Celebrity
16 Child Stars Who Didn’t Get Messed Up By Hollywood
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Disney Channel
Hollywood can take a toll on even the most level-headed, grounded adult. Suddenly, a person who many considered to be sensible with a straight moral compass can be flying off the rails. We guess that's what fame, money, and people saying "yes" all the time can do. So, imagine what happens when child stars start making it big in Tinseltown. Sadly, some of the impressionable young things don't stand much of a chance.
We all know the stories of child actors and actresses who gained massive success at a young age. Then they later lost it, along with reps, to bad decisions. In the stories, there are lots of complicated things involved including children, the law, addiction, and more. And it's why people often talk of a child actor curse. But, there are people who don't fall into the category. There are inspirational celebrities who became A-list stars and racked up awards and managed to mature into functioning adults without too much controversy. In some cases, the celebs remained in showbiz. Take a look at 16 child stars who turned out fine.
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Joseph Gordon-Levitt
NBC
That's right, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a child star. Think back a few decades to when he was on 3rd Rock From The Sun. The actor was just a young little thing with an adorable long head of hair and an occasional quirky hat. Prior to that, he was working as an actor professionally since the age of four with some commercial work. At six years old, he appeared in a few made-for-television movies. The credits kept on racking up, but he never made headlines for anything too controversial. If there were reports about him, it was about him branching out into producing, directing, and singing. He's now a married man with two kids and still in the biz.
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Natalie Portman
Gaumont
Natalie Portman is one of the most respected leading ladies. It is her work that speaks for itself rather than any shenanigans. She has spoken out about how social media and constant paparazzi stalking would make growing up in Hollywood difficult now, but we're pretty sure she'd be fine. After all, she was before. She moved to the United States from Jerusalem at the age of three and she was auditioning for Off-Broadway shows and modeling contracts within a few years. At 12, she made her movie debut in Léon: The Professional — or The Professional as it was simply known here. Her career blew up from there. She spent her teenage years balancing a major role in the rebooted Star Wars franchise with continuing her studies.
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Emma Watson
Warner Bros.
Imagine going from being a pretty typical kid to being one of the stars of the epic Harry Potter franchise. It's something that us normals cannot really comprehend. Most of the young stars from the series grew up without crashing and burning. Emma Watson is a shining example of someone who kept a level head. She made it through eight of the films and her teenage years without becoming a negative headline target. She proved she was a proper role model for her desire to continue her education and for her charitable work. Our love for Emma has continued to grow with age.
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Neil Patrick Harris
ABC
Neil Patrick Harris is an example of one of the child stars who didn't just survive Hollywood — he thrived. We understand if you don't really think of him as a child actor. You likely link him to his role on How I Met Your Mother, but he was working as a tween in the late 1980s across film and television. One year after his first TV credit, he got the lead role as the title character on Doogie Howser, M.D. His part as Barney Stinson could be the most controversial thing about him given the character's womanizer reputation. In his real life, NPH has proven himself to be a grounded, fun-loving guy with a passion for magic, two adorable kids, and a loving husband.
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Ron Howard
CBS
Ron Howard just might be the ultimate example of a person who found fame very early in life, but it didn't turn him into an egomaniac or a train wreck. He appears to be a nice, devoted family man who isn't jaded by Hollywood. You might associate him more with being a filmmaker, but he's an actor, too. His breakout part was that of Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. Ron was cast in the part when he was just six years old. Then he spent his teenage years playing Richie Cunningham on Happy Days. And he didn't end up in the headlines for rebellious actions. Ron also proves Hollywood marriages do last. He has been married to wife Cheryl Alley since 1975.
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Kiernan Shipka
AMC
We've just talked about a guy who has proven over decades that Hollywood doesn't always ruin a person. Now, let's talk about someone a lot younger. Kiernan Shipka made her acting debut on television at the age of five months. Yes, five months. She was just a newborn when she appeared on E.R. She continued with acting and modeling work before she was cast as Sally Draper on Mad Men in 2007 at eight years old. Some people might have worried that the content of the show along with the usual downsides of fame would have put the actress in danger of the "young star curse." But, we needn't have been worried. Kiernan has proven that she takes after her role models Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn by maintaining a pretty sterling reputation. Now, she is starring as Sabrina Spellman on the Netflix hit the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
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Claire Danes
ABC
Claire Danes is #goals for actresses old and young — and for actors, too. She actually got her start in showbiz as a dancer before moving into acting as a young kid. Her first big job wasn't My So-Called Life, but different parts at the age of 13 including a Dudley Moore pilot and a guest-starring spot on Law & Order. (Look up the "Skin Deep" episode of season three.) Roles across television, film, and theater piled up without much controversy. She even did a "regular" person thing by continuing her post-secondary education. She went to study psychology at Yale, but left after two years for acting. The actress has previously said she has been in therapy since the age of six and revealed it's a "useful tool." Perhaps that could be part of her success in not letting Hollywood swallow her up?
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Melissa Joan Hart
Nickelodeon
If you think that every child star crashes and burns, look to Melissa Joan Hart to dispel the notion. She shows that doesn't always happen. She worked in commercials since the age of four. She had small television roles and was even an understudy for the 1989 version of The Crucible on Broadway starring Martin Sheen. In 1991, the actress scored the lead role on Clarissa Explains It All at the age of 15. That led to Sabrina the Teenage Witch and a stint at New York University. The most *controversial* thing from this period might have been when she appeared on Maxim, but that was small potatoes compared with other things. Today, Melissa is still acting and has an adorable family.
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Zendaya
Disney Channel
We know that Zendaya is still a young starlet. But, she's legally an adult and she can legally drink. And she survived the difficult teenage years in Hollywood so she makes it onto the list. "Survive" isn't even a fitting word. We should really say "thrived" because as a young woman, Zendaya proved to be a proper role model. The talented performer has become known for speaking out about important causes to her and she's mega talented. Girl has had success across singing, dancing, acting, and fashion. Zendaya got her start as a model in 2009 with various campaigns as well as dance work. At 13, she secured the part of Rocky Blue on Disney's successful Shake It Up!. Instead of the extravagant celebrity birthdays we all know, she has commemorated a few milestones by supporting charities.
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Jodie Foster
Columbia Pictures
Jodie Foster has demonstrated that you can start out as a child actress and it's still possible to seamlessly transition into adult roles... if you have the talent and focus. She was the definition of a child prodigy in that she was modeling and acting before she even hit double digits. The actress worked in advertising from the age of three. Jodie had small reoccurring roles before she made her feature film debut in Disney's Napoleon and Samantha at 10. Superstardom came at 12 when she starred in Martin Scorcese's Taxi Driver. There was some controversy with the role. She had to have her older sister stand in for sexually suggestive parts and a child psychologist was present on set, but the adult content didn't send her down a dark path. In fact, it proved what a mature person she was. Jodie made the switch into adult roles and even attended Yale. She has remained in the business for decades and has managed to keep her private life out of the headlines.
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Justin Timberlake
Disney Channel
Let's give Justin Timberlake a pat on the back for surviving child fame as a member of The All-New Mickey Mouse Club and for being in one of the most successful boy bands of the late 1990s and early 2000s and not crashing and burning. At 11, he was singing and dancing with Disney and a few years later NSYNC was formed. Then there was his transition to solo artist and actor. Being able to find success in all avenues is impressive enough, but the fact he didn't end up as a sad tale in the tabloids shows even more success. Yeah, there was the infamous incident at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, but time/public consensus has shown Justin's part was accidental in the wardrobe malfunction and he was back at the Super Bowl to perform in 2018.
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Ryan Gosling
Disney Channel
Who could forget The Gos, aka Ryan Gosling, as one of the great child stars who turned out ay-okay? Like with Justin Timberlake, the Blue Valentine actor got his start early on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club. At 12, he was given a two-year contract to be a mouseketeer. When the show was canceled, he returned to Canada and spent his teenage years starring in spooky shows like Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps. At 19, he was recognized for making the switch to "serious" acting in films with indie movie credits. Then came The Notebook in 2004. The only things that got tongue wagging were his relationship with Murder by Numbers co-star Sandra Bullock, then his relationship with Rachel McAdams.
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Hilary Duff
Disney Channel
Hilary Duff was often deemed one of the "good girls" when Disney actors her age were making headlines for the wrong reasons back in the late 2000s and early 2010s. (We won't name names. You know who we're referring to.) It's a reputation the singer-actress has maintained throughout her decades in showbiz. She had some minor roles before Lizzie McGuire made her a star at the age of 14. (Casper, anyone?) As she grew up and progressed into solo music, she did go through the teething stages that most former Disney stars do. Yeah, she did the Maxim cover and eyebrows were raised when it was rumored she was dating 25-year-old Good Charlotte member Joel Madden when she was 16. How those points didn't really taint her reputation then or now shows there weren't any other major skeletons in her closet.
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Mila Kunis
FOX
Mila Kunis's story is an interesting one. She moved from Soviet Ukraine to the United States with her family at the age of seven. Acting started as an after-school activity then next thing you knew she had an agent. She did commercials and small roles before she landed the big part of Jackie Burkhart on the television series That '70s Show when she 14. All of the cast was meant to be 18 and she kind of fibbed about when she would legally be an adult to snag the role. The naughty move didn't give her a bad rep. She proved she could act across comedy and drama and movies and televisions. When she did appear in the media, it was often on "hottest celebrities" lists. She kept her long-term relationship with Macaulay Culkin private. And she has kept her marriage to former co-star Ashton Kutcher on the DL, too.
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Dakota Fanning
Bedford Falls Productions
Childhood stars of today should look to Dakota Fanning as a model to follow on how to survive Hollywood. The actress began her professional career at the age of five with a commercial followed by a part in E.R. At the age of seven, she had her breakout movie performance in I Am Sam. By her next birthday she made history as the youngest SAG Award nominee in history for the role. And the accolades go on. Despite racking up countless movie credits before she was legally old enough to drive, Dakota remained level-headed. There hasn't really been any controversy associated with her. She even managed to attend high school and was on the cheerleading squad. On top of that, she studied women's studies at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University while balancing her acting career.
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Elle Fanning
Revolution Studios
If we featured Dakota Fanning, we need to feature Elle Fanning. She is one of the child stars who turned out fine despite getting started in showbiz at a very young age. In fact, Elle actually got her start playing younger versions of her big sister. She had her name in lights before her third birthday thanks to parts in I Am Sam and Taken. What's impressive is that she has grown up in Hollywood without suffering any awkward phases or going through a teenage rebellious streak. She also managed to establish herself as an actress in her own right.
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