LOS ANGELES  –  Sylvester Stallone is defending his nepotistic move of giving his daughter a shot in Hollywood. The Rocky star has clapped back at the nepotism critics after starring his daughter Scarlet Rose Stallone in his crime drama Tulsa King, as he acknowledged that parents naturally want the best opportunities for their children. “First, they go, ‘Nepotism is terrible.’ I said, ‘Oh please, you’re not a good parent if you haven’t performed a little nepotism. Then obviously you don’t care about your kids, because they come first,’” Sylvester said, according to USA Today. The proud dad then noted with a laugh, “Of course it’s nepotism, you idiot. That’s why we’re parents.”  “We want the best for our children. So obviously we let them have every advantage,” he remarked. 

However, the 80-year-old action star clarified that getting an opportunity is not equivalent to success. “Can they maintain that level of excellence? That’s out of our hands,” Sylvester added. For those unversed, Scarlet, who debuted in season one of Tulsa King, plays the role of Spencer while Sylvester stars as a New York mobster who attempts to build a criminal empire in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after spending years behind bars. Scarlet’s now plays a bigger role in the drama with her character’s increased involvement in the family’s criminal operation. It is pertinent to mention that including Scarlett, Sylvester is also the father of daughters Sophia and Sistine, whom he welcomed with his wife, Jennifer Flavin.