The life of a child actor can be turbulent. Without the proper structure and supervision, many are left victimized — chewed up and spit-out by the fame monster.
Below are 10+ c hild actors who got real about the toxicity of fame.
RELATED STORIES
Hopefully, through their experiences, the next generation of child stars won’t be forced to make the same mistakes .
Alyson Stoner
You may remember Alyson from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody as well as films such as Cheaper by the Dozen , and Step Up .
In this video essay , Alyson is sharing her story as a child actor — including the sexual abuse she suffered as a result.
Jodie Sweetin
Former Full house star Jodie Sweetin struggled immensely with substance abuse and by the age of 14 had already graduated to cocaine and methamphetamines.
She said that she felt incredible pressure to live up to the ideal of Stephanie Tanner and that the fame made her feel like a fraud.
Hilary Duff
As Hilary explained during an interview with Pride Source,
“I just didn’t know what a success the show was gonna be, and after that – four years, five years after that – and I was still Lizzie McGuire to people and that was super annoying.”
Candace Cameron
When Candace was a young girl on the set of Full House , her self-worth and body image was at an all-time low.
In response to critics saying that she needed to lose weight, Candace developed an eating disorder .
Raven-Symoné
Sometimes fame can make celebrities feel as if they can’t be honest about who they really are. Such was certainly the case for the former Disney Channel alum, Raven-Symoné.
Raven admitted that fame made her feel as if she had to conceal her sexual orientation
Mara Wilson
Even though she’s all grown up now, Mara still possesses the same youthful charms that helped her land starring roles in films like Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire .
Mara recently wrote an op-ed published in The New York Times about how she was sexualized as a child star, directly resulting from her fame.
Demi Lovato
Not long after becoming a child sensation on the Disney Channel Demi began to spiral out of control.
She turned to drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism for fame and nearly lost her life after an accidental overdose .
Lindsay Lohan
As Lindsay explained during an interview with Hunger , when she began her career there was no such thing as social media.
“Now the price that you pay is that your life is so much more viral . You can’t get away from it,” Lindsay said.
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel spoke about how his awareness changed as he entered his late teens.
The constant pressure of everyone judging him as Harry Potter became too much, and as a result, Daniel became an alcoholic.
Rivkah Reyes
Rivkah was only 10-years-old when she picked up the bass guitar to star alongside Jack Black in School of Rock .
She was sexualized in the media and online from a very young age and by 14 had become a full-blown addict.
Miley Cyrus
Miley lived a life in reverse: forced to be an adult when she should have been focused on just being a kid.
The sultry pop sensation also admits that Hannah Montana left her with a permanent case of body dysmorphia.
Corey Feldman
Corey Feldman is most well-known for such ’80s classics as The Goonies and Stand By Me . Over the past few decades, he’s become a Hollywood pariah by claiming that the entertainment industry is inherently corrupt and predatorial.
Last year, Feldman released a self-made documentary film titled My Truth: The Rape of 2 Coreys .
Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter had an incredibly brief career as a child actor and is best known as the younger brother of Backstreet Boys’ frontman — Nick Carter.
During the interview with KISS 92.5, Aaron doesn’t mince words when he says that fame destroyed his entire family.
Macauley Culkin
Fame infected the hearts and minds of Macauley’s parents and drove them to do terrible things.
When Mack was only 15-years-old, he took his parents to court over mismanaged funds. He ended up winning and legally emancipated himself.
Drew Barrymore
By the time Drew Barrymore turned 10-years-old, she’d already attained more fame than most celebrities experience in their entire lifetimes.
Drew had no guidance, was introduced to all the wrong people, and by age 14 had been committed (by her mother) to a psychiatric ward.
