'Little People, Big World''s Jacob Roloff: 'Money, things, and trips cannot ultimately compensate for the immaterial experiences of a childhood innocently experienced'

Jacob Roloff is sounding off against about the dangers of growing up on TV, and how he feels about all the "trips" he received in exchange.

I remember once seeing my parents go into a room in a restaurant to do a scene, and in the show's storyline it was about the beginning of my parents' separation, although I'm bad at gauging time. In the scene they were supposed to be discussing some serious matter, I don't know, I was just outside the room. I remember though that the scene they were doing was inherently staged and fake. Whatever discussion they were acting out had already happened in real life, so this was at best a rehashing. When they came out though, I saw tears in my mom's eyes and I suddenly realized that this staged 'joke', 'fake' thing was effecting real life in a profound way.

I see the money I have earned and the vacations I was lucky enough to go on as 'compensatory', for lack of  a better word, for a tainted childhood. I feel disappointed in language here because saying that makes it seem like my childhood as a whole was not enjoyed and just a waste. Not true. I had tons of fun and so many opportunities and friendships, and also anger, frustration... the myriad of emotions. However; money, things, and trips — all material — cannot ultimately compensate for the immaterial experiences of a childhood innocently experienced. 

One of my least favorite things to do while filming was formal interviews. We sat down on a tiny uncomfortable chair, small enough to be hidden so as to not break the fourth wall; "Who set up that chair anyhow?" — this was Reality TV after all. Then the producers asked us silly repetitive questions that no right headed 6-10 year old would have a solid answer to; rather I should have been asking the questions to the adults! But I suppose they probably knew that, further creating a certain shy, relatable character in contrast to the brat that ordinarily wreaked havoc —— cunningly dynamic. 

The post actually dates back a few months, but seems to have been recently discovered by the media. The only thing the adults who exploit children on reality TV can't stop is that someday they will grow up, turn 18, and can finally say whatever they like about the experience. Thank you, Jacob, for being the voice of the first generation of children who have grown up on reality TV.

Jacob Roloff: "Noticing how the agenda of the crew doesn't work well with the health & happiness of our family is what made me decide quite a while ago that I would not be a part of it as soon as I was able."

Jacob Roloff of Litte People, Big World, one of TLC's longest running reality shows, is all grown up now and has been speaking out. Jacob has refused to film with the family for over a year now.

His latest statement addresses fans who keep demanding that he appear on the show again.

Jacob had this to say:

jacobroloff45I get comments on here all the time about how people 'miss me on the show' or telling me I should 'do a few more episodes' with the family; I'm posting this to say that that will never happen. For the sake of 'the episode' and ratings I've seen a lot of STORYLINES drawn up (loosely) about our lives, and when I was standing here, behind the scenes and watching it from an outside perspective I just couldn't stop laughing. Laughing at how hard the producers have to try to get us to follow the talking points, and at how ridiculous the talking points are. To misquote Chomsky, "the primary objective of any system is to preserve the integrity of that system", meaning, the primary objective I have felt and observed over the years of the 'crew' is to preserve their job and preserve the ratings, which is up to you to be right or wrong. That's not to say they are all soulless corporate shills or something, there are and have been good people involved but that doesn't negate the fact that they do have their own personal agenda. For me, noticing how the agenda of the crew doesn't work well with the health & happiness of our family is what made me decide quite a while ago that I would not be a part of it as soon as I was able.

.

All in all I appreciate people wanting me to 'be with the family' for a few more episodes, but the family that is filmed is not my family. They are the Roloff Characters and I have scarcely anything in common with them, nor do I want to be a character myself. As soon as the cameras drop however, its almost like they never played the part. 20 minutes after this picture was taken we all, plus friends, had a campfire late into the night. So, I am with my family and I love them I'm just here to say you'll never see that from me on TV again.
(This picture is from a few months ago)

A reality star's daughter breaks her silence: I was 'exploited, 'powerless without a voice'

One reality T.V. kid steps into adulthood, and introspection: 'Excess debris created by a produced, manipulated, pseudo-reality universe.'

Says Real Housewives daughter Christie Staub in this chilling account (and big foreshadowing):

• My mother's storyline was edited and produced, placing her in scenarios to achieve a desired outcome. She wouldn't normally be involved in these scenarios; they were dictated by the producers, and they just told my mom where to show up for filming. In season one, my mother didn't expect this to happen. These were the early days of reality shows. In 2006, The Hills was in its first season, and the Real Housewives franchise had yet to become a household name. Today, reality stars are savvy, but a decade ago, talent lacked a frame of reference. Other than Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, my mother had never seen a reality show. Just be myself, she thought. Little did she know that myself is how the producers choose to present you. Every story arc needs an antagonist and a protagonist—that is what creates the conflict and resolution, i.e. the drama. 


• Imagine if all of the arguments you've had in your life were filmed by a stranger, and they took out the worst things you said, edited it together, and then presented the footage on TV to define your character. Would you say that characterization was accurate? Anything that is produced, and edited in this manner, is fictitious by default, but unlike an actor, my mother didn't have the advantage of hiding behind a character, not to mention that the reality forms a perception that is impossible to overcome when the viewers aren't aware of what goes down behind the scenes. The producers had the power to manipulate my mother in anyway they pleased to increase ratings. When the second season ended, my mother decided to leave the show. The network portrayed her decision as her getting fired, but she left to save her life and her kids. 


• Even now, all these years later, people see me as a character created by a producer. They see me as the daughter of an infamous reality show prostitution whore. They may not have called me garbage like they called my mother, but that's how they made me feel. They took away my name and my voice. My name is Christine Staub, and I will no longer be the excess debris created by a produced, manipulated, pseudo-reality universe. I will never again be a character defined by unethical producers, and exploited by networks all over the world. I am no longer a child, powerless without a voice.

https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/growing-up-as-the-daughter-of-a-real-housewife#

Jacob Roloff: "Just because the adults say it's what's best, doesn't mean it's what's best"

The youngest star of TLC's Little People, Big World, who has been filming the show since he was about seven years old, has been speaking out more frequently about his dislike of filming and his desire to protect other reality stars from a childhood played out on T.V. screens

Jacob recently met Jack Hamill, star of Our Little Family. Jacob had this to say on Instagram about the encounter (click to enlarge): 

The post garnered more than 2,500 likes in less than fourteen hours. (On average, Jacob's Instagram posts get 800-1200 likes each).

Well done, Jacob, and keep speaking out. You have a unique perspective not many others can claim to possess. 

'There are things that are really fun about growing up on television, but then you also go through puberty'

"I remember her sitting in her dressing room crying because she didn't like the way that she looked. Teen years are really hard and I think teen years on television when you're under the spotlight can be really difficult." Lori Loughlin

Last night on Dancing With the Stars, the lovely Candace Cameron shared some personal and painful memories from her childhood in the spotlight. (Mary-Kate Olsen had previously said she and her twin were like "little trained monkeys" on the set and she feels disconnected from her childhood.) Thank you Candace and Lori (and Mary-Kate) for your honesty, especially knowing how special of a place Full House holds in many people's hearts. Congrats to Candace on making it to the finale!

See a clip from the Full House episode "Shape Up" that exploited Candace's struggle with weight:

The Gosselin twins will be 13 when the reported Gosselin update special airs this year. 

Karen Dotrice: 'I’ve never really wanted any of my children to become child actors like me'

‘Saving Mr. Banks’ is an endearing film now in theaters about Walt Disney’s struggle to acquire the rights to a children’s author’s beloved books, but the actor who played Jane in ‘Mary Poppins’ says child actors are who really need saving

Another child actor is all grown up and joining the long list of former child stars disclosing all was not as cheery as it seemed. Karen Dotrice won hearts as Jane in the 1963 film ‘Mary Poppins. The brilliant Sherman brothers’ song “The Perfect Nanny,” in which Jane reads an advertisement describing the kind of caretaker any child would long for, is particularly sweet (and funny).

Doctrice, who left show business as a teenager, had this to say about child stardom:

 “If I’d had my way, I’d still never have done any of those films, because kids should be kids. They should be doing their homework, or outside riding horses. They should be learning and growing at their own pace – and learning things at the right time, rather than when it’s convenient for others. It’s just not normal for a child to have that kind of focus on them and then trot off into life thinking that everyone’s going to pamper them and treat them as if they’re ‘special’. The fact is that if you’re living in a Justin Bieberesque type world surrounded by a bunch of yes people, the odds are you’re going to struggle in later life. That’s why I’ve never really wanted any of my children to become child actors like me. I’ve seen a lot of my peers go through terrible times and have to deal with all sorts of demons.”

Thank you, Karen for your insight.

Hollywood insiders come forward to defend Corey Feldman

"Pedophiles and predators in Hollywood are just as rampant today, if not more so."

A day after Corey Feldman, author of Coreyography, was attacked on The View, some people in the industry are stepping forward to have his back. 

Little House's Alison Armgrim, who was molested by her brother as a child and wrote about it in her own book, said that Hollywood predators seek out vulnerable children, such as children who are going through a divorce or who have uninvolved parents. 

Anne Henry, of the child actors' rights group BizParentz, said that pedophilia is even more widespread than when Corey was a child: "Pedophiles and predators in Hollywood are just as rampant today, if not more so. The entertainment industry is much larger than it was in their day. Think how many cable channels there are. In Corey's day, there were channels 2-13. We also have the Internet today, which allows predators to virtually stalk and contact child actors in a more personal way."

Thank you Anne and Alison for setting Barbara Walters straight.

And now another story is circulating about the child of a member of a "well-known band." According to a source that spoke to Fox News, the band member recently found out that his underage daughter was having sex with another successful industry figure 25-30 years her senior. The incident was brushed under the rug out of fear of ruining the reputation of the perpetrator and his colleagues.

Thank you Corey for exposing the darkest side of this industry, despite your detractors. 

'You're damaging an entire industry'

When Corey Feldman went on The View today to talk about his bad experiences as a young actor he has written about in his new book Coreyography, he never expected to be treated so harshly. The ladies of The View regarded this brave whistleblower like nothing less than a criminal himself, with Barbara even going so far as to accuse him of "damaging an entire industry" when Corey explained that there are some pedophiles out there still working in Hollywood. Corey also revealed in his book that people in the industry gave him drugs at age 13.

"They want me dead," Feldman said of the industry. With attitudes like Barbara's, that's not hard to believe.

Fortunatly, reactions around the web have been mostly outraged toward his cold reception on the View. Will Barbara and the rest of the ladies apologize tomorrow?

Watch a clip here:

'Suite Life of Zack and Cody' child star defends restaurant job, calls rumors 'rude'

Dylan and Cole Sprouse were teen hearthrobs in the 2000's. Their Disney channel show broke records and made them household names for kids. They were the Mary Kate and Ashley of the modern era. For several years, they were the highest paid teenagers in the business, and at one point the richest teenage twins in the world, according to MSN. Dylan once called his rise to fame "scary" and very fast.

Dylan and Cole are 21 now, and Dylan has decided to leave acting, go to college at NYU and work in a restaurant (Cole goes to NYU too). Inevitably, the "rock bottom child star" rumors followed. Dylan was so offended by the gossip, he took to tumblr to set the record straight. Dylan called the comments about his new profession "pretty rude" and said that he is financially secure but wanted to try out a new job. He said being a host is "a way to try a new experience, working somewhat below the means I’m used to, as well as a way to socialize and get out of the house. I feel most comfortable when I’m working and doing something, to criticize someone of that is pretty odd. I will potentially return to acting someday, but in no way do I think any experience is a step down for me, but rather a new step in another direction."

Good for you, Dylan. There's nothing to be ashamed about when it comes to living a normal life and working hard.

Former child stars on Katie Couric

Katie will interview those who have been there before about Amanda Bynes and the hardships of growing up in the spotlight. Guests include Mara Wilson (Mrs. Doubtfire and Matilda), Candace Cameron (Full House), and Jaleel White (Urkel!).

Monday afternoon, June 3. Check local listings.

'Having to live up to your fan base is a little like having to deal with a million strict parents who don't actually love you'

Mara Wilson of all people has emerged as the Dalai Lama of the former child star world

Move over

Because this girl's back in town:

Smart, savvy, and often just downright hysterical, little Matilda's all-grown-up blog has been a fascinating read for over a year now. Last year, Wilson blogged about all the pitfalls of childhood fame, talking candidly about creepy, demanding fans, tedious days on the set, and her "relief" to be out of that lifestyle. Her spot-on, well-written essay (or warning) suddenly went viral a couple months after she wrote it, and, of the almost 900 posts we have done here since the inception of Realitytvkids.com almost four years ago, according to our stats, our post on Mara's musings last year remains the fifth most popular blog post here of all time. (Whoa!)

This week, former child star Amanda Bynes was arrested again. Her bizarre and frightening post-arrest Twitter tirade (Amanda said the cops slapped her "vagina") may be due more to her alleged mental illness than anything else, but she's still yet another sad story of a washed up child star who can't hack it in the adult world. The latest incident prompted Mara to take to the subject of child stars again, this time penning another visionary essay called 7 reasons Child Stars Go Crazy (An Insider's Perspective). It's worth your time to read the entire thing, but here are a few important excerpts.

On parents forcing their kids into the spotlight: I chose to start acting when I was 5. It was my decision, and my parents tried their hardest to discourage me. When I insisted, they allowed me to act, but were always very protective of me. I saw many child actors who did not have that, and they were all miserable. Kids whose parents pushed them into acting often grow up to resent them. They never had a choice, and worse, they never had the chance to be a kid... The next time a former child star is in the news, look at the age at which he or she started performing. Then imagine making a life-changing decision at that age. Chances are good he or she wasn't the one who made it.

Mara (center) in Mrs.Doubtfire

On transitioning from the cutest thing in the world to discarded yesterday's news: The first week of my first movie, Mrs. Doubtfire, I got gifts from every cast member. When an interviewer asked me what I loved most about acting, I forgot all about the joy of becoming someone else on camera and said, "You get a lot of presents, sometimes!" Combine the regular amount of free stuff celebrities get with all the presents people give kids just for being cute, and you've got a recipe for one spoiled-ass child....This tends to happen: It's called the hedonic treadmill, which sounds like something 1950s sci-fi writers imagined we'd all have in our pod-houses by now, but actually means that even people who have the best of everything quickly become used to it. The thrill of new things and new experiences always wears off. Adults know that infatuation is fleeting, but kids don't understand this. A year in a kid's life seems like an eternity, and they think anything happening now will happen forever. Years of adulation and money and things quickly become normal, and then, just as they get used to it all, they hit puberty -- which is a serious job hazard when your job is being cute ... A child actor who is no longer cute is no longer monetarily viable and is discarded. He or she is then replaced by someone younger and cuter, and fan bases accordingly forget that the previous object of affection ever existed... Imagine that people you once relied on and trusted -- as well as millions of people you'd never met, who had previously liked you -- had told you then, "Yeah, it's true. You are exactly as ugly and worthless as you feel."

On sexual exploitation: When I was 12 years old, I made the mistake of looking myself up on the Internet. (I know not to do that now, unless I want to stay up all night imagining the kind of person who would replace my Wikipedia article with nothing but the word "poo.") One of the things I found was a foot fetish website dedicated to child actresses. There was worse, both for me and for others. Like the Coogan Law, there are too many loopholes. If you ever need to convince someone not to get their kid into show business, inform them that it's still legal in several places to Photoshop a child's head onto a nude adult body. Sexual exploitation is just part of the package.

On fans' expectations: Having to live up to your fan base is a little like having to deal with a million strict parents who don't actually love you. They reward you for your cuteness and cleverness, but are quick to judge and punish. And they do not want you ever to grow up. How do you react? The way any sullen teenager does: You get resentful, and as soon as you have the freedom, you act out....But even here [in New York] I still get recognized. It's flattering, but it can be uncomfortable. Maybe because it only seems to happen when I'm looking and feeling crappy, and while I'm glad what I did meant something to someone, I can't take much pride in my childhood acting. It feels like it happened in another lifetime, and even then, it felt like a hobby. People making a big deal out of me just embarrasses me, and I'm also very camera shy. It's not something I'm ever going to escape. And while I'm glad for all the advantages it's given me -- I got to meet the queen of England! -- it does give me something I have to not only live up to, but surpass. A lot of child stars feel like they'll never get past what they did as a kid, that their character has taken over their life.

Read the rest of Mara's blog here.

Thank you once again Mara for more valuable insight, and warnings, about a scary world.

Former child reality star won't put her baby on T.V.

'The family is sacred'

Anyone would do it too? Or would they? Now that reality T.V. has been around so long the child stars have grown up, reflected on their experiences, and found their voices, it's interesting to hear what they have to say. Enter Kristin Cavallari, who at just 17 and a junior in high school, was MTV's breakout star of Laguna Beach and The Hills. 

But does she want her new baby Camden, born seven months ago, to have a reality show? No. She's not talking hypothetically, she's actually been offered a show.

Cavallari in 2005

“I want Cam to grow up in the most normal setting possible," Cavallari said, "and I just don’t think that’s going to happen with cameras. The family is sacred.”

Amen, Kristin. And good for you.

In other news of celebs who won't go on reality T.V., Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, Kate's "friends," recently made it crystal clear such a venture wasn't for them. 

'Confessions of a Prairie Bitch': Alison Arngrim's brilliant and hysterical memoir on child stardom, and childhood horrors

"I've learned that people see what they want to see and believe what they want to believe."

Little House on the Prairie's Alison Arngrim takes us back to homespun bonnets and one-room schoolhouses and, um, cocaine in her 2011 memoir, a brutally honest, year by year rundown of her unreal reality growing up in Hollywood. Alison was one of the stars of the biggest family television show of the 1970's, and arguably, the most famous pint-sized, underage villain to ever grace the small screen.

Naturally, Angrim had her issues with child stardom, and she spares no gory details. She was exposed to drugs and alcohol from a young age (she was doing LSD at age eight), she worked long hours in brutal heat and uncomfortable costumes and even once fainted in the middle of a scene, and was beat up by other children and called names for playing "the bitch" on T.V. Meanwhile, she was often left alone by her absent parents (also in show business, her mother was the voice of Casper the Ghost and Gumby) to be babysat by her older brother, and says she was molested multiple times by him. She would later become an advocate for children's rights, both on and off the set. (Angrim even came out to Pennsylvania to testify at hearings about reality T.V., spearheaded by Rep. Murt. The inquisition would ultimately result in P.A. tightening its child labor laws, which go into effect this month.)

But ironically, Angrim was part of a production that was widely regarded as very protective of children, even ahead of its time. Michael Landon fiercely guarded the children on set, and the child actors have almost all grown up to be very stable and successful adults, avoiding the typical pitfalls. Coincidence? "Mary" and "Laura" continued to act into adulthood and have families. The twins who played "Carrie" quit acting and went back to high school to live normal lives, both of them riding and breeding horses. "Albert" founded a charity in Los Angeles for troubled children. "Alisha" married a real estate agent and now appears on the Real Housewives. "Willie" is a stockbroker and never acted again. "Cassandra" was a finance reporter for CNBC and now FoxNews.

Oh, and this cute little moppet of a cowboy? Remember sad orphan "James" who ended up shot by robbers?

Yeah, he's this beautiful man now:

Be still my heart!

And of course Alison Arngrim grew up and became an advocate for children, as well as a comedian, and has made a real difference for kids. Here is Arngrim's recounting of how Michael Landon guarded his child stars:

"Everyone always asks if Michael was like a father to me, if he loved me. I have no idea if he loved me, but he went one better as far as I’m concerned. He respected me. Respect is something very hard to come by for child actors. They are often treated as dumb animals or props, objects to be moved about in service of the plot or the other actors. They’re sometimes instructed to do no more than hit their mark and “act cute”. Making silly faces and repeating inane catchphrases is encouraged. In these circumstances, not much is expected of them, and “not much” is exactly what you get. I think this contributes to the rampant lack of self-respect we see so often in ex-child stars and the resulting self-destructive behavior. If you’re never asked to meet a standard, never held accountable for anything, sure, nothing’s ever your fault, but then nothing’s ever to your credit, either. It’s pretty much like you were never even there. This was never the case for any child actor in Little House on the Prairie. Or as we like to say, “Cast of Little House: no arrests, no convictions.”

And I do believe we owe that to Michael."

Lest you think the entire book is yet another tired, depressing commentary on how brutal this industry is for someone so young, Arngrim peppers the tragedies in the book with laugh-out-loud stories and antidotes from the fanciful world of Hollywood circa 1973. In particular, her first encounter with Melissa Gilbert, then a nine-year-old little firecracker (who would later go on to act in dozens of projects and eventually be elected president of SAG), goes something like this:

Gilbert

"She [Melissa Gilbert] marched right in and introduced herself and began explaining things to us, all kinds of things: who was who, who did what, how everything worked. She was filling us in, in no uncertain terms, mind you, as to the way things were around here…

Then came her stern warning, delivered with the intensity of Edward G. Robinson, in the vocal range of Shirley Temple: “And whatever you do, you watch out for that Melissa Sue Anderson. She’s very dangerous. She’s evil, and I hate her.” Now, my aunt could not sit still for this. Melissa Sue Anderson? The girl cast to play Laura’s big sister, Mary? She was a little girl, for heaven’s sake!

My aunt chided, “Oh, honey, you don’t mean that! You don’t really hate her now, do you?” “Yes, I do!” Melissa squeaked. “I hate her, and she hates me. She tried to kill me, you know. And she’ll kill you, too, if she gets the chance!” And then she ran off.

It was as if we were suddenly in the middle of a really bad prison movie with an all-midget cast. We had just been told to “watch our backs” by someone who looked like a talking Holly Hobby doll."

Melissa and Alison became best friends and have remained so ever since.

A must-read, Arngrim's memoir is widely available on Amazon.com, including for Kindle, and even many local libraries.

One of America's first sets of famous multiples said no to freebies

No they did not do it, too: Reflecting back on their childhoods, Baltimore's famous Henn quads, born in 1947, say the family didn't want to forever live off the generosity of others.  Their dad "turned all that down, because we just want to be a normal family."

Yet another family in Kate's shoes is going on record saying they wanted something different for their multiples. (Other families have also shunned Kate's choices, including the Headricks.)

In 1947, three boys and one girl were born to a young World War II vet and his British wife who had recently made their home together in the United States. Hard to believe today, but the public was just as curious about the four babies as the much higher-order multiples that made news decades later. 

Publicity and freebies naturally followed, but Dad Charles only accepted a few select offerings and instead worked two jobs to support the family. He taught the children "if you want something, find a way to work and pay for it. That's the way we were brought up."

The Henn family in 2000.

As for the Gosselins, the quads say it's all about the money: "You know, I think they're after the money, versus we at the time didn't care about that. We just wanted to be normal."

The children went on to be just that, normal, well-adjusted adults with successful careers, including real estate, teaching, photography and serving in Vietnam. The only girl, Joan, even coached the University of Arkansas women's basketball and then helped special needs children until her death from cancer in 2000. 

Good job, Mr. and Mrs. Henn.

Jodie Foster: 'If I had to grow up in this media culture, I don’t think I could survive it emotionally'

Dang, even Jodie Foster is now describing child stardom as the 'cruelty of a life lived as a moving target' and says you have to 'submerge beneath the foul air and breathe through a straw.' Holy moly.

I don't care if I turned out just fine, you idiots, child stardom still SUCKS: Foster
says when she worked with Stewart on The Panic Room,  she tried to get
Stewart's mother to talk young Kristen out of acting.

Oh, snap. Turns out Jodie Foster thinks
 child stardom is just as horrendous as
we've always tried to tell you it is. 

The former child star, so-often cited by naive pro-child exploiters as a "success story" and proof child stardom is not that bad after all, is finally done with playing nice after another former child star, Kristen Stewart, has spent the past few weeks having an unfortunate misstep plastered all over the tabloids. Foster has pretty much avoided the typical pitfalls of former child stars. The drugs, the partying, the depression, the reckless behavior, the affairs .... well, there was that little presidential assassination attempt that was pretty much all about her, but otherwise, she came through her childhood fairly unscathed despite working since she was three years old and having no memory of ever not being famous. 

But, now Foster flat out says there is no way she would want to be a child star in today's culture. In fact, she would call for someone to help lead her out of it (Oh, you mean like Aunt Jodi tried to?): "I would only hope that someone who loved me, really loved me, would put their arm around me and lead me away to safety."

Foster has been rather polite and tight lipped about child stardom previously, however she recently described her mother, who managed her career, as a "mostly negative influence in my life."

An absolute must read: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/15/jodie-foster-blasts-kristen-stewart-robert-pattinson-break-up-spectacle.html

Ron Howard: Andy Griffith believed in 'respect'

Ron Howard, one of Hollywood's greatest child actor success stories, wrote a moving tribute to his co-star and T.V. dad Andy Griffith, who passed away today in North Carolina at age 86. Said Howard: "Respect. At every turn he demonstrated his honest respect for people and he never seemed to expect theirs in return, but wanted to earn it." 

Perhaps the respect Ron Howard felt on set, even at age seven, played a major role in Howard turning out so well. (Howard also credits good parenting: "I always felt loved. I never felt that my parents' love or affection depended in any way, shape, or form on how I was doing at the set.") Ron also was commited to giving his own child, Bryce, born in 1981, a normal childhood. Said Bryce of her growing up years: "I feel like I almost didn't grow up in the business, because my parents worked so hard at sheltering us from that. I was raised in Connecticut. And I honestly wasn't aware that my dad was a celebrity until I moved to Los Angeles a year ago."

You did right by the child on your set--rest in peace now, Andy. 

Former child star: 'It warps your ability to find a certain identity'

Nick Stahl, who has struggled with addiction for years, has been missing since May 9. What he had to say about child stardom when Brad Renfro died is haunting. 

Update: After 10 days of being MIA, Stahl texted his wife Friday night to say that he is okay and plans to go into rehab.

Stahl on the set with Mel Gibson in 1993

The gifted former child actor Stahl was just 13 years old when he turned in a extraordinary debute performance as Chuck, a boy who is desperate to get into boarding school and is tutored by a disfigured neighbor played by Mel Gibson. Stahl turned to drugs in his teen years and beyond, and recently lost custody of his young daughter. When fellow teen heart-throb Brad Renfro died of a heroin overdose in 2008, Stahl had this to say about child stardom: 

"It warps your ability to find a certain identity. You are in a strange limbo. You are working in an adult world but being very young, you are not a part of it. You can't be included in it really. Then you go home and because you're with your friends not all that often, you're not fully a part of that, either. There are certain superficial elements of the business. Kind of putting on a good face even though you might be in pain."

Here's praying and hoping Stahl shows up safe and sound soon. 

Child actor Mara Wilson: Film acting is 'not very fun', auditions were 'brutal and dehumanizing'

Wilson

She stole our hearts in Mrs. Doubtfire and Matilda, but the pint-sized, adorable little girl is all grown up now, and wants nothing to do with film anymore: 'Only about half of the people asking me, Are you still acting? seem to take what I want into consideration.'

Wilson and Robin Williams, 1993

Now that Mara Wilson, 25, is an adult and has a voice, she's started an interesting blog (launched in December). A recent post in which she describes how she feels about her career as a child actor is getting some attention. Mara is a graduate of NYU and a playwright.


Said Mara on celebrity: "The celebrity aspect is nothing short of ridiculous, and auditioning is brutal and dehumanizing. Every time I see a pretty young girl on the subway reading sides for an audition, my only thought is, 'Man, am I glad I’m not doing that anymore.' I never feel nostalgia, just relief."


On demanding, creepy fans who can be very selfish: "I didn’t write Matilda or direct the movie, I just played the part. Still, what I did was important to them. I can understand why they want me to continue acting. But interestingly enough, only about half of the people asking me “Are you still acting?” seem to take what I want into consideration." (Reminds us of Kate's fans, who demand to know when the next special will be made without any regard for how the children feel about filming again.)


In an interview with her college newspaper in 2009, Mara had this to say about an encounter with fans: "I came to NYU for academic purposes and it was strange to me when I lived in Weinstein and I would find people knocking on my door late at night, like Thursday night at 12 am. I would open the door in my pajamas and there’d be a crowd of freshman girls, saying ‘Are you Mara?’ ‘Uhhh, yeah’. And they’d say “Well, we just really wanted to meet you.” And then they’d look really disappointed, because they probably expected at least for me to be wearing more than my pajamas. I felt bad, like I was letting them down because I wasn’t being glamorous, because I wasn’t the exciting person they thought I would be. And then they would often ask me to party with them. And I never did, I mean, I am really not a partier, and second of all, would you party with people you didn’t know who showed up at your door late at night on a school night? Would they have done that? No. There were safety issues."

On tedious days on the set (Mara began acting at age five): "Here is something no real celebrity will ever tell you: film acting is not very fun. Doing the same thing over and over again until, in the director’s eyes, you “get it right,” does not allow for very much creative freedom. The best times I had on film sets were the times the director let me express myself,* but those were rare."

And though she has never spoken of it publicly, Mara's mother was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer during the middle of filming Matilda. Mara, who was just eight years old, had to go on with the job and finish. Her mother died shortly after.


On Dancing With the Stars: "And no, you will not ever see me on Dancing With The Stars. Sorry.

Here's wishing Mara lots of success in her career, and we extend our gratitude for her part in a modern classic: 

A Run-By Fruiting

Mrs. Doubtfire at MOVIECLIPS.com

Fred Savage has no regrets about child stardom: Love the work, not the fame

The Wonder Years boy wonder says that Little League churns out a lot more murderers than showbiz ever did, and that he would have no problem with his own kids becoming child actors


Fred Savage, now 35, a father of two boys and a successful director and producer (most recently, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphlia and Best Friends Forever) this week dismissed suggestions that child stardom leads to terrible things. But a look back at his childhood yields some obvious clues as to why little Kevin Arnold turned out so well--and why other child stars under different circumstances crumble. 

Dad kept his day job. Savage's family, originally from the Chicago area, kept a home there for years after all three of the Savage kids hit it big in Hollywood. Dad Lew kept working as a real estate agent. (We can't help but notice, parents keeping their day jobs seems to be one of the most common factors when it comes to child stars growing into successful adults. It's good to see Jon back at a day job. When will Kate go back?)


Even as a child, Savage seemed to feel a sense of relief no one was counting on him to support his family. Said Savage when he was just thirteen-years-old: "A job is what you do to make money to support yourself. But I'm not acting to support my family or myself.  I just do it for fun.  When it starts to become hard work and I'm not enjoying myself, then it's time to stop."

College bound. Savage put acting on hold to attend Stanford University. He graduated in 1999 with a degree in English. (Other successful child stars also went to college.)

'Fame shouldn't be an end result': Staying away from the celebrity lifestyle and doing it because you love the work, not the fame. Said Savage: "Fame was never a big part of my experience. I didn't hang out with celebrities or live a celebrity lifestyle. Fame can come and fame can go. When it was never a part of your life to begin with, you don't miss it. For me, it was always about the work ... I just liked being on set and working. Fame shouldn't be an end result. That's a dangerous game to play and never part of the equation for me and still isn't." During his childhood, the family made their home in the quiet, distinctly un-Hollywood neighborhood of Tarzana, near the Wonder Years set.

Just a normal kid. Savage had chores and made an allowance of nine dollars a week. He said his parents never pressured him to act: "They're both very generous, kind, loving people who are fair and very supportive. They never push me.  They say, 'You don't have to do anything you don't want to do.  We'll love you even if you don't do it.  If you want to stop, you can."

Family First. Said Savage's dad Lew, who took a flight to Los Angeles every weekend from Chicago, "If Fred worked in Timbuktu we'd be there. I'd probably come by elephant on weekends. A parent just does that by instinct for his kids. Things have changed for us, of course. But the family is the most important thing."

Good job, Mr. and Mrs. Savage.