The Dark Side of Acting

What do Macaulay Culkin, the Olsen Twins and Lindsay Lohan have in common? They were the most recognizable child stars of the 90's, each tackling instant stardom, invasive paparazzi and a childhood unlike any other.

Drugs, over-sexualisation, stress: is Hollywood really a good place for children? “Every year, over 20,000 child actors audition for roles in Hollywood. 95% of them don't book a single job,” says HBO, however the lucky 5% face far worse feats. In the zenith age of technology, the shortcomings of Hollywood are now brought to light with a simple click of a button. Take Lindsay Lohan, for example, the pressures of Hollywood led to her becoming an addict, in rehab and living on probation. If social media wasn’t prevalent, it is likely we wouldn't have even known. It is sad to say that she is not an anomaly in the pattern of child stars' careers , because many turn out this way or even worse. Ironically, a big factor in this trend is the lack of attention child actors receive after they leave the limelight, they spend their entire lives basking in notoriety but once they lose attention their egos really take it in. This often leads to them spiralling out of control trying but failing to redeem the childhood that was robbed from them.

Child actors are so common that sometimes you forget how strange it is that these children are working in adult workplaces. They often spend long hours working with adults - on sets and in rehearsal. If this were any other context the masses would scream child labour. Along with these grown workplaces, these children aren’t even allowed to be children: they can’t afford to make mistakes. The paparazzi also just seem to be there to capture their every stumble. The pressure to be perfect forces kids to mature before they are ready. Sometimes it isn’t even their own choice. For example, a 13-year-old Chloe Grace Moretz was asked to wear ‘bra pads’ by the production executives to give the impression that she was older than she actually was. It is no wonder that a large majority of child actors end up in rehab trying to heal their intense psychological distress.

Are Adults Safe?

While the stinging sharp claws of Hollywood easily hook into the young and naïvely innocent, even grown adults aren’t immune to vulnerability in this industry. Danger prowls behind each big screen, burrows into movie sets and thrives in production offices. With it, an extensive string of hypocrisy and abuse flows throughout Hollywood - sewn especially tightly around the case of Harvey Weintsein.

Constantly described as sleazy and brutish, his unacceptable behaviours were common knowledge in Hollywood circles years before his atrocious crimes became public. Once rightful outrage ensued, the willing suppression of previous knowledge of Weinstein’s actions by big names seeking to pursue their careers was apparent. The Weinstein Company had collaborated with film connoisseurs like Quentin Tarantino and notable screenwriters/actors like Ben Affleck, who later professed profound disgust at their collaborations. Though aware of Weinstein’s bullying trend, wrestling a media mogul who had produced 145 feature films - many drastically influencing pop culture- may not be a painless feat for someone on his payroll. Knowingly or not, their careers skyrocketed serving a man who suffocated and abused women. Romanticizing the golden fame associated with acting is easy, yet for Rose McGowan and Annabella Sciorra, their profession was associated with unimaginable horror. The dark network of select powerful men calling the shots, and abusing their power is a tale as old as time.

Female actors are also often undervalued, due to a force omnipotent in almost every industry. Misogyny. In the era of powerful MeToo Movements and profound advances for women’s rights, the most talented female actors still get paid only 38% of their male counterparts. Filmmaking is also rendered difficult as women account for only 23% of production teams in top grossing films. And aside from the daily strife faced by women in every patriarchal society, acting harbours a dangerous underbelly for everyone. From years of waiting in audition rooms for meaningless callbacks while mounting crippling debt, to method actors driving themselves to the brink of insanity, acting may not be the coveted career it seems.

Behind the glimmering lights of Hollywood acclaim, breathtaking cinematography and spellbinding performances, Hollywood has recognized decades of crimes and abuses - the picture perfect director’s cut is rarely the real story.

By Manaal Khan 11B and Ella Erhunmwunsee 12B