#child stars

Being a child star may sound like a dream come true. But when Jackie Cooper became an adult, he quickly saw everything that he missed out on. “I don’t think our success as child actors is ever an advantage. It’s actually against us,” Cooper said in an interview. Starting out as an actor at age 7 in 1929, Jackie Cooper was a star by 1931 after the release of SKIPPY (’31). SKIPPY not only solidified Cooper as a star, but also proved he could tug at heartstrings when he turned on the tears. The role earned him an Oscar nomination and the distinction of being the youngest actor to do so until 1979.

 With blonde hair, chubby cheeks and a pout, Cooper was dubbed “America’s Boy.” And though his characters seemed like the all-American child of the 1930s, Cooper’s home life was anything but. When he was two years old, his father John Cooper went out for a pack of cigarettes and never returned home. His mother Mabel became the financial supporter, traveling as an entertainer, while Cooper’s grandmother, Nonnie, took care of him. Cooper was not fond of Nonnie, according to his autobiography, but she is the reason he began acting. Because they were poor and Mabel was the only source of income, Nonnie and Cooper would seek work as movie extras — receiving $2 and a boxed lunch per day.

 When Cooper became a successful child actor, money was no longer an issue at home. But he was under tremendous pressure. “The pressure to get the scene right, to learn the words, to act this way or that way, to smile or cry or look scared for the cameraman, to do a nice interview. The responsibility to work correctly for the director who tells you that if you don’t do a good job, he may get fired and he has three little babies at home who need to be fed,” Cooper wrote in his autobiography. He was often told to “be nice” and when Nonnie was on set, she held over him that his mother was ill. However, as a child, Cooper thought he was happy. It was as an adult that he described himself as a “child who grows up empty and doesn’t realize it until it’s too late.”

“Later people tried to rationalize to me that I had gained more than I had lost by being a child star … But no amount of rationalization, no excuses, can make up for what a kid loses — what I lost — when a normal childhood is abandoned for an early movie career,” Cooper wrote.

Cooper also didn’t have basic life skills, which he soon realized after Mabel died when he was 19. While he had money and career experience, he had no friends, didn’t receive an adequate education and had trouble reading as an adult because he wasn’t properly trained. But most of all, Cooper was given no advice on money or finances. “Child stars aren’t taught anything about money, and that is one of the unsung tragedies of the child star trade,” Cooper wrote in his autobiography. As a child, Cooper was given an allowance by his mother, and after Mabel died, Cooper’s uncle, director Norman Taurog, handled Cooper’s finances — even after he was married and while he fought in World War II. Cooper was given a checkbook and never knew the balance of his account.

Cooper said the war made him grow up, and he credited his last wife, Barbara, for giving him life experiences he never had before he met her. As an adult, Cooper continued to act and also direct. Because of his own experiences, Cooper didn’t like to work with children.  “They should be roughhousing,” he said. “They should not be made to drain themselves.”

What started off as a simple hunt to find a bit of fun, silly fluff on the telly turned into a big confusing tangle of thoughts.

Ran outta feel-good shows to watch, Burn Notice, Leverage, The Good Place & its ilk, were some of the recent feel good shows I really enjoyed. People were flawed n tried to fix their crap, n were more forgiving to others who screwed up as well.

Do like flicks with violence, not against them, but think the bar for what’s age-appropriate has slipped, n by quite a bit.

Or maybe it’s never been raised as high as it should be.

Tried watching shows appropriate for the age 14 group, cuz that’s gotta be nicer, right? Nope. Also, felt a bit like an old fart thinking things like “Dang, the mouth on that kid, Mm-mm, n Back in my day we’d have gotten The Spoon at the very least!”.

The worst was the realization of Oh man, I’m too old to be watching all these children constantly making out n not feel like a pervy granny.

Likely wouldn’t have thought too much about it, but an article popped up in the news feed that caused the distraction digging. Really despise laundry, n even now justifying my avoidance of chorin’ by pretending this nonsensical thought process matters enough to write down….

From one story to another, to reading about the supposed unwanted booby bounce from the actress in ‘Justice League’, to how 'Cuties’ made kids too sexy, n the like. For those dedicated procrastinators, you know how far down those rabbit holes one is willing to go to avoid the doing!

Thinking back to stories of actors kissing underaged humans, n the controversies, but it’s cool now, they fixed it now right? They just get kids to kiss kids so it’s less awkward.

Feel like I should mention me ADHD 'superpowers’, n the ability to make connections where no correlation had ever gone before! Mayhap even a wee bit of insanity, or more than a touch.

Presuming truth, n if not, other actors/esses have experienced the like at some point I’m sure, but if she such a hard time refusing the expectation that you have perform a sexual act as an adult, then how do child actors deal with it? Or are they all adult body doubles doing the groping?

Cuz, like, I’m sure it’s no pressure, none at all, they’ll just find someone else who will if you won’t.

Especially if the kid has parents who want a famous kid. Or the parents are just daffy, or inexperienced, or too afraid to say no themselves? How can that kid really make a good choice, with their real best interests at heart?

How many retakes before others start wondering if something is just not, quite, right? Does anyone speak up if they feel any concerns, or just remain silent?

With all the adults in the business speaking about their own abuses experienced, kinda sad the focus hasn’t been placed on ensuring the safety for the most vulnerable in Hollywood.

Alyssa MilanoandCorey Haim