Matilda star Mara Wilson says child actors always take lasting damage from Corrupt Hollywood
Many child actors have spoken to millions of moviegoers about the struggles of growing up matilda And Mrs Doubtfire star Mara Wilson has opened up about her struggle with being sexualized by the internet and how being a child star cast a long shadow over the years that followed. When speaking to The guardThe actress recalled how, as a young star who had just lost her mother to breast cancer, she found herself in places where things weren’t always right and always made a mark, even if she never felt “unsafe.” She said:
“I don’t think you can be a child star without causing permanent damage. People assume that Hollywood is inherently corrupt and that there’s something about sets that destroys you. For me, that wasn’t necessarily true. I’ve always felt safe on film sets. There were definitely some questionable things that happened every now and then – adults telling dirty jokes or people being molested in front of me. For example, people doing things would ask me if it was okay if I worked overtime instead of asking my parents, but I never felt unsafe. I think that’s because I’ve worked with a lot of really wonderful directors who were used to working with kids.”
Mara Wilson saw the darker side of fame at the age of 12.
While she may have felt safe on film sets, Mara Wilson found out at a young age that there was a root problem in Hollywood that she would rather not have faced. Between the fact that her face superimposed the bodies of adult movie stars and the awkward questions from journalists, she explained that it was something she had a hard time coming to terms with.
“If [my mother] I didn’t like the way things were going, she didn’t hesitate to voice her concerns, but I was still sexualized. There were people who sent me inappropriate letters and posted things about me on the internet. I made the mistake of googling myself when I was 12 and saw things I couldn’t miss.”
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Wilson thought so too when she walked away from “the cute girl.” matildaAs she turned into a young teenager, Hollywood quickly turned its back on her, which was hard to take. She continued:
“It touched me for a long time because I had the Hollywood idea that if you’re not cute, if you’re not beautiful, you’re worthless. Because I directly linked that to the end of my career. Even though I kind of burned out, and Hollywood burned out on me, it still doesn’t feel good to be rejected. For a long time I had a kind of dysmorphia about my looks and became too obsessed with it. You think, “I’m ugly, I’m fat” – and there actually were websites, newspapers and film critics who said that about me. It got to the point where I became a lot more withdrawn, anxious, depressed and cynical and when you’re like that it’s very hard to get a role because when you’re auditioning you have to be open and honest. It put a lot of strain on me.”
Wilson has primarily turned to voice work for audiobooks and podcasts, as well as writing. She doesn’t plan to return to being a film actress any time soon, as she just wants to be herself and doesn’t have to adapt to the demands of Hollywood. When she ended:
“I’ve defined myself in terms of the media and Hollywood for so long instead of defining myself by my own goals, my own relationships, my own life.”
