Miley Cyrus has made headlines again, Lindsay Lohan got out of rehab, and Amanda Bynes is still in a psychiatric hold. This kind of news doesn’t surprise us at all, yet when they talk about someone like Hilary Duff and Raven Symone, it’s a big shocker when we see that they’re doing just fine. But what do these girls have in common? They are all child stars; kids who sold their soul to Mickey Mouse or some other big television channel corporation. They spent their entire childhood in front of camera, and when the spotlight is over they don’t know how to react or survive.
Now a days this is all we see, but instead of being judgmental about this, we should reminisce why they act this way. Former child star (or refined drama nerd as she calls herself), Mara Wilson, known for her role as Matilda and appearing in the movie Mrs. Doubtfire along with Robin Williams, said the following about this matter: “I saw many child actors who did not have that (parents protection), and they were all miserable. Kids whose parents pushed them into acting often grow up to resent them. They never had a choice, and worse, they never had the chance to be a kid.” They are so used to the attention that when they appear out of the spotlight, they do not know how to react. Individuals who are used to being followed, attacked, and surrounded by paparazzi, need that feeling and the only way they could obtain it is by acting out. Is fame really worth taking someone’s childhood away?
The media, who have a certain obsession with drying out people’s lives and following them around, doesn’t take these children’s behavior into consideration. Personally, I blame the parents that letting their kids rot in money and making them think that they can get away with everything just because they’re famous. Instead of doing so, they should teach them the values and importance of being humble, and show them what the real world is like. Being around can come in handy too, but without trying to steal their spotlight (*cough cough* Dina and Michael Lohan *cough cough*). Show them respect, don’t let them fall down the path of chaos.
Luckily, we still have living examples that child stars can grow gracefully into adult actors/artists. We have celebrities such as Ryan Gosling and Justin Timberlake (both taken by Disney Channel back in the day) that have made it out without any drug abuse (that we know of). They’ve made it pretty clean and rose their way to stardom by their merits. They fought the status quo of famous meltdowns and made it.
Some of them think it’s the only thing they can do. Mara Wilson says: “If I were to talk to Lindsay Lohan, I’d encourage her to get the hell out of acting and into something soothing. Take up botany or something. But she wouldn’t be likely to listen to me — and not only because I’m younger and way less hot than her. It’s because she’s been acting all her life, she has little education, and in her mind, there’s nothing else she could do. She’s likely to keep doing it even if she’s making herself — and maybe also the people she works with — miserable.” She’s right. That may be what’s in their heads. But I’m not so sure of this because there ARE a lot of actors like Natalie Portman who have a B.A. and a PhD. I think that instead of holding on to the only thing they know how to do, they should branch out and explore new things; learn… a word they haven’t heard in years.
As cute as a child star can be, their life can turn pretty ugly, just ask Macaulay Culkin. So I sincerely hope that these kids who want to be in the Hollywood scene realize all that they could lose in exchange for money and fame. Life can be really tough for these people so I hope they find a way to make it through. Good luck Amanda Bynes, and all of those out there in need, I really hope you get the help you need.
Quotes taken from Mara Wilson’s article: “http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-reasons-child-stars-go-crazy-an-insiders-perspective/
Photos from: eonline.com, ew.com, and thefrisky.com