All articles tagged with #child actors
Melissa Gilbert, a former child star, says she is heartbroken by Daveigh Chase’s death and urges parents to ensure that acting is truly the child’s choice, keep the child’s life outside the industry thriving, and monitor earnings, notes that Chase died at 35 from AIDS with polysubstance use listed as another condition as a cautionary example.
Actress Melissa Gilbert mourns the death of former child star Daveigh Chase and uses the moment to caution parents about pursuing fame for their kids, stressing strong parenting, regular financial oversight, and maintaining a life outside the industry. Chase, best known for voicing Lilo in Lilo & Stitch, struggled with substance abuse and died this month from AIDS, prompting Gilbert to reflect on the pressures and responsibilities surrounding child acting.
Melissa Gilbert mourns Daveigh Chase’s death and criticizes irresponsible stage parenting, recalling signs of pressure she observed during a past child-acting project and urging parents to keep a child’s life balanced, financially protected, and authentic to their desires. Chase, the voice of Lilo and star of The Ring, died at 35 from AIDS with complications linked to substance use, after years of homelessness and health struggles.
Melissa Gilbert paid an emotional tribute to late child star Daveigh Chase, praising her as bubbly, sweet and professional while criticizing stage parents and urging guardians to ensure kids enter entertainment for the right reasons, as Chase’s death involved meningitis and AIDS with polysubstance use.
Scott Eastwood credits his father Clint Eastwood’s hard-working, private upbringing in Carmel for teaching him to spot and avoid Hollywood’s bull and to treat acting as a job, not a lifestyle. He shared these views on The Joe Rogan Experience while promoting their WWII film Lucky Strike, noting his dad protected him and his siblings from fame and its pitfalls.
Jason Bateman says money shaped his childhood in the entertainment world, with his parents as managers and earnings helping the family, creating pressure to keep a school-friendly work permit and constant job security concerns. The experience gave him early confidence and a belief he could “generate money,” but he’s now guided more by creative fulfillment than financial need and can choose roles accordingly.
Linwood Boomer, who played Adam Kendall on Little House on the Prairie, says Michael Landon ran a kid-friendly set with strict adherence to child-labor rules and hours that let kids be kids, a approach he carried into creating Malcolm in the Middle to protect his young cast; Boomer also pointed to Landon’s example as foundational to how he runs productions today, and notes renewed interest in a Little House reboot that leans closer to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books.
The Independent reports on the death of former child star Daveigh Chase, with her mother alleging that in the years before her death Chase was heavily using drugs and was ‘drugged out of her mind’ after a back injury; a late-2025 video showed her frail on Los Angeles’ Skid Row, and she died this week from malnutrition compounded by meningitis and a blood infection, after a career that included The Ring and appearances on TV shows like Big Love, Charmed and ER.
Brady Bunch star Eve Plumb says the key to surviving childhood stardom is the power to say no, aided by parents who safeguarded her money and downtime. She discusses this rule in Happiness Included: Jan Brady and Beyond, detailing her grounding, late-career transitions, and ongoing work in TV, stage, and art.
Jamie Lee Curtis nearly auditioned for the role of Regan in 'The Exorcist' at age 12, but her mother Janet Leigh declined, preferring to protect her childhood; Linda Blair ultimately played the role.
Alison Arngrim and Dean Butler reflect on a 1977 episode of 'Little House on the Prairie' featuring a significant age gap and on-screen kiss between teenage characters, noting that such casting and scenes would not happen today due to modern standards and sensitivities.
Kiernan Shipka, who played Sally Draper on 'Mad Men,' reflects on the cast and crew's efforts to protect her innocence as a child star. Despite their attempts, Shipka admits she understood much of the show's adult content, recalling her experiences on the set from a young age. She recently watched the entire series during the COVID-19 pandemic, gaining new insights into her character's journey.
Elizabeth Gillies discusses her new film "Spread," where she stars and executive produces, and how it challenges preconceptions about the adult industry. She reflects on her career, her experience on "Victorious," and the importance of agency and voice in Hollywood. Gillies also shares insights on her future projects, including potential new music, and the need for better protections for child actors.
The docuseries "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV" has come under fire from former child actors Raquel Lee Bolleau and Alexa Nikolas, who claim they were misled about the nature of the documentary and its focus on Dan Schneider's alleged abuse at Nickelodeon. They allege that the producers used their sensitive interviews primarily to re-air salacious material from Schneider's years at Nick, leaving them feeling deceived and abused. The series, which premiered to 20 million viewers, has sparked a public reevaluation of kids' TV, but the survivors feel betrayed and excluded from events related to the documentary. Producers have not addressed the allegations.
Christy Carlson Romano has stated that she won't watch "Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV" due to her belief that such documentaries can be exploitative and unhelpful. She expressed her concerns about the filmmakers being "outsiders" and "trauma tourists" and emphasized the importance of understanding trauma porn. Romano's personal relationships with actors and survivors involved in the docuseries, as well as her perspective on the nature of such documentaries, have led her to opt out of watching the series.