“Why do some child stars implode?” USA Today asked readers in 2013. According to the newspaper, the answer is complicated; some blame the pressure, some blame the parents, and some blame the impact of having so much power at a tender age.
So, what’s the difference between those who flame out and those who go on to live a successful, happy life? Per USA Today, “Experts say the key to a long, healthy career and a stable personal life is to be surrounded by positive influences and make smart choices. And not let greed or an inflated sense of self dictate your choices.”
Of course, we can’t say for sure what the deciding element was for the following former-child actors, but all of them not only succeeded during their younger days but have gone on to deliver a professional one-two punch by finding success in totally different fields. Sure, some of the may have returned to acting eventually, but they took the time to develop their skills and make a name for themselves outside of Hollywood. What did these child stars get up to?
The Olsen Twins proved twosies are better than onesies when it comes to clothes
Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen’s star-making turns as Michelle, the youngest Tanner daughter on Full House, when they were just babies is the stuff of 90s child star legend. The twin sisters amassed a fortune playing the role and performing in various movies and TV shows, and also provoked some major tabloid drama during their late teens and early 20s. However, they both successfully pulled a career 180 and started their own high-end fashion line, The Row, in 2006, along with a more casual line, Elizabeth and James, in 2007, both of which are still going strong today.
The Olsen sisters have gone on to win numerous prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America awards (including one in 2018 for accessories designer of the year) for their lines, and are a regular presence at high-profile fashion events like the Met Gala. Mary Kate explained to Porter in 2017 that finding a balance between work and relaxation has been key to her and her sister’s success, saying, “I think we’re lucky [working hard] comes quite naturally for us. We don’t need so much time to sit and think and ponder … I ride horses on the weekends. You find the thing that helps you relax and if you don’t have it, look for it. Or you get burned out and then you’re not productive.”
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Mara Wilson left Matilda behind for the writing life
Mara Wilson was just 6 years old when she appeared as an actress in Mrs. Doubtfire, followed by a star-making turn in 1996’s Matilda at the tender age of 9. In 2013, she penned an article for Cracked.com, titled “7 Reasons Child Stars Go Crazy.” In her piece, Wilson explored the downsides of child acting and offered advice to other child actors: “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 … Child stars who are best off as adults usually do one or two projects, then get the hell out of Hollywood, at least for the next few years. They go to Harvard or Yale (or my alma mater, NYU, which has been called ‘Where Child Stars Come to Die’) and learn to do something besides act.”
Wilson took her own advice and transitioned from acting to writing professionally, publishing a memoir with Penguin Random House in 2016 titled Where Am I Now? She also regularly blogs, and has written plays, telling NPR‘s “Morning Edition”, “I started writing dialogue, and I started doing performance pieces — like 10-minute solo performance pieces — and eventually I did a one-woman show, and that felt so much more real than being on a set every day.”
(Excerpt) Read More at: NickiSwift.com
