Brooklyn Peltz Beckham spoke about nepotism and his careers.
The son of David and Victoria Beckham was a part of the Arsenal Football Club Academy but left when he was 15, with reports stating that he did not receive a youth contract with the club.
He subsequently began a spell as a photographer, shooting a Burberry campaign when he was just 16. His photography book, What I See, was released to ample criticism in 2017.
“I always wanted to go the football route. I played for a long time. I loved it so much. I just didn’t have the right head for it,” said in a new interview with InStyle. “When you’re growing up, especially with the dad that I had, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, the oldest son’s going to be a footballer.’ And I loved it. I really, really, really did, and I miss it so much.”
“I did football — that didn’t work out. Then I went into photography. I had a lot of fun with that for a few years. And then, what else did I do? I’ve always done a bit of modeling,” he continued.
However, his parents did not pressure him to go down any specific career route. “They didn’t care what I did or what I wanted to do. But, they were just like, ‘As long as you’re nice, you’re humble, and you work hard and you put your head down, that’s the most important thing,’” he continued.
This year, with Whole Foods, Brooklyn will be releasing product “in the food space” under the brand Cloud23. “It’s been a passion project of mine for the last two-and-a-half years, something I’ve literally put everything into,” he explained, keeping the details purposefully vague.
Adding that he’d “never worked so hard on anything” before, he called the products “something that hasn’t been done before.” Of getting the company started, he recalled, “I had to find a distributor … finding a CEO is very difficult, especially for a startup. The first year was just me — I put a lot of money to start it on my own and then, maybe under a year ago, got investors.”
Brooklyn said that he’s “come to terms” with the fact that some will criticize everything he does, adding, “Obviously, I’ve been so fortunate to get these opportunities where [my last name] does help.”
“I mean, I can’t help how I was born,” he further said of his nepo baby title. “I couldn’t ask for better parents and I’m just trying to work my ass off and trying to make a name for myself. That’s all I can say, really.”
You can read the full InStyle interview here.