All articles tagged with #child actors
A BuzzFeed feature collects 11 former child stars’ accounts of being mistreated or exploited by their parents to fuel their acting careers, with examples including Jennette McCurdy, Kaya Scodelario, Ariel Winter, Macaulay Culkin, and Hayden Panettiere, and discusses ongoing calls for stronger protections for young performers and the lasting impact of these experiences.
Emmy Rossum says she has been 'dodging predators' since she began acting at seven, using her experience to contextualize Hulu's Furious, a series about abuse, trauma, and the pursuit of justice. She emphasizes this as a broader industry issue rather than naming individuals, reflecting on a career that began in the Metropolitan Opera and led to Shameless, and noting the show's aim to spark conversations about power and systemic failures in Hollywood.
After Hayden Panettiere’s death at 36, Melissa Gilbert urged the entertainment industry to enact substantive reforms to protect child actors, saying three former young stars died in quick succession and calling for better mental health support and safeguards. She expressed a personal, shared experience as a former child actor, and noted the deaths of Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase. The plea comes as Gilbert’s husband, Timothy Busfield, faces multiple counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor, with pretrial proceedings ongoing.
Hayden Panettiere’s death has sparked renewed calls from celebrities for tougher safeguards for child actors. Rose McGowan, Anna Paquin, and Melissa Gilbert urged reforms and greater support for young performers, arguing they’ve long been inadequately protected from exploitation. Panettiere began acting at age four and died at 36 in South Carolina amid an investigation into a suspected overdose; supporters say industry changes are overdue to prevent similar tragedies.
Following Hayden Panettiere’s death, Anna Paquin, Christy Carlson Romano, and Melissa Gilbert urge Hollywood to strengthen protections for child performers, citing past losses and calling for stronger safeguards, privacy protections, and union-backed reforms to prevent similar tragedies.
Raquel Lee Boileau, who starred in Disney Channel’s The Poof Point (2001), alleges in an LA Superior Court negligence suit that Disney knew a male on-set predator was abusing her and did nothing to stop it. The filing references California’s updated survivor-laws allowing childhood-sexual-abuse claims to be filed later and, in some cases, for triple damages when an institution concealed abuse. The action follows a prior 2015 settlement connected to a Poof Point cast member and comes as Disney has declined to comment on the new allegations.
Following Hayden Panettiere’s death, former child star Melissa Gilbert writes that unions must enact real protections for child actors. In a Substack essay, she recalls Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase as “three sweet” peers who died within a year, linking their deaths to privacy issues, addiction and mental health in the industry. She questions why mainstream media hasn’t pushed for change and urges regulatory safeguards to prevent a repeat of these tragedies, stressing that “something has to be done” for current and future child performers.
Melissa Gilbert pens an essay urging stronger protections and mental-health support for former child actors after Hayden Panettiere's death, noting the recent losses of Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase and arguing that the industry exploits young performers. She recalls personal experiences of working while sick, advocates for an industry-wide coalition with studios and networks, and suggests creating a group with other former child stars to push for real change, alongside calls echoed by Anna Paquin and Kaya? (Panettiere’s memoir details abuse and pressure in Hollywood).
Anna Paquin used Hayden Panettiere’s death to call for better welfare and mental‑health support for child performers, noting that many former child stars face painful outcomes due to insufficient protective systems. She paid tribute to Panettiere and referenced other young actresses, offering to chat privately to peers in need and stressing that productions can protect kids on set when welfare is a top priority, drawing on her own experiences in the industry.
Anna Paquin posted on Instagram reflecting on the dangers faced by young performers in Hollywood following Hayden Panettiere’s death, saying systems meant to safeguard them may not be effective and highlighting the premature sexualization of child stars; she referenced Panettiere along with Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase, clarified her message was about children in entertainment, and offered direct support to those who need it, noting the initials in her post were due to space limits.
Hayden Panettiere’s death has renewed focus on mental health and addiction among child actors, who face unique risks from early fame, intense public scrutiny, and access to adult substances, compounded by family dynamics and the breakdown of privacy; experts say addiction is a chronic illness with relapse risk, and Panettiere herself spoke openly about how fame and pressure contributed to her struggles.
Jenna Ortega recalls her early career as a child actor, saying she went all day without water or food on set to avoid being a burden, a focus she now views as a rookie mistake; she credits Dakota Fanning as an early influence, and notes she nearly quit acting before landing You, with later breakout roles like Klara and the Sun on the horizon.
Jenna Ortega told Esquire that as a child star she would go all day without eating or drinking on set to avoid being “in the way,” a habit she now calls a mistake; she described her early drive and nearly quitting, cited Dakota Fanning as a role model, and noted upcoming projects including Klara and the Sun and Season 3 of Wednesday.
Jenna Ortega reveals in an Esquire interview that she often went days without eating or drinking while starring as a child to avoid being 'in the way,' reflecting on the perfectionism and pressures of Hollywood that shaped her early career and how she learned to prioritise self-care as she rose to fame with Wednesday, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and the Scream films.
Jennifer Hyatt Tedmori, who appeared on Ned's Declassified, shares a stack of residual checks she received years after filming, many worth only pennies. She notes a Ned's Declassified total of $8.63 and about $30.06 from 90210, among numerous two-cent and cent-level payments, highlighting how tiny ongoing royalties can be for former child actors.