Bridgerton actress and her very famous mother hit back against nepo baby claims

Daily Mail​

25-05-2025

Bridgerton star Bessie Carter and her famous mother Imelda Staunton have hit back against ' nepo baby ' claims in a new interview.
The actress, 31, is the daughter of The Crown and Harry Potter star Imelda and Downton Abbey icon Jim Carter.
The pair have never worked on the same project until now where they are both starring in the theatre production Mrs Warren's Profession in London.
But Bessie insists she has made her career happen on her own and 'doesn't really care' about the term 'nepo baby' being used.
She told The Independent: 'I have a lot of drive to make stuff happen myself, instead of waiting for the phone to ring.
'Some people might use that phrase (nepo baby), but I don't really care. I believe in myself and my trajectory being what it is, and I've never used my parents, ever, to get any work.'
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Supporting her statement Imelda added: 'There seem to be about 22 million more actors now. During the time of Maggie [Smith] and Robert Stephens [the late parents of the actor Toby Stephens], you could count actors with that level of celebrity on one hand.
'Now it's not unusual for children to have parents who are also actors, simply because there are so many of them.'
A synopsis for Mrs Warren's Profession at the Garrick Theatre reads: 'Vivie Warren is a woman ahead of her time.
'Estranged from her wealthy mother, she delights in a glass of whisky, a good detective story, and is determined to carve herself a sparkling legal career in an age ruled by men.
Her mother, however, is a product of that old patriarchal order. Exploiting it has earned Mrs. Warren a fortune and paid for her daughter's expensive education – but at what cost?'
Bessie graced the cover of May's Tatler issue recently where she opened up about her acting power couple parents.
She is the daughter of Imelda and Jim - though many didn't know this when she rose to fame on the period Netflix show as the obnoxious Prudence Featherington.
Now she is starring as Nancy Mitford in new six-episode series Outrageous which follows the lives of the Mitford sisters and is based on Mary S Lovell's biography.
Speaking to the publication she was full of praise for her parents and their successful careers - and says she took inspiration from her mother Imelda for her latest role.
Imelda famously played The Queen in the later series of The Crown which Bessie says helped her in playing real people too - including her new part as Nancy Mitford.
She said of playing real people: 'We're not imitating them, but we're taking the essence of them and trying to regurgitate it as truth.
'It's something my mother had to go to town with given that the Queen was so known by everyone… she smashed it!
'I think that's such a hard line, but really doing the voice and the physicality and then bringing your own proof to it, that's the fun.'
She added that she is grateful that her parents 'know what life as an actor is like' and 'what filming days are like'.
Bessie explained: 'They know that when I'm on my way home I might not have the energy to talk on the phone because they know how all-consuming it is. We just know the game.'
During the Tatler interview she didn't mention her boyfriend Sam Phillips who she met filming the last series of Bridgerton.
Last May MailOnline revealed that despite their characters not interacting on the show, the actors began dating after meeting on set of season three.
Filming for the series began in July 2022 and wrapped in March 2023, with Bessie moving into Sam's flat in Brighton three months later.
Bessie played the role of Prudence Featherington on the hit Netflix show, while Sam, 39, played Nicola Coughlan 's character Penelope's new suitor Lord Debling.
The pair have been photographed at several events with her family, including alongside Bessie's famous parents.
The furthest back they have been pictured was in May 2023 where they looked cosy at a theatre event - suggesting they could have been together a good while.
Last year rumours began to swirl on TikTok that the pair could be an item, with one content creator posting a recent video titled: 'Bridgerton co-stars that are dating in real life'.
Many were quick to comment on the rumours as one said: 'Okayyyy featherington sisters bagging the hot ones!'
Another said: 'They're so cute!!', while a third penned: 'I love this so much!'
Representatives for Bessie and Sam have been contacted by MailOnline for comment.
The pair were first pictured together in May 2023 as they attended the Theatrical Consequences: The 5th Annual Platform Presents West End Gala after party at Tequila Mockingbird in London.
Then in November 2023 the pair attended the Wonka premiere together with Bessie's famous actress mother Imelda, 68.
They posed as a trio with Imelda stood in the middle - suggesting Sam had been introduced to her side of the family some time before.
Then in December 2023 Bessie her famous dad Jim, 75, accompanied Sam to The Crown season 6 finale celebration event.
He plays the Queen's Equerry Stephen Chambers in season 3 and 4 of Netflix's The Crown.