Undoubtedly, children - especially if these kids are very talented, look absolutely amazing on screen, and it is almost impossible to outplay them. Again, remember Home Alone - Joe Pesci, no matter how hard he tried, couldn’t really outshine Macaulay Culkin. And this, mind you, was in his prime year - a couple of months later, Joe received his Oscar for Goodfellas.
The only problem is that childhood tends to end quickly - and the demands on adult actors are completely different. And they can't handle it with spontaneity, charm, and a smile anymore...
You have to study and work - damn hard - even if the actor was initially incredibly talented. Not everyone succeeds in not giving up everything and changing their life path.
For example, the young Hollywood star of the ‘30s, Claude Jarman Jr. (by the way, he passed away a few months ago at the age of 90), after a series of failures, simply got an education, served in the Navy, and lived a long and, quite likely, happy life.
Or, let’s take Justin Henry, who, at the age of eight, was nominated for an Oscar for a supporting role in the Kramer vs. Kramer movie (by the way, this was his debut role). After growing up, went into the media business and had a very successful career. After all, you don't have to be a movie star to be happy, do you?
Perhaps the best example of the child stars who managed to find themselves outside of cinema in adulthood is Shirley Temple. An absolute superstar of the Golden Age of Hollywood before WWII, she had a successful political and diplomatic career. And, interestingly, before completely changing her life trajectory, Temple tried - repeatedly - to rebrand herself in Hollywood and on TV.
Finally, if you remember the Night at the Museum trilogy, then you probably remember old Gus - one of the antagonists of the whole franchise. It may be hard to believe, but in childhood and adolescence, he was called Mickey Rooney, and was one of the box office kings - but he didn’t leave filming at all.
He agreed to minor roles in minor films, played on Broadway and TV and, eventually, already an adult, received an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his television work. Sounds decent, doesn’t it?
Therefore, all of the actors and actresses presented on this list in fact deserve the greatest respect. And Kieran Culkin's Oscar is kind of a sign that anything is possible in this world. The main thing is not to lose your self-confidence, and work, work really hard, on your way to the top. Well, at least try to find yourself in a new role - as his older bro did.
You know, it’s quite possible that you will have your own candidates for inclusion in this selection. So, please feel free to watch and read this list to the very end, and be sure to add your ideas for actors and actresses who successfully rebranded themselves after coming of age in the comments below this post. Lights, camera, action!
#16 Kieran Culkin
#18 Molly Ringwald
#19 Hilary Duff
