Child performers have a rough way to go. Although I yearned to be professional as a child, knowing what I know now, my parents had the right idea. I've known a lot of people who were in the business as kids, and 95% of them are off-balance. They were expected to act like little adults at age 10. They go through terrible esteem issues when they grow up and don't work as much. I had one friend who was always told she was talented enough to be a prima ballerina when she was a child at the NYCB school. However, when she hit puberty the boobs came, the body changed -- and she was booted out on her pointe shoes. Her mother even RESENTED her for growing up, and made no bones about it. Truly sick.
Another friend was a cute kid -- absolutely cherubic -- that did a lot of commercials -- and while he was doing those commercials, would also be abused by some of the sick adults he worked with. He ended up being a call boy, and is now dead.
I know you can't blame all the adult woes of former child performers on the business, but we all have to agree that it's not exactly the most stable way to grow up.
Updated On: 11/25/03 at 10:51 AM