The granddaughter of Elvis Presley, Riley Keough, says she acknowledges her privilege as the “nepo-baby stuff” becomes a prominent issue in the entertainment world.
The term has become a popular phrase to describe the children of celebrities who have succeeded in industries similar to those of their parents.
Daisy Jones & The Six actress Keough told Elle UK magazine: “I’m sure being Elvis’s granddaughter has made it easier for me to get an agent, to have meetings and all this stuff, when I started out.
“I know there’s so much nepo-baby stuff at the moment (and) I certainly acknowledge that aspect of the privilege of coming where I come from.
“I’m not an idiot. I’m aware of privilege in an acute way.”
He mother, Lisa Marie Presley, gave her this advice on entering the showbiz world, saying: “If you’re going to do this, you have to be so good at what you do, or else nobody’s going to take you seriously, you’re not going to get any jobs and it’s going to be embarrassing.”
“You don’t want to be an embarrassing celebrity kid,” Keough added. “She ingrained that into me and my brother so deeply.”
She recently finished her mother’s memoir, which covers the day Elvis died, Lisa Marie’s struggles with addiction, her short-lived marriage to Michael Jackson and the death of her son, Benjamin Keough in 2020.
Keough, also known for US series, The Girlfriend Experience, and Under The Bridge, said “being the daughter of someone that famous and iconic made it really hard” for her mother, the only daughter of Presley and Priscilla Presley, to have her own career as a musician.
Lisa Marie Presley died aged 54 in 2023.
The eldest of Lisa Marie’s four children added: “The most heartbreaking thing for me, growing up, was to watch this woman who I could tell so deeply wanted love and friendship, really struggle to find it. I think that’s really common at that level of fame.
“Being Elvis’s daughter is different to being other people’s daughters, I think. Not to say she didn’t have a few great friendships and relationships in her life – it just was always a struggle.”
She released the memoir, From Here To The Great Unknown, earlier this month, which she says “felt more like a duty”.
The December/January issue of Elle UK is on sale from November 7, and the full interview is available online at elle.com/uk/Riley-Keough.
