I've always sort of felt sorry for children like Connie Talbot (up and running Britain's Got Talent - takeoff of American Idol - star) and Dakota Fanning (I am Sam, War of the Worlds, Charlotte's Web).
Even though I'm in the Childhood and Social Institutions program at Kings, which talks quite a bit about "empowering" children, so to speak, I've always thought that children should keep some of their "innocence" (when they're not being little terrors). I mean, there are certain things children should experience, (IMO) and certain things they shouldn't. Is fame and fortune and working full time as an actor at the age of 5 one of them?
We have laws against child labour and regulations regarding child work, but for some reason, there don't seem to be many regulations re: children and movies. Hm... maybe that's because the producers can make money off them (another post, I'm sorry). I mean, Dakota Fanning has worked since she was 3, and has been conducting herself like an adult (not to mention taking adult roles in R rated movies) since she was like, 6. I'm not saying being mature and conducting yourself in a polite manner is a bad thing, but is it a good thing to lose some of the most foundational years of your life? Is there such a thing as growing up too fast?
Don't think I'm judging Dakota Fanning... (or should I say, Dakota's mother who would allow her daughter to star in rape scenes at the age of 10), I'm just more wondering about the wisdom in getting children into the celebrity business so early. I mean, you can see what happened to Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, ... the list is endless.
So my question is this: what do you think about child actors?
Also: Are child actors like Dakota Fanning allowed to watch the R rated movies they star in? Something to think about.
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My sister and I have had long debates on exactly this topic. My sister is friends with a lady that did the Hollywood Kid thing, so she has a lot of insider information.
My sister would never let her kids act for exactly the reasons that you outline. I think it's perfectly fine.
My best comparison was sticking your kids into sports or music lessons at an early age. Same thing, except the kid doesn't get paid for it. It takes just as much time - if not more - to do those activities. The lives of athletes in high school and college are just as prone to peril as actors.
And besides, I had a newspaper route of seven years, starting when I was around nine or ten years old. Parents encourage their kids to get jobs, so if the kids do a commercial shoot and the parents supervise, how bad is that? Better money, only requires a week or a month at a time, you allow the kid to express their artistic talents, etc.
I do think that it's dangerous territory for kid actors, sure. However, I think that danger is almost entirely reliant on how the parents act. If the parents are good and concerned and maturely involved, it will be great. If the parents are narcissistic, controlling or greedy, the kid will have problems. And that's the same regardless of whether a kid does home schooling, goes to public school or gets tutored on a movie set.
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