The life of a child actor is anything but glamorous . It’s a dog-eat-dog industry that will gobble you up and spit you out, often leaving young stars with nothing to show for it.
However, just because a child star doesn’t go on to have a successful acting career as an adult, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Let’s take a look at some of our favorite child stars of the 2000s and see what they’re doing now .
Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda was best-known for playing Summer Hathaway in School of Rock . Most recently, she reprised her role as Carly Shay in the rebooted iCarly series on Paramount + and is set to once again voice Margo in Despicable Me 4.
Jonathan Lipnicki
Jonathan was the adorable bespectacled child in films like The Little Vampire and Like Mike . In the years since then, Jonathan dedicated himself to obtaining his Blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has had an assortment of recurring roles in series such as The Resident on Fox.
Daveigh Chase
Daveigh terrified moviegoing audiences all over the world when she starred as Samara in 2002’s The Ring . Her career has unfortunately ground to a halt amid a myriad of drug charges that have taken place in recent years.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster
Many people don’t realize that the adorable drummer boy from Love Actually is the same speed chess assassin that fans fell in love with in Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit . Most recently, Thomas starred in The Sex Pistols bio-series, Pistol .
Alexa PenaVega
Alexa PenaVega became a household name thanks to the Spy Kids movie franchise . She’s had multiple memorable TV roles in series such as Nashville and The Tomorrow People and is set to star in the new Hallmark original film, Love in the Limelight.
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Angus T. Jones
Most people will recall Angus from his time spent playing Jake Harper on CBS’ Two and a Half Men . In his older years, Angus found religion and decried his time spent working on the show — pleading with fans not to watch it .
Lil Bow Wow
If you were a kid in the ’90s, then you most definitely listened to Lil Bow Wow. The aspiring rapper/actor, whose real name is Shad Moss, has sadly been unable to maintain his celebrity status — in both music and acting.
Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes was well on her way to becoming a bonified movie star in the early 2000s. However, a string of drug and alcohol charges, combined with her wavering state of mental health , have all but turned her into a Hollywood pariah.
Tom Felton
Tom Felton infamously portrayed Draco Malfoy in the much-beloved Harry Potter franchise. Although Tom has continued in his acting career since hanging up his wand for good, the actor has found it difficult to shake the shackles of the bleach-blonde Harry Potter antagonist.
Erik Per Sullivan
After a successful run on Malcolm in the Middle and appearances in films like Christmas with the Kranks , Erik’s acting well all but dried up. He isn’t active on social media and hasn’t made a film in over a decade.
Rupert Grint
Times were indeed tough for Rupert once the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station for good. He had a brief starring stint on the short-lived sitcom, Sick Note , but his career has found renewed fire in M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant .
Haley Joel Osment
Suffice it to say that Haley Joel Osment is unlikely to revert back to his Oscar-nominated days spent on the set of The Sixth Sense . However, he has still managed to carve out a successful acting career and has shifted his focus to animation .
Harry Melling
Ironically, the most successful actor born of Harry Potter fame may just be Harry Melling, who played Dudley Dursely. Harry has proven himself to be quite a formidable actor , with spellbinding performances in The Devil All the Time , The Queen’s Gambit , and The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Frankie Muniz
Frankie Muniz was an up-and-coming young star thanks to his breakout performance in Malcolm in the Middle . In the years since Frankie has spoken openly about his struggles with memory loss and enjoys spending his free time racing cars.
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande’s career began on the set of Victorious , wherein she played the lovable albeit absent-minded, Cat Valentine. Nowadays, Ariana has worked hard to become one of the most visible and talented artists in pop music, racking up seven Grammy nominations in seven years .
