The Secret Of Child "Actors"
Jul. 29th, 2007 03:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penpusherThis thinkpost was partially inspired by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
shrijani who pointed at an article written by some celeb sycophant blogger type, promoting the fact that Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and their ilk are simply having their fun and don't deserve the humiliation and attention for those actions that they are receiving.
I mean, there is a common argument that people in the public eye are different from the rest of the general population. The things they do are seen. The things they say are heard. We do have a separate standard that we hold these public figures to that is different from your local grocer, letter carrier or DJ.
We lift these people up to very high levels. They earn large sums of money and own property in the finest parts of the best cities on earth. They vacation in even nicer places and tend to party, even when they're on the job. Heh. Nice work if you can get it!
The point is, there is a responsibility with being in the public eye. Some people understand this, while others do not. And that brings me to the issue of child actors.
Both Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan were child stars in the 1990s; Britney got her big break on MMC, the third incarnation of "The Mickey Mouse Club." Lindsay also got her start at Disney, with the remake of the Hayley Mills comedy "The Parent Trap."
Really, I could be talking about any child actor, from Gary Coleman to Macaulay Culkin. The facts are basically the same.
1. Child gets "idea" to become an "actor."
This can happen in several ways. Frequently, the parents get the idea to have the kid audition for roles, participate in beauty pageants, the usual rundown of kid opportunities to show off.
2. Child does well.
The kid lands an audition. Wins the competition. Has some success and starts working.
3. Encouragement.
Everyone tells the kid how great they are, people start to recognize her or him in public, and the PR blitz begins. Off to Hollywood or New York for the Up Fronts, onto the talk show circuit for exposure. Autograph hounds start to appear, paparazzi await the red carpet arrivals.
4. Full Blown Fame.
Becoming a household name is a huge thing. Being a part of a project that people know and love is a high point. And then being nominated for awards? That's when it really gets sick. Now, people are writing scripts with you in mind. Actors and directors clamor to find out your schedule so they can work with you. You're starting to develop a "career" and maybe you're getting a love life too, all right out in full view of EW and "ET."
5. The Fork and/or The Transition.
At some point, a child actor hits a difficult time. There are various reasons why they do, and a laundry list of results that can happen when they do. What basically happens is the work slows down, or stops.
And this is why "Child Actors" are not the same as "Actors." This is the crucial point:
Child actors are hired for being themselves.
Basically, every child actor is just doing a variation of who they actually are. Alison Arngrim aside, the kids who appear on teevee shows and in films aren't doing a whole lot of "acting."
So, the problem happens when everyone rushes in to praise them and reward them for basically being themselves all this while, and then suddenly, when it's over, and they aren't getting jobs, and the big support machine evaporates into the heat of a Hollywood night, there's a disconnect. What happened? All I did was grow up!
Now, some of these kids get what's going on and make some choices. Quinn Cummings was extremely precocious and talented and actually earned an Oscar nomination for her work in Neil Simon's "The Goodbye Girl." But at some point she stopped getting roles she liked and she ditched the show biz scene entirely, for a happy life as a mom, only to return in a non-acting role, as a casting director and agent... and now is, of all things, a blogger! This is just one example from this series of people that include Jean Sagal and her twin sister Liz Sagal, Fred Savage, and many more.
Another option is to expand the mind. And, no, I'm not talking about LSD, Winona! I mean attend college. A lot of kid actors take a break from the surreal life of a show biz childhood to learn something new. And many of those graduates go on to some pretty great things! Jodie Foster, Brooke Shields, Natalie Portman and Claire Danes are just four kid star graduates of Ivy League universities who have all done very well for themselves after their formative years.
And really, it's in the learning that it all comes together. Stepping outside of yourself to see something bigger is a crucial and eye-opening experience. Getting a bigger world view and discovering that the world doesn't revolve around you, and that Los Angeles isn't the center of the universe is information that is valuable.
Then, there are the others. I've twice commented on the Olsen Twins aka Mary-Kate and Ashley, aka MK&A... First piece - January 12, 2002 and Sequel - May 6, 2004. I have to admit, looking back on those commentaries, even I'm stunned by how accurate my prophecies became.
They were headed to college and spent a semester at NYU, so they started on the track of Jodie, Brooke, Natalie and Claire. But what happens when you have a bankroll of millions of dollars, everything in life is handed to you and THEN, you attend a school where you're not treated as "special" any more? Wouldn't you just drop out and spend your time jetting around the world, having coffee in Paris and shopping in Milan? I think that question has been answered.
This brings up another point about the quality of a child star's education. Really, the work always comes first. Learning is done when and where it can be, in a trailer on a movie set, at a special school two out of every four weeks, six months out of the year. And if these kids aren't getting that grounding when it matters, can they pick it up later?
And that finally gets us back to where we started, with Brit and Linz.
There are superficial similarities between all of these current Hollywood "Bad Girls." But I believe that beneath that first glance look you get from the pages of People magazine, there are some vast differences among that crowd.
Lindsay is, in fact a very talented actor. There are some that just have the ability and she is one of those. Her singing is forgettable. However, it's in her singing that we can see a clue to who she is and what she's about. Her song, Confessions of a Broken Heart is a difficult tale of a daughter trying to connect with her father. (Note: I actively chose not to connect to a sound file of the song.)
Britney didn't have nearly as many issues with her parents as Linz did. Brit's problems are rooted in one thing, a horrible secret that she has come to not only know, but fully understand: she has no talent, whatsoever. Britney was a cute kid, jumping around on Disney Channel when that was a premium service. Then Max Martin came along and produced her first album, and that provocative video, "...Baby One More Time." And the timing was perfect.
America wanted some wholesome skank to sachet down the hallways of every High School, and Brit was it. Then, the wave of blond pop tarts came: Brit's MMC co-star, Christina Aguilera turned up. Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore rounded out the collection.
In a way, having 4 similar singers was a relief for Brit, because the focus wasn't all on her. That way, people wouldn't notice how untalented she actually is, or that the image of what she was portraying had nothing to do with who she actually was.
Eventually, though, the spotlight came back to her, as her relationship with her childhood idol, Madonna, began to make headlines. The Kiss at the MTV awards even upstaged Aguilera, who was also on stage and also kissed Madonna!
As the four singers went their separate ways: Jessica to her reality series and later to divorce and more acting, Mandy all but abandoning music, and Christina who has her own issues, but seems to have worked many of them out, Brit still needed someone to deflect attention.
Enter Lindsay, who was ideal. She was no vocal threat and she seemed sorta wacky. Linz made for a good diversion for Britney, who was starting to flop with every new album she released, every reality series she tried and was becoming a constant joke in the Late Night monologues with her marriage to Kevin Federline.
The babies, and the lack of experience. Here is a child attempting to be a parent. Of course she doesn't know how. And apparently, she has no clue about asking for help. She's just going along, doing things as if she's the first person to raise kids all on her own, and has never done it before!
Note, I'm not even discussing Paris Hilton here. It's just not worth it.
The bottom line is that when you get the world at a young age, it messes your mind up. When you don't have parents, it screws with your sensibilities. When you have opportunities to party in the world of stars, you take them. And when there are drinks and drugs to be had, you'll try, if everyone is supporting that kind of stuff and that's where you've been living all that while.
Is there any hope for these child actors, grown up? Really, it's all up to them.
shrijani who pointed at an article written by some celeb sycophant blogger type, promoting the fact that Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and their ilk are simply having their fun and don't deserve the humiliation and attention for those actions that they are receiving.I mean, there is a common argument that people in the public eye are different from the rest of the general population. The things they do are seen. The things they say are heard. We do have a separate standard that we hold these public figures to that is different from your local grocer, letter carrier or DJ.
We lift these people up to very high levels. They earn large sums of money and own property in the finest parts of the best cities on earth. They vacation in even nicer places and tend to party, even when they're on the job. Heh. Nice work if you can get it!
The point is, there is a responsibility with being in the public eye. Some people understand this, while others do not. And that brings me to the issue of child actors.
Both Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan were child stars in the 1990s; Britney got her big break on MMC, the third incarnation of "The Mickey Mouse Club." Lindsay also got her start at Disney, with the remake of the Hayley Mills comedy "The Parent Trap."
Really, I could be talking about any child actor, from Gary Coleman to Macaulay Culkin. The facts are basically the same.
1. Child gets "idea" to become an "actor."
This can happen in several ways. Frequently, the parents get the idea to have the kid audition for roles, participate in beauty pageants, the usual rundown of kid opportunities to show off.
2. Child does well.
The kid lands an audition. Wins the competition. Has some success and starts working.
3. Encouragement.
Everyone tells the kid how great they are, people start to recognize her or him in public, and the PR blitz begins. Off to Hollywood or New York for the Up Fronts, onto the talk show circuit for exposure. Autograph hounds start to appear, paparazzi await the red carpet arrivals.
4. Full Blown Fame.
Becoming a household name is a huge thing. Being a part of a project that people know and love is a high point. And then being nominated for awards? That's when it really gets sick. Now, people are writing scripts with you in mind. Actors and directors clamor to find out your schedule so they can work with you. You're starting to develop a "career" and maybe you're getting a love life too, all right out in full view of EW and "ET."
5. The Fork and/or The Transition.
At some point, a child actor hits a difficult time. There are various reasons why they do, and a laundry list of results that can happen when they do. What basically happens is the work slows down, or stops.
And this is why "Child Actors" are not the same as "Actors." This is the crucial point:
Child actors are hired for being themselves.
Basically, every child actor is just doing a variation of who they actually are. Alison Arngrim aside, the kids who appear on teevee shows and in films aren't doing a whole lot of "acting."
So, the problem happens when everyone rushes in to praise them and reward them for basically being themselves all this while, and then suddenly, when it's over, and they aren't getting jobs, and the big support machine evaporates into the heat of a Hollywood night, there's a disconnect. What happened? All I did was grow up!
Now, some of these kids get what's going on and make some choices. Quinn Cummings was extremely precocious and talented and actually earned an Oscar nomination for her work in Neil Simon's "The Goodbye Girl." But at some point she stopped getting roles she liked and she ditched the show biz scene entirely, for a happy life as a mom, only to return in a non-acting role, as a casting director and agent... and now is, of all things, a blogger! This is just one example from this series of people that include Jean Sagal and her twin sister Liz Sagal, Fred Savage, and many more.
Another option is to expand the mind. And, no, I'm not talking about LSD, Winona! I mean attend college. A lot of kid actors take a break from the surreal life of a show biz childhood to learn something new. And many of those graduates go on to some pretty great things! Jodie Foster, Brooke Shields, Natalie Portman and Claire Danes are just four kid star graduates of Ivy League universities who have all done very well for themselves after their formative years.
And really, it's in the learning that it all comes together. Stepping outside of yourself to see something bigger is a crucial and eye-opening experience. Getting a bigger world view and discovering that the world doesn't revolve around you, and that Los Angeles isn't the center of the universe is information that is valuable.
Then, there are the others. I've twice commented on the Olsen Twins aka Mary-Kate and Ashley, aka MK&A... First piece - January 12, 2002 and Sequel - May 6, 2004. I have to admit, looking back on those commentaries, even I'm stunned by how accurate my prophecies became.
They were headed to college and spent a semester at NYU, so they started on the track of Jodie, Brooke, Natalie and Claire. But what happens when you have a bankroll of millions of dollars, everything in life is handed to you and THEN, you attend a school where you're not treated as "special" any more? Wouldn't you just drop out and spend your time jetting around the world, having coffee in Paris and shopping in Milan? I think that question has been answered.
This brings up another point about the quality of a child star's education. Really, the work always comes first. Learning is done when and where it can be, in a trailer on a movie set, at a special school two out of every four weeks, six months out of the year. And if these kids aren't getting that grounding when it matters, can they pick it up later?
And that finally gets us back to where we started, with Brit and Linz.
There are superficial similarities between all of these current Hollywood "Bad Girls." But I believe that beneath that first glance look you get from the pages of People magazine, there are some vast differences among that crowd.
Lindsay is, in fact a very talented actor. There are some that just have the ability and she is one of those. Her singing is forgettable. However, it's in her singing that we can see a clue to who she is and what she's about. Her song, Confessions of a Broken Heart is a difficult tale of a daughter trying to connect with her father. (Note: I actively chose not to connect to a sound file of the song.)
Britney didn't have nearly as many issues with her parents as Linz did. Brit's problems are rooted in one thing, a horrible secret that she has come to not only know, but fully understand: she has no talent, whatsoever. Britney was a cute kid, jumping around on Disney Channel when that was a premium service. Then Max Martin came along and produced her first album, and that provocative video, "...Baby One More Time." And the timing was perfect.
America wanted some wholesome skank to sachet down the hallways of every High School, and Brit was it. Then, the wave of blond pop tarts came: Brit's MMC co-star, Christina Aguilera turned up. Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore rounded out the collection.
In a way, having 4 similar singers was a relief for Brit, because the focus wasn't all on her. That way, people wouldn't notice how untalented she actually is, or that the image of what she was portraying had nothing to do with who she actually was.
Eventually, though, the spotlight came back to her, as her relationship with her childhood idol, Madonna, began to make headlines. The Kiss at the MTV awards even upstaged Aguilera, who was also on stage and also kissed Madonna!
As the four singers went their separate ways: Jessica to her reality series and later to divorce and more acting, Mandy all but abandoning music, and Christina who has her own issues, but seems to have worked many of them out, Brit still needed someone to deflect attention.
Enter Lindsay, who was ideal. She was no vocal threat and she seemed sorta wacky. Linz made for a good diversion for Britney, who was starting to flop with every new album she released, every reality series she tried and was becoming a constant joke in the Late Night monologues with her marriage to Kevin Federline.
The babies, and the lack of experience. Here is a child attempting to be a parent. Of course she doesn't know how. And apparently, she has no clue about asking for help. She's just going along, doing things as if she's the first person to raise kids all on her own, and has never done it before!
Note, I'm not even discussing Paris Hilton here. It's just not worth it.
The bottom line is that when you get the world at a young age, it messes your mind up. When you don't have parents, it screws with your sensibilities. When you have opportunities to party in the world of stars, you take them. And when there are drinks and drugs to be had, you'll try, if everyone is supporting that kind of stuff and that's where you've been living all that while.
Is there any hope for these child actors, grown up? Really, it's all up to them.