope she always does something on my films,” Holmes said about giving her daughter such opportunities. “I always ask her.” Suri also performed music for Holmes upcoming film, “Rare Objects.”

“Both of those experiences came out of the same sense of what I love about our industry, which is, you have these projects and you become a family with people,” Holmes continued. “And it’s this safe, beautiful, creative space. So it comes out of love for me to include someone who I love dearly. That’s how I like to work. I like to have that kind of feeling. It was very meaningful to me to have her there, because she’s my heart.”

Alas, for all the glowing things Holmes says about wanting love and family on her film sets, she should know there are drawbacks to celebrities opening professional doors for their children. This sort of, yes, nepotism breeds resentment and has led to what’s become a media and cultural backlash over the Nepo baby phenomenon. The progeny of the rich and famous have found themselves the target of reports and sometimes lacerating commentary over the apparent advantages they enjoy in landing opportunities to work in competitive, lucrative and high-profile professions.

Maybe Suri isn’t totally set on a singing career and she provided vocals for her mother’s movies as a lark. The Daily Mail reported that she has begun to apply to college, with the idea of pursuing a career in fashion. Of course, having famous Hollywood parents can also help launch a career in fashion; Vogue would be delighted to offer the daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes an internship. Of course, Suri could do both — study fashion while pursuing a side interest in singing. One advantage of being a Nepo baby is that they can dabble in different careers with no big risk.

The Nepo baby term has floating around for a while, but a lengthy analysis by Vulture last year showed the extent to which the entertainment industry is a family business and has “never been a meritocracy.” The “best” Nepo babies are the ones who have a sense of humor about the label. They  acknowledge their privilege while demonstrating a strong work ethic and unique talent, according to the Daily Beast.

The “worst” are those — like Lily-Rose Depp, Zoe Kravitz or John David Washington — who take offense when someone reasonably points out their privilege, or when they get sanctimonious about some hot topic, or fail to show they’d truly be able to succeed without their parents’ name and connections, according to the Daily Beast

It remains to be seen what kind of Nepo baby Suri Cruise will be, but she appears to have been brought up by a mother who wants her to be a kind person, as well as confident, gracious about her privilege and unaffected by celebrity.

After Holmes blindsided Cruise by asking for a divorce in 2012, she secured custody. Holmes has previously opened up in interviews about her overwhelming love for her daughter, whom she calls “a spectacular human being.” In her new interview with Glamour, Holmes said she felt it was really “really important” to try and raise Suri away from the spotlight.

“What has been really important for me with my daughter, because she was so visible at a young age, is I really like to protect her,” Holmes said. Holmes has previously opened up in interviews about her overwhelming love for her daughter, whom she calls “a spectacular human being.”