Why are former child actresses in Hollywood on the warpath?

BarcelonaIn mid-August, the American entertainment world was stunned by the news of the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, who was only 36 years old. She was well known for the series Heroes and Nashville, but she had been working in film and television since she was 5 years old. She had grown up in front of viewers, like many other child actresses, some of whom have also met a grim fate. Besides Panettiere, in the last year three other former child actresses have died: Michelle Trachtenberg, aged 39; Sophie Nyweide, 24, and Daveigh Chase, 35. In all cases, the deaths occurred after years of struggling with addictions and various psychological problems. Another constant in most cases is difficult relationships with parents, especially when one of them is involved in their children's careers.

These deaths have raised alarms in Hollywood, especially among adult actresses who began their careers as children. Many are sharing messages through social media and also through the media that call into question the suitability of children working in the audiovisual world. Among other things, they are calling for more protective measures.

"It is not a coincidence"

One of the first to speak out after Panettiere's disappearance was Anna Paquin, who at 11 years old won the Oscar for best supporting actress for The Piano (1993). "It is not a coincidence that many child stars, especially girls sexualized prematurely, have deeply sad lives that end suddenly. We were not as protected as we are supposed to be by systems that on paper seem wonderful," said the Canadian actress. The star of True Blood said that she was offering to help any young actress who is in a situation of vulnerability or danger. "We are part of a small and strange club, but you deserve to have support regardless of how the industry makes you feel. Seriously, send me a direct message. I believe you and I will stand by you," she remarked.

A few days ago, a good friend of Paquin and also a former child actress, Alison Pill, seen in series like The Newsroom as an adult performer, published an opinion piece in the New York Times titled I Was a Child Actor.Nobody Deserves That Fate. In the text, she recalls how at 12 years old she worked twelve hours and that, sometimes, she had even gone to work sick. "The days that I felt so bad that I could barely stand on my own two feet, they would set up a folding bed off-camera where I could collapse between takes. Saying 'no' could lead to being labeled a difficult person and, possibly, not being hired again," she adds. Pill reflects on the impact that an anomalous childhood focused primarily on work and pleasing others can have on a child. "Usually, we have difficulties when we reach adulthood, with substance abuse, eating disorders, and mental illness; with broken homes, an underdeveloped identity, and various forms of self-harm. As adults, we often don't know how to drive or pay a bill, but we also can't bear the idea that our acting careers and our personal value might have peaked when we were preteens," she argues.

Beyond reflecting on her experience, Pill calls for concrete protective measures and states that she is against children being allowed to work as actors. She admits that now that she is an adult and has worked with children, she recommends that parents take them out of the industry and find them a good drama school if what they really want is to act. "I hope the children are okay. That a small appearance in a movie or on television is a simple anecdote they will tell their grandchildren someday or a rarity within a totally typical life. But, above all, I hope they make it to 30," concludes Pill.

After the news of Panettiere's death became known, actress Evan Rachel Wood, who has been working for years on raising awareness about violence against women, made a post on Instagram that read: "Don't send your children to Hollywood." For her part, Melissa Gilbert, who became famous as the girl from Little House on the Prairie in the seventies and was president of the actors' union, published a newsletter on Substack in which she reflected on the recent deaths and called for stronger regulation and higher protection of the privacy of young performers. "One of the most universal characteristics—and, at the same time, one of its main drawbacks—attributed to child actors is that they «deliver no matter what». They are described as «soldiers», «machines» or «professionals». They are discouraged from saying «no», for fear that they might seem problematic", she says. Gilbert recalls one of the most painful moments of her career as a child actress: "My father died when I was only 11 years old and, within a few months, I had already returned to work on Little House on the Prairie. And not a single adult on the set spoke to me about it or offered me their condolences. I later learned that the fear was that it would affect me so much that I wouldn't be able to work. I was 11 years old, my father had just died and I was devastated. Thank God, my character cried in every episode".

There are not few actresses who started working at an early age who have spoken about the toll that being a child star takes. One of the most poignant accounts is that of Jennette McCurdy, who began acting at six years old and became known for the teen series iCarly and Sam & Cat. Retired from the acting world, she wrote a memoir with the eloquent title I'm Glad My Mom Died (I'm glad my mom is dead) in which she recounts the complicated relationship with her controlling mother, who pushed her to dedicate herself to the world of acting. Quickly, McCurdy became the main source of income for the family.

Protection laws

In the United States, there is no federal law that regulates the work of child actors; instead, the matter depends on the legislation of each state. In the case of California and New York, two of the epicenters of the North American audiovisual industry, the number of hours a child can work will depend on their age. A child between 6 and 8 years old can be on the film set for 8 hours a day, but can only work four of those hours during the school year (the figure increases to six once the school year has ended). In California, the time a child actor spends in makeup, hair, and wardrobe is also counted as working hours.

Regarding education, both states have established that three hours must be set aside on the film set for studying or doing schoolwork. In California, minors under 16 can be on set without an adult to look after their safety and protection, but professionals who have to work with child actors are required to register and obtain a permit ensuring that there are no impediments to the employment relationship. Although it was established as a law in 2012, the actors' union acknowledges on its website that many industry professionals do not go through the registration process and, therefore, their backgrounds cannot be checked.

A very important factor in the work of child actors is the economic one, which can be a source of future conflicts between children and their parents. That is why in California and New York, and in three other states, the Coogan Law exists, in effect since 1939 following the case of child actor Jack Coogan, star of The Kid, by Charles Chaplin. At 21, he discovered that the money he had earned from his work had disappeared and he sued his mother and manager. In general, the law, which has undergone changes to address some of its legal loopholes, establishes that 15% of the salary received by the minor must be deposited into a fund to which the parents do not have access and which is managed by the state until the child reaches the age of majority. Even so, this rule is not always followed. Jennette McCurdy, for example, explained in an interview that she never received the money from this account because her parents did not go through the procedures to open the fund.