In light of Amanda Bynes’s recent arrest, one former child star is speaking out about why child actors have a tendency to get into trouble later in life. You may remember Mara Wilson as the adorable 6-year-old who made your heart melt in “Mrs. Doubtfire.” But after starring in movies as a kid, she stepped out of the limelight to attend New York University, a choice she made because she “knew [she] didn’t want to be famous.”
Despite the history of former child stars having trouble transitioning into adulthood – as evidenced by Britney Spears’s public meltdown in 2008, Lindsay Lohan’s ongoing troubles, and, most recently, the upheavals taking place in the life of Amanda Bynes – former child star Mara Wilson said she “had a generally good experience” standing before the cameras in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Miracle on 34th Street (1994) and Matilda (1996).
She also clearly developed a pro’s perspective on what can happen as a child star matures – because she’s now shared her thoughts in a breezy yet thoughtful essay on the Cracked.com humor site, titled “7 Reasons Child Stars Go Crazy.”
In it, the 25-year-old gets a handle on why “not many child stars make it out of Hollywood alive or sane.” She also sheds light on why “at any given time there are at least three former ones having very public breakdowns.”
