Jennette McCurdy, the former Hollywood child star who was glad her mother died, is back.

BarcelonaThe name Jennette McCurdy is completely unknown to most people today, but this now-retired actress was very famous in the early 2000s, when she was just eight years old. Twenty years after experiencing an acting success that everyone considered a dream come true, McCurdy completely changed society's image of that sweet girl and her family when she wrote the book I'm glad my mum died –published only in Spanish as I'm glad my mother is dead (Trends)–. In the play, she recounted the psychological, workplace, and sexual abuse she had suffered at the hands of her mother in the entertainment industry. These utterly cruel events occurred in the privacy of her home, a humble, Mormon household where the girl had become everyone's sole financial support, which didn't allow her to stop working despite the horror she was experiencing.

It is precisely the aforementioned book that brings this actress back to the forefront. She is now 33 years old and has completely retired from acting despite still being involved in the industry because she works in other roles. According to what she published this week Variety, American star Jennifer Aniston will star in the television adaptation of McCurdy's book. In the series, the actress FriendsIn addition to executive producing alongside the book's author, she will play Debra McCurdy, Jennette McCurdy's late mother. 2013, when she was 21 years old.

The series, a ten-episode comedy-drama set to air on AppleTV+, will follow the complicated relationship between a young children's series star and her mother, a narcissist who failed as an actress but was very proud to call herself "a celebrity mom." McCurdy will write, produce, and direct the series, which is expected to achieve the same success as the book, which was published in 2022 to enormous acclaim, having spent more than 80 weeks on the bestseller list of the year. New York Times.

An early but extensive resume

Although McCurdy rose to global fame with his role as Sam Puckett on the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly (2007), his career had begun much earlier, when he was 6 years old. In 2000 he made his television debut with an appearance on the comedy show MADtvIn the following years he continued to make small collaborations in such well-known television series as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Malcolm in the Middle, Will & Grace either Law & Order: SVU, among many others, and some film appearances alongside well-known actors such as Harrison Ford. While doing all kinds of advertising campaigns and recording two studio albums, McCurdy found the golden goose with iCarly, which ran from 2007 to 2012 and was one of the most successful children's series of that time. The popularity of the series was so great that it had a spin-off, Sam & Cat, starring McCurdy and Ariana Grande. It was during the filming of that series that her mother, who had been ill with cancer for some time, died. A few years later, in 2018, the television star disappeared from the scene completely.

What was hidden behind his 'success'

During those years of silence, she took the opportunity to write a book that recounted the harshness of her stolen childhood. She explained—and confirmed in later interviews—that her mother took complete control of her life from the age of six, when she began dragging her from casting to casting to find work in any kind of industry. To ensure her success and shine, especially at the castings, she says she even gave her energy drinks to boost her spirits. The girl was talented and regularly landed new roles that allowed her to continue providing income for the family. The problem arose when Jennette began to transition from girl to woman, and she herself—being so suggestible as she was—asked her mother what they could do to prevent her breasts from growing. Her mother put her on a highly restrictive diet that even caused some of her teeth to fall out and, on occasion, caused her to faint.

Aside from that, the child's mother also began showering with her, personally shaving her legs, performing breast exams, and routine genital checks. The mother claimed she was doing this for the child's own good but was later described by the victim as abuse. Unfortunately, this wasn't the only abuse she suffered, as her book also discusses the abuse she received from a man in the industry whom she doesn't name but refers to by the pseudonym The Creator. American media have identified the man as a senior Nickelodeon official.

'Guilty' of maternal cancer

Her mother, who attributed her cancer to the anger McCurdy inflicted on her when she disobeyed her, also deceived her throughout her life. Shortly after his death, the young woman discovered that the man who had raised her was not her biological father. However, she remained deeply dependent on her mother, and it wasn't until long after her death that she realized she had freed herself. "I truly felt like I had no identity without my mother. I didn't know who I was. I felt terrified, incompetent, and incapable. Over time, I realized that these feelings were the result of her conditioning. It was her voice, not mine, but it took me a long time to get to the point where I understood that I was happy," and she still declares it to me, and it still declares it to me. The Guardian.

The now writer told the same outlet that not even at the height of her career did she manage to make her mother happy, the woman for whom she had led a life she had detested since she was a child. A completely futile effort judging by her words after landing her most important role. "I thought that [the role in iCarly] would solve everything. I had gotten what she wanted for me, and not only did she seem unhappy, but she was suddenly jealous of me for having gotten it. I think my fame was the first thing that conveyed to my mother that she and I were different people. We were so integrated with each other that she came to see her identity in me," she argued. Today she says that she struggles with child roles in film and television: "I am absolutely convinced that there are many harsh realities to childhood and teenage fame." After her bitter experience and various struggles, she has also battled eating disorders.