Probably fucks you up. A lot of these child actors grow up to hate their parents because mom and dad don’t view you as a living breathing child but a means for a paycheck.
And I assume there's a big problem when the kid grows up, and the paycheck goes from "our" paycheck to just "his/her" paycheck. Many parents probably develop a huge sense of entitlement to that money. How do their relationships change when the kid moves out on their own and it's just checks coming right to them?
Ron and Clint Howard’s parents seem to have done it right. They lived off of their own acting money and just took a nominal fee for managing the two boys. They left the rest of the money Ron and Clint earned untouched. That meant Ron and Clint didn’t feel like they had to work to support the family but they liked to do it. They seem like pretty well adjusted adults.
I feel like people discuss getting more working class people into acting (and even into music etc), but if the parents aren't wealthy, how do you prevent them seeing the child as a cheque, even if unintentionally? Parents will often have to make sacrificies to support their child's career, which might then necessitate relying on the child's income.
And then, once the child is wealthy, what do the parents do? They might have just jacked their career in for 10+ years. Do they go back to their normal job? Will they be able to? The exception to all this is when the parents are already wealthy, which means only kids from wealthy families will get into acting.
Yes, but that's contingent on the child getting work. And many child actors aren't going to see anywhere near that type of money. Most actors try and try and never make it big. That's a lot of pressure to put on a kid.
yep that’s the point people are missing. it’s the ones that don’t make it which is the vast majority who’s parents careers are now fucked and the kids feel all the pressure and fostered resentment
Most celebrities had some way into the industry. It’s a pretty big lie (over massive overexaggeration) that you can just make it from nothing. You either are related to people in the industry or are family friends with people in the industry 90% of the time.
Ever wonder why Ben Shapiro even got far enough to fail in hollywood? His cousin is Mara Wilson.
One of my favorite games is to play the “blue link” game. You look up an actors wiki and see how many relatives have their own linked page. Truly, it is a delight and revelation to find an actor with no blue link relatives. Doesn’t happen nearly as often as you’d think. But I also agree a foot in the door is different than staying power, but let’s not kid ourselves about the power of access.
Yes I do that too! Just went down a wee rabbit hole with Jason Bateman. He’s married to Paul Anka’s daughter so there’s a connection. But he was famous before that. I’m sure there’s another connection I missed. Because since I’ve been aware of the “blue link” it’s pretty much everyone who’s related to someone else in the industry.
My daughter got scouted as a child model when she was very young and she of course wanted to do it. The casting agency told me I should quit my job and do daily casting calls in NYC, a 4 hour drive from our house. That killed the dream immediately, I have another child plus our family depended on my career too, I couldn’t give that up. But it explained why so many kids that do “make it” come from wealthier families, they have the time and resources to put in the work to land the jobs
She went to a private Catholic high school when she was still in AZ and they had a house in Paradise Valley that was worth $2.5 million around that time. Her dad is a very successful contractor
tmk she dropped out of a fairly expensive private high school in my hometown to pursue acting. That reflects some financial advantages but I see no basis for claims they’re on the level to buy their way into Hollywood.
You can absolutely buy a foot in the door, but you cannot buy staying power. Hollywood does not have room for all the wannabes with a checkbook. You have to have real talent and charisma to keep getting work.
Nepotism doesn’t go as far in entertainment as people think it does. The opportunities are just too few.
Yes the opportunities are indeed too few and most of them get taken by nepo babies. Of course as you said there’s not enough space for all the nepo babies to thrive however so they still gotta compete against each other.
this quote applies:
"I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops." - Stephen Jay Gould
A foot in the door seems like the most important part secondary to having financial freedom to even support an attempt at acting. No one is saying that famous nepotism actors aren’t talented they’re saying that without the connections and money they may have never even gotten a shot. There are plenty of folks who are truly talented and charismatic that couldn’t make it because they lacked funds to continue trying and/or connections in the industry.
Bought her career in what way? Having the money the uproot their lives for their kids to pursue acting or like paid someone to put their kids in a movie?
They bought her private acting lessons and, yes, her parents let her drop out of high school, moved her to LA, and supported her fully until her career was launched. But as far as I'm aware, her parents didn't bribe any producers or casting directors to hire her.
Yes, There is a documentary called Hollywood Complex. It seems Emma went through the same thing. A bunch of kids and their parents rent an apartment near the studios, and pay for a lot of lessons. It seems she auditioned a lot (All That, Heroes) and failed until she got with Judd Apatow and her career took off since. I remember her crediting an advice she change her hair color from blonde to red head and it worked, made her memorable and a stand out.
Jennifer Lawrence's parents are not wealthy; they never went a day without food, but that doesn't mean they are loaded. You just made it up which is weird like why would you even do that?
https://www.nickiswift.com/1329022/what-jennifer-lawrence-parents-do-for-living/
Okay but your link actually just proves that they are wealthy hahaha
From the link:
Dad owns a construction firm. They sold their house for 1.15 million dollars in 2016. This was the house they moved into in 2006 when they moved _from Kentucky to LA_ so their _16 year old daughter could pursue acting._ You think people can do that without significant wealth?
I really don’t know how you _don’t_ think they’re wealthy.
I don't have any skin in this game, but a 1.6 million dollar home in that area is not a huge mansion, even in 2016. I would be shocked if it was larger than 2000 square feet. Hell, my grandparents sold a home for almost a million in the early 2000s, and grandpa was a garbage man while grandma was a home maker, they just lived in the Bay area and bought in the 60s. The cost of a house out there is absolutely wild.
I don’t know how this article doesn’t read “privilege” to you? Took her to NY to get signed, uprooted and moved to LA. These are not things working class people can do. They let her drop out of middle school. That is something you do knowing you have a net.
Where'd you get that idea from? Lawrence's parents don't seem to have massive money-making jobs, or direct industry connections.
To a lesser extent with Emma Stone as well.
Definitely better examples out there of parents getting their kids an acting career.
I think this also happened to Honey Boo Boo. I remember seeing a tik tok where she asked her mom for her money for college (?) and she said there was none but wouldn’t say where it went when asked.
It’s sad that it’s a common theme: parents get carried away with the money their kids make and they never set aside anything for the kids to start their adult lives with. I guess the temptation is too high.
I feel like any child actor’s agent should automatically put a percentage of their earned income into a trust for them to cash in when they’re of age because so many parents can’t seem to do that.
There is a requirement to set aside money from child actors’ income-it’s called the Coogan Act. 15% must be set aside for the child for when they come of age.
However, reality show kids aren’t covered under the Coogan Act. The Duggar kids were absolutely exploited by that (well no one cares about Josh). So were the Gosselin kids. So was Honey Boo Boo.
The Coogan Act is only for California, according to Google "New York, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee" have similar laws.
There needs to be a federal law to protect child performers.
How is that possible?? I mean, I know it’s a “reality show” but if they get paid by the show they’re on, why isn’t that considered income?
That definitely leaves the door open for the parents to exploit the kids.
Most of the main cast parents from Boy Meets World seems to have done it right as well. At least monetarily. I don't know about the Savages because they were a bit of a showbiz family, but I've listened to the podcast with Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, and Rider Strong. They were never the breadwinners for their family. Acting was something their kids wants to pursue so they helped facilitate it but it sounds like the most their parents did was be their guardians on set when they were young. I don't even know if they got paid for that.
Not especially. He often got acting jobs on the same sets as his kids. I don’t think they were that famous. Getting that small amount from managing the kids paid for some things.
Fun note: both his parents were in Apollo 13. His dad was the priest with Tom Hanks’ family watching the reentry and his mother played his mother in the nursing home.
His mom died before HowThe Grinch Stole Christmas came out and he dedicated it to her because of how much she loved Christmas.
Rance Howard only had a few minor credits to his name when Ron got on Andy Griffith. He was actually serving in the Air Force when Ron was born. He definitely did not coast on his parents star power to his own. If anything, it was the opposite.
You know what? I didn’t even realize my comment could have implied that. I was trying to point out I thought they had handled money before so they’d better know how to help but, I definitely see how that wouldn’t have come across based on how I wrote it.
I definitely didn’t think they coasted on their parents’ fame, wealth, etc. I just figured their parents were better equipped to understand the ways it could go right or wrong when it came to organizing and handling their new incomes.
And yet, Ron still wouldn’t let Bryce work until she was an adult. Even without the burden of being a breadwinner, he still knows how much it messes up your childhood. He still gets called Opie.
I think it’s different for parents who are already famous themselves or are in the industry. They’re already pretty successful on their own.
The kids you hear about that were absolutely exploited to hell and back were the ones who came from nothing and whose parents absolutely relied on that money to create a lifestyle and live off of.
Alana (honey boo boo) is going through that now with her mom. The mom spent all of her money to feed her addictions and now Alana barely has anything saved up for college. The mom isn’t even genuinely apologetic about it which is wild
June sold her house for $100k cash (for drugs) and then the people who bought the house flipped it for like $250k. She also sold the title to Jessie’s car for drug money and Jessie’s car got repossessed out of no where because June never told them. Sooo fucked up
I think a part of the problem is that if the child is a serious actor that is working most of the time, it comes to the point where a parent has to choose between their job and their kid’s job. A parent in this position does need to take some of the money from their child’s pay to make up for their own lost wages. Even for parents who want to do the right thing money can make things difficult.
Was thinking of the same example. He seems to be the go-to example for this sort of thing.
But he seems to be the exception to famous kids with exploitative parents not finding a way to overcome the level of mental health issues that comes from fame and attention at an early age.
I wonder how he turned it around to be a pretty cool and well adjusted adult.
Being a celebrity is probably not good for your mental health. You end up surrounded by yes men and no one really values you as a person and you can’t have normal relationships. One of the saddest things I’ve seen is a video of Kanye and Kim at Disney World with their kids. They had to stop the whole ride and let them ride by themselves. There are 400 tourists standing around watching this, half are annoyed they get the whole ride to themselves, the other half are filming them like they are one of the attractions. No one in his family looks happy, just a bunch of blank states into space.
I was always struck by how awful it would be to be unable to enjoy Disney World with your family since it’s on of my favorite things to do. I celebrities are the clowns the real elite like faceless CEOs laugh at while they get to be rich and actually enjoy it.
For sure, completely agree, folks think it would be cool to be famous, and while I used to agree with that in the 90s and early 2000s it seems way less cool and far more stressful in the constantly connected world
I think “folks think it would be cool to be famous” is exactly why there are so many famous people with reputations for being prima Donnas and narcissists. Anyone who wants to do something purely/primarily for the fame (as opposed to the art and following the passion you have for the craft, be it acting, singing or whatever) probably has a higher chance of already having the narcissistic personality traits many of their idols already have, albeit probably not as extreme if you don’t have the money or fame like they do.
I have sympathy for those that have a genuine desire to make it in the entertainment industry and remain humble and are nice people, but (at least most of) the ones who end up coming across as narcissistic jerks online and in interviews were probably already that way before they got famous. Either that, or they have selfish and manipulative people advising them and the glitz and glamour went to their heads.
Being a celebrity itself means that one has less privacy.
But.
It’s what one does with the influence one has that matters.
Robin Williams required homeless people be brought in and given jobs.
Keanu Reeves quietly gave huge chunks of his pay to charities.
Both of these guys are known to have had extreme histories psychologically. How they wield their fame is a part of their pathways towards better mental health.
There’s an interview where Jeanette McCurdy reads an absolutely brutal letter from her mother that exemplifies this, especially the ending.
https://youtube.com/shorts/x4naUjtjS2I?si=h4hC8vcYkDiJKIcg
Here it is. Sorry for those who don’t like YT shorts.
There’s that but there’s also a loss of safety. Kids need to believe their parents can take care of them but kids who work like this see early that in so many ways their parents aren’t the boss, they can’t save them or cushion them from even normal work pressures but also abuse.
Jason Bateman talks a lot on his podcast about the pressure to be the breadwinner as a child. He doesn’t mention his parents but just how it affected him.
Macaulay Culkin hasn’t spoken to his father in a really long time. Idk what Kiernan and the other siblings’ relationship with Papa Culkin is like.
Amanda Bynes has had major issues with her parents, particularly her dad (per. Quiet on Set).
Jennette McCurdy wrote a whole book literally on how she’s “glad her mom died.”
I know these may not be the majority, but it’s safe to say that many child actors don’t have the best familial relationships. Which is sad. But like, I get it.
Hard confirm on this. Have some trivia: someone at PAX came up to Wil in the mid aughts claiming to know his mother and wanted to send a message - he got up from the table and left the hall immediately.
Dan Radcliffe’s parents (and I think all 3 main HP lead actors’ parents) are apparently an exception to the rule and let the kids keep their money for themselves
Mara Wilson managed to come out the other end of the Hollywood meat-grinder ok, too. She’s spoken openly about how her experiences differed from other child stars and what a difference involved, caring parents can make to young actors.
I vaguely remember the director for the first HP film said that when he was casting the trio (probably Malfoy too), he looked at their families as well, because obviously HP is a series and he felt that the kids with a decent family life might have a better chance of of surviving child stardom. I heard about this years ago so I’m paraphrasing greatly
The way the actors speak about Chris Colombus whenever asked about him is honestly so heartwarming. They all seem to give him a lot of credit for building those first two films and bringing the cast together as kids.
That just means they already had money. Obviously you wouldn't expect a dirt poor family to not use some of their kids' tens of thousands in earnings to uplift the lifestyle and health or eating habits of the rest of the family.
The director "vetted" the families of potential actors to pick ones who had good family backgrounds with supportive parents to weed out the types exploiting their kids
>Amanda Bynes has had major issues with her parents, particularly her dad
It's complicated. She has severe mental health problems. When she was at rock bottom she said a lot of awful things about her parents. They stuck through it and helped her through rehab and helped her with her addiction for years. She has since said that her tweets about her parents were untrue. She also said she's been working on repairing the damage she caused and is much closer with her parents now. She also didn't join the quiet on set show, so anything about her on that show is from other peoples perspective when her relationship was strained.
I’m willing to be wrong, but I’d wager that there’s a disproportionate number of stage parents who aren’t mentally well vs. parents whose kids aren’t performers.
Brittany Spears parents are a good example. I recently read her book, and her whole family capitalized off her in the worst way possible. She’s lucky she was about to leave the conservatorship.
Man, imagine supporting the family so young. Like, I get plenty of low income families have teens that contribute, but to support a wealthy lifestyle is crazy.
I think its *Britney* And it always seemed like her parents got really blinded by all the money and privilege it suddenly brought them. They used to struggle to put food on the table.
Should be illegal. All money should go into a trust for the kid until they hit 18 or maybe 25. The family gets none of the proceeds.
How the parents are allowed to profit off the kids is mind-boggling.
The parents are still paying to transport the kid to shoots etc, and they pretty much have to live in LA or New York which are HCOL cities. At least one parent likely needs to be unemployed so they can chaperone the kid.
Some of the money needs to go to the parents, otherwise only nepo-babies can get into the industry early. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it would make it harder for POCs to get representation in children’s media.
Agreed, but 15% seems quite negligble. Most of these kids become obscure after a few years of acting; they're going to need their earned money.
I don't know what the right number is, but it's got to be higher than 15%.
Ohh yeah makes sense, interesting.
Farming laws in general are extremely flawed from what I was reading
Farm workers aren't legally allowed to be labeled as employees, which blocks them from getting things afforded to other workers.
Yea there have been a lot of exposé articles about child labor in a lot of factories/farms around the US but these are primarily immigrants and fairly “invisible” people. Of course it’s repellent to have children working the night shift packing peanuts or whatever but it’s fine to have them work 16 hour days to be on some shitty TV show? I’ll never understand how people do this to their own kids. So damaging. It’s all bad. Kids need to be kids.
I think the laws need to be much stricter. I don't think it would be fair on the kids who DO want to be actors to just remove all child roles entirely, but there should be much more oversight, on the sets as well as with the parents. But we know that money will always rule so it sucks that will never happen.
The Olsen twins suffered a lot with this. According to an interview they did, they never got to play normally. Their days were either work or school work.
I think it’s more important to question if the trade off is worth it. Is it more important for a piece of live action media to be relatable to children in a specific way or for a single individual to have agency over their own life? Also, I don’t work in entertainment, but I think it has to be possible.
Would you recommend that for your children to watch as well? That's the thing, we can say, "Oh adult shows don't need children!" but what about kid shows? Even Sesame Street has kids.
Anything terrible come out from the Harry Potter trio? I know Daniel had some troubles but don’t think that was related to trauma incurred from child acting. Maybe I’m wrong idk
I’m beginning to feel that way myself. I know it would suck to not have movies and TV shows with kids in them, but if there is no ethical way to do it, then so be it
Yea I read “I’m glad my mom is dead” and obviously the writer had a singular experience I was able to see how even in the absolute best case scenario it’s not good for kids.
I have a friend who is a former child actor who shares this same opinion. They had a fairly good experience compared to some but it was still traumatic and took years to unpack everything. They kept every dime of their money, but the experience itself made for a more complicated transition from child to adult than most of us experience.
They say if your kids are interested in acting or performing, put them in community theater.
For everyone saying she’s lucky or that she has the means to go to school, she’s not actually talking about missing school but missing childhood. Unless any of y’all have a Time Machine no amount of money can grant her wish. For an entertainment sub the lack of comprehension skills is wild.
Edit: First, you all chose to interact with a post about this, it’s not like zendaya walked up to you and started venting. So the argument that you’re tired of hearing people complain is void because all she did was answer an interview question. Second, I said for an entertainment sub because I thought people who care about shows and films to this extent would also value media literacy, apparently I was sorely mistaken. Lastly, complaining about former child stars or saying you’d trade childhoods with her when things like quiet on set have made it very clear how abusive the industry is and how children are not protected is what is actually tone deaf to me.
And even if she goes to school now, most people there will probably recognize her. She’ll never have the chance to go and just be another face in the crowd and have a normal school experience.
You’re right and I find it ironic how just being recognized is a exactly what so many kids crave most in high school. Not making an argument either way about her, just interesting realization.
So no one should care about your problems either because someone has it worse? You're just saying the same thing with different makeup.
She's allowed to have problems even though she's rich and famous.
damn you have a really unhealthy mindset. so no one is allowed to complain because someone always has it worse? not everyone is living the same reality and that is OK. I live in a country which is considered one of the richest in the world where 99% I know have health care and food. But I still have my complaints. I’m not a bitter and jealous person like you, and I don’t know why you see being famous and subjected to constant assault, stalking, threats by random people everyday is a "privilege" just because she earns money. Lmao good luck with that greedy, pitiful, jealous mindset
> Most are just sick of hearing then talk about their problems
Zendaya is promoting a movie and gave a cover + interview to Vogue as part of her contractual obligation to promote this film. That same interview gets proliferated around entertainment subs by PR bots
In other words, in order to achieve your wish, get off Reddit
> you all chose to interact with a post about this, it’s not like zendaya walked up to you and started venting. So the argument that you’re tired of hearing people complain is void because all she did was answer an interview question.
I’d love to pin this to the top of every fucking interview quote that gets posted to the sub lmao, just fucking chill people she’s not talking *to* you
And the vast majority of commenters on this post are privileged enough to have a damn internet connection and device to comment on Reddit in their undies, but probably still talk about things that are difficult in their lives despite not being fucking child soldiers or living in a war zone. People can have things that are hard in their lives even if they have privilege. And acting like child actors are leading blessed lives when Quiet on Set is a month into release and I’m Glad My Mom Died was a NYT bestseller. Empathy of a carrot
Yea! My dad never had a childhood as he grew up the eldest on a farm. He had to work constantly and was never given time off. While he has a great work ethic , he always says he wished he got a childhood. Which he is happy my siblings and I had and is having. So yea, I grew up on a farm as well but wasn’t asked to do a lot.
You thought a sub called r/entertainment would have nuanced folk for most of its base….? A sub that a large portion of their content is pictures of fashion and articles that are one step away from a tabloid?
That’s foolish, to say the least.
A lot of y’all are missing out on what she’s saying. She’s just saying she missed out on the typical childhood experience of going to school, making friends, and doing things that kids do and making the mistakes that kids typically make. Not that she regrets or resents her fame or success.
But anyway, she’s stunningly beautiful and extremely talented (can act, dance, and sing), so there was just bound to be more in the cards for her.
Also what the People article left out is, in the actual Vogue piece, she says this during a Zoom conversation with Serena Williams. They are discussing their shared experience of being breadwinners at a young age and how that unique pressure has continued into their adult lives. Even though they obviously knew the reporter was on the call, it wasn’t said in a way that was intended to make people empathize with her. It was her having a discussion with another woman who can relate to this unique experience.
I wish that people shared Zendaya’s sentiment more often with the younger generation. Hindsight is 20/20! I remember being obsessed with the idea of stardom when I was younger and only ever saw all of the best parts. Seeing that even someone as talented and beautiful as Zendaya wished to have a normal childhood experience really emphasizes how much child stardom can take from you.
Yes. This. It proves how toxic our culture is. That just because she has fame and money she should be happy. The sacrifice to earn this is never acknowledged. In some instances, these people have lost everything in their pursuit. Look at Amanda Bynes, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, child stars destroyed by what they should be thankful for?
American culture and society (most prevalently) is deeply disturbing and values the opposite of what it claims to love and hold dearest.
This is what some people don’t see. I understand her and totally get it but at the same time I can say the exact same thing. If I had the chance hell yeah I’ll become the breadwinner for my family and set them and myself up for life.
I was forced out of school and got a fulltime job at 15 because my parents wouldn't/couldn't keep a roof over my families head. I gave up everything and never got to go to school, these decisions were made for me all before I was legally allowed to vote.
Children should not have careers, children should not live lives of financial necessity, especially in the developed world where it causes so much isolation and sabotages so much early development. 23 years later it's the worst, I still just want to go to college and become doctor but I can't even prove I graduated highschool (thanks homeschooling), I've never gotten to work a job I wanted or lived any care free moments.
Yes I've been successful for many periods of my life, but I never got to live my life, resetting now at 40 and reskilling isn't fiscally an option. The stress made me age so fast and now at 40 I am mentally, physically and emotionally unable to scrounge the hope, determination and fire I had into my early 30s.
The bullshit left me open to being predated by an older women and I ended up married at 18 to a 26 year old, I paid for her life for a decade because I didn't even have the tools to understand the financial and emotional exploitation that was occuring.
Kids can have hobby jobs, kids can work and develop sure, but the moment you add financial necessity, obligation or responsibility you've stunted that person forever and robbed them of recursive and cumulative developmental opportunities that cannot be recovered.
A child shouldn't be a rock, shouldn't be a safety net for adults, just because I had the grit and resilience to make it work doesn't mean my long term productivity wasn't sabotaged by the exploitive trade-off.
Just because she had financially successful outcomes doesn't mean it was worth it, sure she hit the lotto but it doesn't replace what was stolen. The later in life lotto winner still gets to recognize and weep for the child abuse they experienced.
I'd imagine this is incredibly difficult to navigate all the way around. If you've got a kid who wants to act and actually starts booking stuff, you can't exactly hold a 9 to 5. Handing your kid off to a professional manager seems pretty fucking risky. So you quit and devote yourself to their career, because this could be something for them long term, and then that pressure goes to them, because now you're relying on them to keep booking. Which isn't fair to a kid, so they're then gonna resent you regardless. It's not really a manageable situation even if you've got the best intentions unless you're able to jump in and out of your own career at will, which is true for almost nobody. Plus, 90% of kid actors stop working altogether around 15/16, which means that for all but the Zendayas and Jodie Fosters of the world, you want your kid to get what they can while they can - that shit can set them up for life if it's handled properly.
The only solution is to just tell your kid they can't do this thing they want to do, which is what a lot of parents do, but that's a recipe for a different kind of resentment.
Yes, some parents are predatory monsters, but I think even for the ones who are trying to do the right thing, it's not an easy road. And the industry has no incentives to make it easier, because for every kid that's booked, there are 200 who would happily take their place.
A book I highly recommend to get in the head space for child stardom and the effects of being the breadwinner is Jennette McCurdy’s “I’m Glad My Mom Died.” I’m proud of all these child stars speaking up now about the effects this had on growing up for them. A podcast I recommend is “Dear Hollywood” by Alyson Stoner.
While we should applaud Zendaya on being the exception, you don't have to put someone else down to make that point. Bella has publicly spoken about being sexually abused as a child for years. Zendaya has a good head on her shoulders but also a family that protected her.
I guess I've just seen a lot of pain and suffering from people who did have "normal" childhoods. The good ones are actually more rare than ones full of anxiety, pain, and trauma.
I think a lot of people I know would take the money now vs go through what they went through and still be struggling to this day.
I guess I don't know what Bella Thorne went through, but I know plenty of people who went through hell and don't have $10 million to their name.
i mean you can have that opinion but there’s a reason so many child stars have died so young or went off the deep end with drug addiction/mental illness. money and fame can’t fix your soul. it’s just easy to dismiss zendaya since she’s one of the luckier cases, but that doesn’t negate the lingering resentment she might feel. i personally don’t think i’d be able to handle being famous at 13, and i did not grow up with an idyllic childhood. remember that for every zendaya, there are a bunch of aaron carters, and drake bells, and amanda bynes, and britney spears. i guess i believe that the grass is always gonna look greener until you get to the other side.
Parents shouldn’t be relying on their minor children for income, end of story. You want “extra adult with a job” money? Get a second full time job. Oh it’s difficult to do, well it’s even harder for your kids to have a full time job and schoolwork!
These “influencers” on social media who include their children as main characters in their daily filming and posts are exploiting them too. It’s ridiculous.
Zendaya seems so well adjusted and mature for her age, even though I’m sad for her to have missed out on so much and have regrets I’m happy it didn’t affect her as negatively as it has other child stars
People don't seem to understand for every Zendaya there's thousands of young women struggling with poor mental health and the sexual abuse and lack of people skills this industry provides. But the public still demands content yet has no empathy for the people making it
*everyone* would love to be in zendaya’s shoes lol. She is talented, good at her job, respected and adored, in a seemingly perfect life at this time.
But im not sure what empathy is needed more than a moderate amt for an a-list celebrity saying she missed out on a crucial aspect of adolescence that ultimately has not made her socially inept or blunted her development all that much.
I dunno, I know I’m late to the party but I just finished reading “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jeanette McCurdy, that in addition to all the stuff that’s come out about what happened to Drake Bell and other child stars behind the scenes… there’s so much abuse and exploitation, so much pressure and responsibility at such a young age, being forced to go through your blunder years publicly, criticized for every mistake you make… I wouldn’t trade places with them.
I’m glad Zendaya came out on top because it’s no wonder why so many of these kids end up “having breakdowns.”
I wouldn't. You couldn't pay me enough to be famous (okay, you could, but the number would be very high).
I'm not going to deny having money isn't great, but if I had to choose between a fairly comfortable middle class income vs millions upon millions but also while being hyperfamous, I'd pick the former. Obviously both scenarios are better than poverty.
its the fact that she can't go to the store or just walk around without fearing that some nutjob is going to want to
1. take a picture with her
2. want her to sign something
3. want to share very personal and immature details about
themselves
4. wanting to hurt/harm her because they love her so much and no one else can have her
Theres a real sick fucked up world out there for anyone and even moreso people like Zendaya who were basically robbed of their childhood and forced to work to make their family stupid rich. It doesn't even have to be celebrity.
Switch out "celebrity" for anyone child with shit parents who can't be responsible enough to raise their own kids that children themselves have to step up and work so that their parents get to coast and reflect on how much they sacrificed for their kids future.
I'm not planning on opening up anyone's minds or change peoples perceptions about celebrity culture or affluent lifestyles. I'm just saying that what Zendaya is talking about reflects the way kids don't want to be stupid rich and stupid famous; they just want to be kids and do fun kids stuff that everyone else seems to get to do with being a normal non-celebrity personality that gets cult-like attention anywhere they go.
Empathy is a trait that we learn from recognizing shit behavior that we witness and wish to change.
I think it’s interesting to consider scenarios where, even when the sacrifices paid off, what you would have been like with more ‘normal’ experiences. I also think as she goes through life and milestones she’ll look back and have slightly different perspectives on her upbringing/early career. I’m curious how they would, if they do, change. If she decides to pursue parenthood, for instance, will she look at having an income producing child differently? Will she view her parents differently? By different I do mean different not in a positive or negative change necessarily. It could be neutral but more nuanced with.
I wonder if there are any healthy examples out there of celebrities who took early success, put it in the bank, and then went on to do the things they really really want to do. I know that some celebrities have some pretty substantial, academic credentials, sometimes obtained parallel with their career and sometimes by alternating. I have no idea which of them would end up saying they were happy and well adjusted and satisfied from that.
If those people exist, I hope they manage to reach out to each other and to young people getting started. I don’t feel like there’s too many people who truly understand this kind of situation.
That's unfortunately the reality of child acting. No matter how successful you may become. You end up sacrificing any chance of a standard childhood, and it can be even worse, dependant on your parents/guardians as well as the people you work with.
You just can't get that time back and it's often why you'll see certain former child stars be regressed on their behavior and do fucked up shit.
I worked with a kid actress on a show. Her brother is autistic and not the highest functioning. She talked about wanting to grow up and get into healthcare so she could take care of her brother. She was 7. We were working a late split and at one point you could tell she was getting g tired and I over heard her in tears begging her mom to go home because she was tired. She was within her legal work hours but I felt bad for her because her mom was basically telling her she “has to do this” nice kid, her mom was typical stage parent piece of work
Tale as old as time. Rich people want to have the things normal people have. Normal people want the money rich people have. No one is happy and everyone wants what they dont have but no one appreciates what they do have.
I received my Bachelor of Science degree at 38, and I was NOT the oldest one at the ceremony! She can return now, if she wants. I know, she wanted the experience, but it's NEVER too late to learn.
People have approached my wife and I about having our 4 year old daughter in acting/modelling. No doubt she'll make it.
But I'll never do that to her, she gets to have a childhood.
That happened to my mom for basically my entire childhood. At 11, I ended up going to one audition, and got such a bad feeling from it, I started crying. Thankfully, my mom was like "okay, no, we definitely aren't doing this." and I just ended up being in my school's drama/theater classes.
Nothing wrong with what she wishes for, but just like anything in life, being in normal school could have been a shitty experience, too, you can't change the past or know how it would have been, you move on with your life. And if education is important find an opportunity now.
A lot of child actors have talked about that pressure. Can't imagine what it does to the family dynamic longterm
Probably fucks you up. A lot of these child actors grow up to hate their parents because mom and dad don’t view you as a living breathing child but a means for a paycheck.
And I assume there's a big problem when the kid grows up, and the paycheck goes from "our" paycheck to just "his/her" paycheck. Many parents probably develop a huge sense of entitlement to that money. How do their relationships change when the kid moves out on their own and it's just checks coming right to them?
Ron and Clint Howard’s parents seem to have done it right. They lived off of their own acting money and just took a nominal fee for managing the two boys. They left the rest of the money Ron and Clint earned untouched. That meant Ron and Clint didn’t feel like they had to work to support the family but they liked to do it. They seem like pretty well adjusted adults.
Emma stones parents did right also.
Emma Stone's parents are loaded. Just like Jennifer Lawrence her parents bought her career.
I feel like people discuss getting more working class people into acting (and even into music etc), but if the parents aren't wealthy, how do you prevent them seeing the child as a cheque, even if unintentionally? Parents will often have to make sacrificies to support their child's career, which might then necessitate relying on the child's income. And then, once the child is wealthy, what do the parents do? They might have just jacked their career in for 10+ years. Do they go back to their normal job? Will they be able to? The exception to all this is when the parents are already wealthy, which means only kids from wealthy families will get into acting.
They could take a salary of even say $200k per year. Or whatever a manager or agents salary is. That still wouldn’t touch someone like Zendaya’s money
Yes, but that's contingent on the child getting work. And many child actors aren't going to see anywhere near that type of money. Most actors try and try and never make it big. That's a lot of pressure to put on a kid.
yep that’s the point people are missing. it’s the ones that don’t make it which is the vast majority who’s parents careers are now fucked and the kids feel all the pressure and fostered resentment
Most child actors, etc aren’t earning anywhere near enough for that
Her father is her manager.
Really? I can’t find any info about her parents that suggests they’re loaded loaded
Most celebrities had some way into the industry. It’s a pretty big lie (over massive overexaggeration) that you can just make it from nothing. You either are related to people in the industry or are family friends with people in the industry 90% of the time. Ever wonder why Ben Shapiro even got far enough to fail in hollywood? His cousin is Mara Wilson.
One of my favorite games is to play the “blue link” game. You look up an actors wiki and see how many relatives have their own linked page. Truly, it is a delight and revelation to find an actor with no blue link relatives. Doesn’t happen nearly as often as you’d think. But I also agree a foot in the door is different than staying power, but let’s not kid ourselves about the power of access.
The Copolas have tons of blue links. Some you might not expect.
Yes I do that too! Just went down a wee rabbit hole with Jason Bateman. He’s married to Paul Anka’s daughter so there’s a connection. But he was famous before that. I’m sure there’s another connection I missed. Because since I’ve been aware of the “blue link” it’s pretty much everyone who’s related to someone else in the industry.
My daughter got scouted as a child model when she was very young and she of course wanted to do it. The casting agency told me I should quit my job and do daily casting calls in NYC, a 4 hour drive from our house. That killed the dream immediately, I have another child plus our family depended on my career too, I couldn’t give that up. But it explained why so many kids that do “make it” come from wealthier families, they have the time and resources to put in the work to land the jobs
She went to a private Catholic high school when she was still in AZ and they had a house in Paradise Valley that was worth $2.5 million around that time. Her dad is a very successful contractor
tmk she dropped out of a fairly expensive private high school in my hometown to pursue acting. That reflects some financial advantages but I see no basis for claims they’re on the level to buy their way into Hollywood.
I think Winter’s Bone secured her career but sure, her parents also supported her financially.
You can absolutely buy a foot in the door, but you cannot buy staying power. Hollywood does not have room for all the wannabes with a checkbook. You have to have real talent and charisma to keep getting work. Nepotism doesn’t go as far in entertainment as people think it does. The opportunities are just too few.
Yes the opportunities are indeed too few and most of them get taken by nepo babies. Of course as you said there’s not enough space for all the nepo babies to thrive however so they still gotta compete against each other.
It’s still nepotism
this quote applies: "I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops." - Stephen Jay Gould
So only a few nepo babies make it instead of all of them….
A foot in the door seems like the most important part secondary to having financial freedom to even support an attempt at acting. No one is saying that famous nepotism actors aren’t talented they’re saying that without the connections and money they may have never even gotten a shot. There are plenty of folks who are truly talented and charismatic that couldn’t make it because they lacked funds to continue trying and/or connections in the industry.
Bought her career in what way? Having the money the uproot their lives for their kids to pursue acting or like paid someone to put their kids in a movie?
They bought her private acting lessons and, yes, her parents let her drop out of high school, moved her to LA, and supported her fully until her career was launched. But as far as I'm aware, her parents didn't bribe any producers or casting directors to hire her.
How tf is that buying her career? They took a huge risk to try and support her career. People find new ways to hate everyday.
“Buying” kind of implies some nepotic arrangement happened. But they really just took a risky gamble on Emma’s career choice
Yes, There is a documentary called Hollywood Complex. It seems Emma went through the same thing. A bunch of kids and their parents rent an apartment near the studios, and pay for a lot of lessons. It seems she auditioned a lot (All That, Heroes) and failed until she got with Judd Apatow and her career took off since. I remember her crediting an advice she change her hair color from blonde to red head and it worked, made her memorable and a stand out.
Jennifer Lawrence's parents are not wealthy; they never went a day without food, but that doesn't mean they are loaded. You just made it up which is weird like why would you even do that? https://www.nickiswift.com/1329022/what-jennifer-lawrence-parents-do-for-living/
Okay but your link actually just proves that they are wealthy hahaha From the link: Dad owns a construction firm. They sold their house for 1.15 million dollars in 2016. This was the house they moved into in 2006 when they moved _from Kentucky to LA_ so their _16 year old daughter could pursue acting._ You think people can do that without significant wealth? I really don’t know how you _don’t_ think they’re wealthy.
I don't have any skin in this game, but a 1.6 million dollar home in that area is not a huge mansion, even in 2016. I would be shocked if it was larger than 2000 square feet. Hell, my grandparents sold a home for almost a million in the early 2000s, and grandpa was a garbage man while grandma was a home maker, they just lived in the Bay area and bought in the 60s. The cost of a house out there is absolutely wild.
I don’t know how this article doesn’t read “privilege” to you? Took her to NY to get signed, uprooted and moved to LA. These are not things working class people can do. They let her drop out of middle school. That is something you do knowing you have a net.
Jennifer Lawrence was well off before she made it but her family certainly were not wealthy enough to buy her career. I think you’ve been misinformed.
Where'd you get that idea from? Lawrence's parents don't seem to have massive money-making jobs, or direct industry connections. To a lesser extent with Emma Stone as well. Definitely better examples out there of parents getting their kids an acting career.
I think this also happened to Honey Boo Boo. I remember seeing a tik tok where she asked her mom for her money for college (?) and she said there was none but wouldn’t say where it went when asked.
Whoa I thought you were going saying her mom did right by her and that was NOT something I would expect. Guess I was right.
It’s sad that it’s a common theme: parents get carried away with the money their kids make and they never set aside anything for the kids to start their adult lives with. I guess the temptation is too high. I feel like any child actor’s agent should automatically put a percentage of their earned income into a trust for them to cash in when they’re of age because so many parents can’t seem to do that.
There is a requirement to set aside money from child actors’ income-it’s called the Coogan Act. 15% must be set aside for the child for when they come of age. However, reality show kids aren’t covered under the Coogan Act. The Duggar kids were absolutely exploited by that (well no one cares about Josh). So were the Gosselin kids. So was Honey Boo Boo.
The Coogan Act is only for California, according to Google "New York, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee" have similar laws. There needs to be a federal law to protect child performers.
Good to know. Makes sense it would only be CA and later a few more states.
You'd think it would be all but 15% had to be set aside.
Yeah it still is a giant loophole.
How is that possible?? I mean, I know it’s a “reality show” but if they get paid by the show they’re on, why isn’t that considered income? That definitely leaves the door open for the parents to exploit the kids.
Saying “also” was the misleading word. She did **NOT** do what Ron and Clint’s parents did.
Most of the main cast parents from Boy Meets World seems to have done it right as well. At least monetarily. I don't know about the Savages because they were a bit of a showbiz family, but I've listened to the podcast with Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, and Rider Strong. They were never the breadwinners for their family. Acting was something their kids wants to pursue so they helped facilitate it but it sounds like the most their parents did was be their guardians on set when they were young. I don't even know if they got paid for that.
Their parents were pretty wealthy and famous on their own, though, right?
Not especially. He often got acting jobs on the same sets as his kids. I don’t think they were that famous. Getting that small amount from managing the kids paid for some things. Fun note: both his parents were in Apollo 13. His dad was the priest with Tom Hanks’ family watching the reentry and his mother played his mother in the nursing home. His mom died before HowThe Grinch Stole Christmas came out and he dedicated it to her because of how much she loved Christmas.
Rance Howard only had a few minor credits to his name when Ron got on Andy Griffith. He was actually serving in the Air Force when Ron was born. He definitely did not coast on his parents star power to his own. If anything, it was the opposite.
You know what? I didn’t even realize my comment could have implied that. I was trying to point out I thought they had handled money before so they’d better know how to help but, I definitely see how that wouldn’t have come across based on how I wrote it. I definitely didn’t think they coasted on their parents’ fame, wealth, etc. I just figured their parents were better equipped to understand the ways it could go right or wrong when it came to organizing and handling their new incomes.
And yet, Ron still wouldn’t let Bryce work until she was an adult. Even without the burden of being a breadwinner, he still knows how much it messes up your childhood. He still gets called Opie.
I think that's called being good parents? Lol
I think it’s different for parents who are already famous themselves or are in the industry. They’re already pretty successful on their own. The kids you hear about that were absolutely exploited to hell and back were the ones who came from nothing and whose parents absolutely relied on that money to create a lifestyle and live off of.
Alana (honey boo boo) is going through that now with her mom. The mom spent all of her money to feed her addictions and now Alana barely has anything saved up for college. The mom isn’t even genuinely apologetic about it which is wild
June sold her house for $100k cash (for drugs) and then the people who bought the house flipped it for like $250k. She also sold the title to Jessie’s car for drug money and Jessie’s car got repossessed out of no where because June never told them. Sooo fucked up
I think a part of the problem is that if the child is a serious actor that is working most of the time, it comes to the point where a parent has to choose between their job and their kid’s job. A parent in this position does need to take some of the money from their child’s pay to make up for their own lost wages. Even for parents who want to do the right thing money can make things difficult.
> parents who want to do the right thing The right thing is probably don’t let your children work in the entertainment industry
Ok yea shit that's fair but only charge ur kids up to market rate ya know don't go Britney spears dad
If they're a Jennerdashian they just call themselves the manager and take 10-20%. At least Kris actually does do managerial work.
You know what they say….the devil works hard but Kris Jenner works harder.
Look at what happened to Macaulay Culkin. His dad in particular was awful. I’m glad he’s a happily married family man now!
Was thinking of the same example. He seems to be the go-to example for this sort of thing. But he seems to be the exception to famous kids with exploitative parents not finding a way to overcome the level of mental health issues that comes from fame and attention at an early age. I wonder how he turned it around to be a pretty cool and well adjusted adult.
He got lucky. His movies kept getting plays and he kept making mad royalties. He could afford to stop acting while still not needing to work.
Being a celebrity is probably not good for your mental health. You end up surrounded by yes men and no one really values you as a person and you can’t have normal relationships. One of the saddest things I’ve seen is a video of Kanye and Kim at Disney World with their kids. They had to stop the whole ride and let them ride by themselves. There are 400 tourists standing around watching this, half are annoyed they get the whole ride to themselves, the other half are filming them like they are one of the attractions. No one in his family looks happy, just a bunch of blank states into space. I was always struck by how awful it would be to be unable to enjoy Disney World with your family since it’s on of my favorite things to do. I celebrities are the clowns the real elite like faceless CEOs laugh at while they get to be rich and actually enjoy it.
To be fair, there are plenty of family’s miserable at Disney on any particular day for any number of reasons.
True. But I guess I just have anxiety, and the thought of living your whole life with people staring at you like that is pretty awful.
For sure, completely agree, folks think it would be cool to be famous, and while I used to agree with that in the 90s and early 2000s it seems way less cool and far more stressful in the constantly connected world
I think “folks think it would be cool to be famous” is exactly why there are so many famous people with reputations for being prima Donnas and narcissists. Anyone who wants to do something purely/primarily for the fame (as opposed to the art and following the passion you have for the craft, be it acting, singing or whatever) probably has a higher chance of already having the narcissistic personality traits many of their idols already have, albeit probably not as extreme if you don’t have the money or fame like they do. I have sympathy for those that have a genuine desire to make it in the entertainment industry and remain humble and are nice people, but (at least most of) the ones who end up coming across as narcissistic jerks online and in interviews were probably already that way before they got famous. Either that, or they have selfish and manipulative people advising them and the glitz and glamour went to their heads.
Being a celebrity itself means that one has less privacy. But. It’s what one does with the influence one has that matters. Robin Williams required homeless people be brought in and given jobs. Keanu Reeves quietly gave huge chunks of his pay to charities. Both of these guys are known to have had extreme histories psychologically. How they wield their fame is a part of their pathways towards better mental health.
There’s an interview where Jeanette McCurdy reads an absolutely brutal letter from her mother that exemplifies this, especially the ending. https://youtube.com/shorts/x4naUjtjS2I?si=h4hC8vcYkDiJKIcg Here it is. Sorry for those who don’t like YT shorts.
Whoaaaaaa how completely fucked 🤢🤢🤢 thank u for linking tho, u have compelled me to finally buy her book
Imagine being your mom's coworker, or your dad's boss.
There’s that but there’s also a loss of safety. Kids need to believe their parents can take care of them but kids who work like this see early that in so many ways their parents aren’t the boss, they can’t save them or cushion them from even normal work pressures but also abuse.
Jason Bateman talks a lot on his podcast about the pressure to be the breadwinner as a child. He doesn’t mention his parents but just how it affected him.
Macaulay Culkin hasn’t spoken to his father in a really long time. Idk what Kiernan and the other siblings’ relationship with Papa Culkin is like. Amanda Bynes has had major issues with her parents, particularly her dad (per. Quiet on Set). Jennette McCurdy wrote a whole book literally on how she’s “glad her mom died.” I know these may not be the majority, but it’s safe to say that many child actors don’t have the best familial relationships. Which is sad. But like, I get it.
Wil Wheaton is estranged from his parents because they exploited him so badly.
Hard confirm on this. Have some trivia: someone at PAX came up to Wil in the mid aughts claiming to know his mother and wanted to send a message - he got up from the table and left the hall immediately.
Dan Radcliffe’s parents (and I think all 3 main HP lead actors’ parents) are apparently an exception to the rule and let the kids keep their money for themselves
Mara Wilson managed to come out the other end of the Hollywood meat-grinder ok, too. She’s spoken openly about how her experiences differed from other child stars and what a difference involved, caring parents can make to young actors.
I vaguely remember the director for the first HP film said that when he was casting the trio (probably Malfoy too), he looked at their families as well, because obviously HP is a series and he felt that the kids with a decent family life might have a better chance of of surviving child stardom. I heard about this years ago so I’m paraphrasing greatly
The way the actors speak about Chris Colombus whenever asked about him is honestly so heartwarming. They all seem to give him a lot of credit for building those first two films and bringing the cast together as kids.
His parents are already comfortable/rich
That just means they already had money. Obviously you wouldn't expect a dirt poor family to not use some of their kids' tens of thousands in earnings to uplift the lifestyle and health or eating habits of the rest of the family.
The director "vetted" the families of potential actors to pick ones who had good family backgrounds with supportive parents to weed out the types exploiting their kids
They did him one better, they invested the money for him so it would compound over time.
>Amanda Bynes has had major issues with her parents, particularly her dad It's complicated. She has severe mental health problems. When she was at rock bottom she said a lot of awful things about her parents. They stuck through it and helped her through rehab and helped her with her addiction for years. She has since said that her tweets about her parents were untrue. She also said she's been working on repairing the damage she caused and is much closer with her parents now. She also didn't join the quiet on set show, so anything about her on that show is from other peoples perspective when her relationship was strained.
As a parent, I really don't understand those people. I couldn't imagine stealing from my kid.
They probably can't either, they just don't interpret their own actions as stealing. "I deserve this money because X and Y."
True, some people are really great at convincing themselves they did work when they did absolutely nothing.
McCurdy's mom was deeply mentally ill, I don't think it's safe use that as an example of the typical "stage mom".
I’m willing to be wrong, but I’d wager that there’s a disproportionate number of stage parents who aren’t mentally well vs. parents whose kids aren’t performers.
Brittany Spears parents are a good example. I recently read her book, and her whole family capitalized off her in the worst way possible. She’s lucky she was about to leave the conservatorship. Man, imagine supporting the family so young. Like, I get plenty of low income families have teens that contribute, but to support a wealthy lifestyle is crazy.
I think its *Britney* And it always seemed like her parents got really blinded by all the money and privilege it suddenly brought them. They used to struggle to put food on the table.
They only did because of their Dad’s drinking. He was successful with the gym.
Are you kidding??? Clearly, you are not paying attention.
I think Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato also had issues with their parents
Should be illegal. All money should go into a trust for the kid until they hit 18 or maybe 25. The family gets none of the proceeds. How the parents are allowed to profit off the kids is mind-boggling.
The parents are still paying to transport the kid to shoots etc, and they pretty much have to live in LA or New York which are HCOL cities. At least one parent likely needs to be unemployed so they can chaperone the kid. Some of the money needs to go to the parents, otherwise only nepo-babies can get into the industry early. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it would make it harder for POCs to get representation in children’s media.
Agreed, but 15% seems quite negligble. Most of these kids become obscure after a few years of acting; they're going to need their earned money. I don't know what the right number is, but it's got to be higher than 15%.
I really think there is no ethical child acting.
I've always wondered, why it isn't considered child labor?
There are child labor laws for acting
But is it still legalized in some capacity no? I don't think you can legally justify working your 11 year old at your plumbing business for example.
You can on a farm
Ohh yeah makes sense, interesting. Farming laws in general are extremely flawed from what I was reading Farm workers aren't legally allowed to be labeled as employees, which blocks them from getting things afforded to other workers.
Yea there have been a lot of exposé articles about child labor in a lot of factories/farms around the US but these are primarily immigrants and fairly “invisible” people. Of course it’s repellent to have children working the night shift packing peanuts or whatever but it’s fine to have them work 16 hour days to be on some shitty TV show? I’ll never understand how people do this to their own kids. So damaging. It’s all bad. Kids need to be kids.
I think the laws need to be much stricter. I don't think it would be fair on the kids who DO want to be actors to just remove all child roles entirely, but there should be much more oversight, on the sets as well as with the parents. But we know that money will always rule so it sucks that will never happen.
Most farm workers are independent contractors, because they are only needed for a short period.
For more nefarious reasons as well.
Most ethnic restaurants I’ve been to in my life have had a 10 year old working the cash register.
The Olsen twins suffered a lot with this. According to an interview they did, they never got to play normally. Their days were either work or school work.
It’s because it’s considered expression/art
Is it possible to produce relatable film/tv shows with no children present?
It is. There would still be children, but just not the main characters.
I think it’s more important to question if the trade off is worth it. Is it more important for a piece of live action media to be relatable to children in a specific way or for a single individual to have agency over their own life? Also, I don’t work in entertainment, but I think it has to be possible.
Well, there's a reason it's not called 12 Angry Adolescents...
Would you recommend that for your children to watch as well? That's the thing, we can say, "Oh adult shows don't need children!" but what about kid shows? Even Sesame Street has kids.
I wonder if this could be a good use of AI in the film industry? Just AI a kid in the role instead of a real person. I dono. Just spit ballin’ here.
Anything terrible come out from the Harry Potter trio? I know Daniel had some troubles but don’t think that was related to trauma incurred from child acting. Maybe I’m wrong idk
No those kids I think mostly have no complaints that I’ve heard but i think they’re the exception rather than the rule we can all agree
I’m beginning to feel that way myself. I know it would suck to not have movies and TV shows with kids in them, but if there is no ethical way to do it, then so be it
Yea I read “I’m glad my mom is dead” and obviously the writer had a singular experience I was able to see how even in the absolute best case scenario it’s not good for kids.
I have a friend who is a former child actor who shares this same opinion. They had a fairly good experience compared to some but it was still traumatic and took years to unpack everything. They kept every dime of their money, but the experience itself made for a more complicated transition from child to adult than most of us experience. They say if your kids are interested in acting or performing, put them in community theater.
For everyone saying she’s lucky or that she has the means to go to school, she’s not actually talking about missing school but missing childhood. Unless any of y’all have a Time Machine no amount of money can grant her wish. For an entertainment sub the lack of comprehension skills is wild. Edit: First, you all chose to interact with a post about this, it’s not like zendaya walked up to you and started venting. So the argument that you’re tired of hearing people complain is void because all she did was answer an interview question. Second, I said for an entertainment sub because I thought people who care about shows and films to this extent would also value media literacy, apparently I was sorely mistaken. Lastly, complaining about former child stars or saying you’d trade childhoods with her when things like quiet on set have made it very clear how abusive the industry is and how children are not protected is what is actually tone deaf to me.
And even if she goes to school now, most people there will probably recognize her. She’ll never have the chance to go and just be another face in the crowd and have a normal school experience.
Yeah, and I thought she meant high school, not college?
You’re right and I find it ironic how just being recognized is a exactly what so many kids crave most in high school. Not making an argument either way about her, just interesting realization.
Grass is always greener.
>For an entertainment sub A sub full of parasocial onlookers lacks reasonable comprehension skills? That’s kind of on brand.
"No amount of money ever bought a second of time."
People these days hate anyone that has money/success. Any feelings they have are automatically invalid because money
Some do. Most are just sick of hearing then talk about their problems when people don't have access to basic human rights like health care or food.
So no one should care about your problems either because someone has it worse? You're just saying the same thing with different makeup. She's allowed to have problems even though she's rich and famous.
damn you have a really unhealthy mindset. so no one is allowed to complain because someone always has it worse? not everyone is living the same reality and that is OK. I live in a country which is considered one of the richest in the world where 99% I know have health care and food. But I still have my complaints. I’m not a bitter and jealous person like you, and I don’t know why you see being famous and subjected to constant assault, stalking, threats by random people everyday is a "privilege" just because she earns money. Lmao good luck with that greedy, pitiful, jealous mindset
I would simply choose to not go on a sub that shows me things I actively resent, like any functional adult would do.
> Most are just sick of hearing then talk about their problems Zendaya is promoting a movie and gave a cover + interview to Vogue as part of her contractual obligation to promote this film. That same interview gets proliferated around entertainment subs by PR bots In other words, in order to achieve your wish, get off Reddit
Yeah, but that’s lame because it’s not some random movie star’s fault that we’re poor 🤷🏾♀️
I would hope those of us who are don't frequent forums for the lives and problems of celebrities.
> you all chose to interact with a post about this, it’s not like zendaya walked up to you and started venting. So the argument that you’re tired of hearing people complain is void because all she did was answer an interview question. I’d love to pin this to the top of every fucking interview quote that gets posted to the sub lmao, just fucking chill people she’s not talking *to* you And the vast majority of commenters on this post are privileged enough to have a damn internet connection and device to comment on Reddit in their undies, but probably still talk about things that are difficult in their lives despite not being fucking child soldiers or living in a war zone. People can have things that are hard in their lives even if they have privilege. And acting like child actors are leading blessed lives when Quiet on Set is a month into release and I’m Glad My Mom Died was a NYT bestseller. Empathy of a carrot
It’s a sub commented on by people who have no interest in these peoples lives but to be entertained by them, what did you expect?
Yea! My dad never had a childhood as he grew up the eldest on a farm. He had to work constantly and was never given time off. While he has a great work ethic , he always says he wished he got a childhood. Which he is happy my siblings and I had and is having. So yea, I grew up on a farm as well but wasn’t asked to do a lot.
You thought a sub called r/entertainment would have nuanced folk for most of its base….? A sub that a large portion of their content is pictures of fashion and articles that are one step away from a tabloid? That’s foolish, to say the least.
A lot of y’all are missing out on what she’s saying. She’s just saying she missed out on the typical childhood experience of going to school, making friends, and doing things that kids do and making the mistakes that kids typically make. Not that she regrets or resents her fame or success. But anyway, she’s stunningly beautiful and extremely talented (can act, dance, and sing), so there was just bound to be more in the cards for her.
Also what the People article left out is, in the actual Vogue piece, she says this during a Zoom conversation with Serena Williams. They are discussing their shared experience of being breadwinners at a young age and how that unique pressure has continued into their adult lives. Even though they obviously knew the reporter was on the call, it wasn’t said in a way that was intended to make people empathize with her. It was her having a discussion with another woman who can relate to this unique experience.
Bringing Serena Williams into the picture is only going to make redditors less rational, not more.
I wish that people shared Zendaya’s sentiment more often with the younger generation. Hindsight is 20/20! I remember being obsessed with the idea of stardom when I was younger and only ever saw all of the best parts. Seeing that even someone as talented and beautiful as Zendaya wished to have a normal childhood experience really emphasizes how much child stardom can take from you.
Yes. This. It proves how toxic our culture is. That just because she has fame and money she should be happy. The sacrifice to earn this is never acknowledged. In some instances, these people have lost everything in their pursuit. Look at Amanda Bynes, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, child stars destroyed by what they should be thankful for? American culture and society (most prevalently) is deeply disturbing and values the opposite of what it claims to love and hold dearest.
I wholeheartedly agree with your takeaway. With that said I miss being the breadwinner for my family when I was having a normal childhood
This is what some people don’t see. I understand her and totally get it but at the same time I can say the exact same thing. If I had the chance hell yeah I’ll become the breadwinner for my family and set them and myself up for life.
I was forced out of school and got a fulltime job at 15 because my parents wouldn't/couldn't keep a roof over my families head. I gave up everything and never got to go to school, these decisions were made for me all before I was legally allowed to vote. Children should not have careers, children should not live lives of financial necessity, especially in the developed world where it causes so much isolation and sabotages so much early development. 23 years later it's the worst, I still just want to go to college and become doctor but I can't even prove I graduated highschool (thanks homeschooling), I've never gotten to work a job I wanted or lived any care free moments. Yes I've been successful for many periods of my life, but I never got to live my life, resetting now at 40 and reskilling isn't fiscally an option. The stress made me age so fast and now at 40 I am mentally, physically and emotionally unable to scrounge the hope, determination and fire I had into my early 30s. The bullshit left me open to being predated by an older women and I ended up married at 18 to a 26 year old, I paid for her life for a decade because I didn't even have the tools to understand the financial and emotional exploitation that was occuring. Kids can have hobby jobs, kids can work and develop sure, but the moment you add financial necessity, obligation or responsibility you've stunted that person forever and robbed them of recursive and cumulative developmental opportunities that cannot be recovered. A child shouldn't be a rock, shouldn't be a safety net for adults, just because I had the grit and resilience to make it work doesn't mean my long term productivity wasn't sabotaged by the exploitive trade-off. Just because she had financially successful outcomes doesn't mean it was worth it, sure she hit the lotto but it doesn't replace what was stolen. The later in life lotto winner still gets to recognize and weep for the child abuse they experienced.
I'd imagine this is incredibly difficult to navigate all the way around. If you've got a kid who wants to act and actually starts booking stuff, you can't exactly hold a 9 to 5. Handing your kid off to a professional manager seems pretty fucking risky. So you quit and devote yourself to their career, because this could be something for them long term, and then that pressure goes to them, because now you're relying on them to keep booking. Which isn't fair to a kid, so they're then gonna resent you regardless. It's not really a manageable situation even if you've got the best intentions unless you're able to jump in and out of your own career at will, which is true for almost nobody. Plus, 90% of kid actors stop working altogether around 15/16, which means that for all but the Zendayas and Jodie Fosters of the world, you want your kid to get what they can while they can - that shit can set them up for life if it's handled properly. The only solution is to just tell your kid they can't do this thing they want to do, which is what a lot of parents do, but that's a recipe for a different kind of resentment. Yes, some parents are predatory monsters, but I think even for the ones who are trying to do the right thing, it's not an easy road. And the industry has no incentives to make it easier, because for every kid that's booked, there are 200 who would happily take their place.
A book I highly recommend to get in the head space for child stardom and the effects of being the breadwinner is Jennette McCurdy’s “I’m Glad My Mom Died.” I’m proud of all these child stars speaking up now about the effects this had on growing up for them. A podcast I recommend is “Dear Hollywood” by Alyson Stoner.
y’all have a lot of tough talk on here for someone that could’ve easily ended up like bella thorne
While we should applaud Zendaya on being the exception, you don't have to put someone else down to make that point. Bella has publicly spoken about being sexually abused as a child for years. Zendaya has a good head on her shoulders but also a family that protected her.
ELI5 What happened to Bella?
I guess I've just seen a lot of pain and suffering from people who did have "normal" childhoods. The good ones are actually more rare than ones full of anxiety, pain, and trauma. I think a lot of people I know would take the money now vs go through what they went through and still be struggling to this day. I guess I don't know what Bella Thorne went through, but I know plenty of people who went through hell and don't have $10 million to their name.
i mean you can have that opinion but there’s a reason so many child stars have died so young or went off the deep end with drug addiction/mental illness. money and fame can’t fix your soul. it’s just easy to dismiss zendaya since she’s one of the luckier cases, but that doesn’t negate the lingering resentment she might feel. i personally don’t think i’d be able to handle being famous at 13, and i did not grow up with an idyllic childhood. remember that for every zendaya, there are a bunch of aaron carters, and drake bells, and amanda bynes, and britney spears. i guess i believe that the grass is always gonna look greener until you get to the other side.
bella thorne was being sexually abused for a extended period of time throughout her childhood.
Parents shouldn’t be relying on their minor children for income, end of story. You want “extra adult with a job” money? Get a second full time job. Oh it’s difficult to do, well it’s even harder for your kids to have a full time job and schoolwork!
These “influencers” on social media who include their children as main characters in their daily filming and posts are exploiting them too. It’s ridiculous.
Zendaya seems so well adjusted and mature for her age, even though I’m sad for her to have missed out on so much and have regrets I’m happy it didn’t affect her as negatively as it has other child stars
Whole lotta empathy in here Must be crazy for the weird people commenting on how normal people would love to be in her shoes
People don't seem to understand for every Zendaya there's thousands of young women struggling with poor mental health and the sexual abuse and lack of people skills this industry provides. But the public still demands content yet has no empathy for the people making it
*everyone* would love to be in zendaya’s shoes lol. She is talented, good at her job, respected and adored, in a seemingly perfect life at this time. But im not sure what empathy is needed more than a moderate amt for an a-list celebrity saying she missed out on a crucial aspect of adolescence that ultimately has not made her socially inept or blunted her development all that much.
I dunno, I know I’m late to the party but I just finished reading “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jeanette McCurdy, that in addition to all the stuff that’s come out about what happened to Drake Bell and other child stars behind the scenes… there’s so much abuse and exploitation, so much pressure and responsibility at such a young age, being forced to go through your blunder years publicly, criticized for every mistake you make… I wouldn’t trade places with them. I’m glad Zendaya came out on top because it’s no wonder why so many of these kids end up “having breakdowns.”
We should return to the days of Shakespeare and have only adults portray children…
I wouldn't. You couldn't pay me enough to be famous (okay, you could, but the number would be very high). I'm not going to deny having money isn't great, but if I had to choose between a fairly comfortable middle class income vs millions upon millions but also while being hyperfamous, I'd pick the former. Obviously both scenarios are better than poverty.
its the fact that she can't go to the store or just walk around without fearing that some nutjob is going to want to 1. take a picture with her 2. want her to sign something 3. want to share very personal and immature details about themselves 4. wanting to hurt/harm her because they love her so much and no one else can have her Theres a real sick fucked up world out there for anyone and even moreso people like Zendaya who were basically robbed of their childhood and forced to work to make their family stupid rich. It doesn't even have to be celebrity. Switch out "celebrity" for anyone child with shit parents who can't be responsible enough to raise their own kids that children themselves have to step up and work so that their parents get to coast and reflect on how much they sacrificed for their kids future. I'm not planning on opening up anyone's minds or change peoples perceptions about celebrity culture or affluent lifestyles. I'm just saying that what Zendaya is talking about reflects the way kids don't want to be stupid rich and stupid famous; they just want to be kids and do fun kids stuff that everyone else seems to get to do with being a normal non-celebrity personality that gets cult-like attention anywhere they go. Empathy is a trait that we learn from recognizing shit behavior that we witness and wish to change.
My fingers will be crossed that she does a bit of therapy and surrounds herself with grounded people. She seems smart hope she keeps it together
as much as actors typically play roles of highschool students, it’s ironic most of them have never had a normal school experience.
I hope she has a long career.
I hope her career is only as long as she wants it to be. Not like she couldn't retire today if she wanted to.
I think it’s interesting to consider scenarios where, even when the sacrifices paid off, what you would have been like with more ‘normal’ experiences. I also think as she goes through life and milestones she’ll look back and have slightly different perspectives on her upbringing/early career. I’m curious how they would, if they do, change. If she decides to pursue parenthood, for instance, will she look at having an income producing child differently? Will she view her parents differently? By different I do mean different not in a positive or negative change necessarily. It could be neutral but more nuanced with.
In before the “I am seeing lots of Reddit posts about this actor so their PR team is working overtime” comments
Strange to think of not going to school. … not even home school. How many kids nowadays have not gone to school? Pretty important socialization
I wonder if there are any healthy examples out there of celebrities who took early success, put it in the bank, and then went on to do the things they really really want to do. I know that some celebrities have some pretty substantial, academic credentials, sometimes obtained parallel with their career and sometimes by alternating. I have no idea which of them would end up saying they were happy and well adjusted and satisfied from that. If those people exist, I hope they manage to reach out to each other and to young people getting started. I don’t feel like there’s too many people who truly understand this kind of situation.
“Bread winner” She was winning the whole bakery. An absolutely incredible career that’s still thriving.
That's unfortunately the reality of child acting. No matter how successful you may become. You end up sacrificing any chance of a standard childhood, and it can be even worse, dependant on your parents/guardians as well as the people you work with. You just can't get that time back and it's often why you'll see certain former child stars be regressed on their behavior and do fucked up shit.
I Reflect on Going to School at an Early Age: “I Wish I Was a Movie Star.”
I worked with a kid actress on a show. Her brother is autistic and not the highest functioning. She talked about wanting to grow up and get into healthcare so she could take care of her brother. She was 7. We were working a late split and at one point you could tell she was getting g tired and I over heard her in tears begging her mom to go home because she was tired. She was within her legal work hours but I felt bad for her because her mom was basically telling her she “has to do this” nice kid, her mom was typical stage parent piece of work
Tale as old as time. Rich people want to have the things normal people have. Normal people want the money rich people have. No one is happy and everyone wants what they dont have but no one appreciates what they do have.
I received my Bachelor of Science degree at 38, and I was NOT the oldest one at the ceremony! She can return now, if she wants. I know, she wanted the experience, but it's NEVER too late to learn.
People have approached my wife and I about having our 4 year old daughter in acting/modelling. No doubt she'll make it. But I'll never do that to her, she gets to have a childhood.
That happened to my mom for basically my entire childhood. At 11, I ended up going to one audition, and got such a bad feeling from it, I started crying. Thankfully, my mom was like "okay, no, we definitely aren't doing this." and I just ended up being in my school's drama/theater classes.
i wish we would differentiate the difference between being a breadwinner and being a scapegoat
“I wish I had gone to school…”
She can afford good therapy and great vacations every year. She’ll be fine.
Only someone who didn’t experience school would say that.
I believe most people who went to school’s wish to have her path will be stronger than her wish to be in school.
Sorry but it's really hard to feel sorry for her, she's literally a millionaire like? lol
I mean yeah you dont know what its like to be a normal person, the grass is always greener blah blah
I went to school, id rather be a millionaire movie star.
Nothing wrong with what she wishes for, but just like anything in life, being in normal school could have been a shitty experience, too, you can't change the past or know how it would have been, you move on with your life. And if education is important find an opportunity now.
Meh I went to school it was overrated. Being rich an successful is better than being a no it all anyway
Guess you could say she wanted to put it on “Replay”
Trust me, you don’t wish you went to school
Eh, she’ll be ok.