Sometimes, you have to make your own way! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at stars who reached high levels of fame at a young age, only to step away once they reached adulthood.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at stars who reached high levels of fame at
00:15a young age, only to step away once they reached adulthood.
00:28Ross Bagley
00:39How do you top acting with a fresh prince?
00:41In the 1990s, it seemed as though Ross Bagley had a promising acting career ahead of him.
00:46Getting his star portraying Nikki Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, he was catapulted
00:49to higher levels of stardom after securing a supporting role in the blockbuster Independence
00:53Day.
00:54It seemed like he might go on to become Hollywood's next big thing, until he suddenly pulled away
00:57from the profession in the 2000s.
01:10He opted for a private life, limiting his online presence and choosing to pursue an
01:14occupation in real estate instead.
01:16He got to experience fame and fortune, then live a relatively normal life, proving that
01:20child stars get to live the best of both worlds.
01:33Kay Panabaker
01:41Disney is well-known for producing future stars.
01:44Kay Panabaker went a different route, but didn't entirely leave the mouse behind.
01:48She became an instant favorite among viewers, starring in original television movies like
01:51Read It and Weep, and appearing in several popular shows on the Disney Channel.
02:03She also found success on other channels, receiving acclaim for her performance in the
02:07WB's Summerland, but after lending her voice to the third Beverly Hills Chihuahua film,
02:11she retired from entertainment to focus on her education, eventually obtaining a diploma
02:15in zoology from UCLA.
02:17In a full-circle moment, she ended up returning to Disney, this time to work as a zookeeper
02:21at Disney World.
02:32Charlie Corsmo
02:43Some people are truly a jack-of-all-trades.
02:46Being a short-tenor in the industry, Charlie Corsmo proved to have plenty of talent, earning
02:50accolades for his work in Dick Tracy and Steven Spielberg's Hook.
02:53It was clear he could have found even more success in Hollywood, but instead he pivoted
02:57to very different professions.
03:10After earning a physics degree from MIT and working with the Environmental Protection
03:14He went into law out of Yale.
03:16Is it that weren't enough?
03:17He now teaches corporate law at Case Western Reserve University.
03:20It's clear that Corsmo excels no matter what he does.
03:23He's set up for a potentially huge comeback should he ever get the itch to act again.
03:37Jeff Cohen
03:48Although his list of acting credits is short, his impact within the industry is undeniable.
03:52Jeff Cohen had several smaller parts in various TV shows, but his true defining role was Chunk
03:57in the 1985 classic The Goonies.
04:00He discovered his passion for work behind the scenes shortly afterwards, using his previous
04:04connections to transition into entertainment law.
04:13He quickly became a notable name, opening his own firm not long after obtaining his
04:17degree.
04:18Cohen's retirement from performing doesn't mean he's lost touch with his old castmates.
04:21He even negotiated the deal for K-Huey Kwan for Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, helping
04:26him secure a successful comeback, The Goonies still gotta stick together.
04:39Jeanette McCurdy
04:40Unfortunately, not every child star has a positive experience on set.
04:53From the constant pressure from adults and long working hours, Nickelodeon star Jeanette
04:57McCurdy has gone on to advocate for herself in adulthood.
04:59While her character in iCarly was carefree, she was suffering behind the scenes.
05:14She began to pull back as she reached adulthood, and ultimately retired in 2018.
05:18McCurdy put her focus into writing, starting out with online articles.
05:21She published her heartbreaking memoir in 2022, detailing the horrific effects of fame
05:25on her health and relationship with her mother.
05:27Following her book's success, she landed a contract with a Penguin Random House subsidiary,
05:32so hopefully we'll be seeing more of her writing soon.
05:40Mara Wilson
05:50Even childhood icons can grow weary of the spotlight.
05:53Mara Wilson's work in Mrs. Doubtfire introduced her to the world, but it was her work as the
05:57precocious titular character in Matilda that secured her status as one of Hollywood's
06:01rising stars.
06:02While it was clear she had the talent to continue acting into maturity, she slowly withdrew from
06:05fame as she grew older.
06:20In recent years, she's expressed her disillusionment of the industry, from calling out the lack
06:24of creative freedom, to writing about how adolescent stardom can have permanent consequences
06:28in adulthood.
06:29While she still sometimes appears in small roles, it's clear her days on the silver
06:32screen are over, and she appears to be much happier for it.
06:47Jonathan Taylor Thomas
06:53In the 1990s, Jonathan Taylor Thomas had the world in the palm of his hand.
06:58After becoming a mainstay on the sitcom Home Improvement and voicing Simba in The Lion
07:02King, he wasn't just accomplished, he was practically a cultural phenomenon.
07:15Thomas was primed for a lucrative career in the industry until his sudden and genuinely
07:19shocking retirement in 2005.
07:21Had he continued acting, he could have become one of the biggest stars of his generation.
07:25Instead, he focused on his education before slipping away from the public eye.
07:29Besides a few chance sightings, he remains elusive to this day, and is hopefully still
07:32enjoying the fruits of his previous labor.
07:48Angus T. Jones
08:02Growing up in the public eye is never easy, even if you're television's highest-paid
08:06actor.
08:07At age 10, Angus T. Jones secured a main role in the long-running sitcom Two and a Half
08:11Men, which catapulted him to fame.
08:13He proved to be a solid scene partner despite his age, showing off his comedic chops.
08:25But while the show was still running, he became serious about his religious beliefs.
08:29This led to him not just announcing the sitcom, but quitting entirely in 2014.
08:33It seemed he had written off entertainment entirely, but he returned to TV in 2023, reuniting
08:37with past on-screen uncle Charlie Sheen on Chuck Lorre's Bookie.
08:52Peter Ostrom
09:01Some people just know how to go out on top.
09:03As a kid participating in community theater, Peter Ostrom was selected for the lead in
09:07one of the most beloved musicals of the 70s.
09:10His performance as Charlie in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was well-received,
09:14and led to him being offered a multi-film contract as a teenager.
09:19Shockingly, he turned it down, and even distanced himself from his defining role.
09:28He kept his head down and found a passion for veterinary work instead, earning his degree
09:32in 1984 and working until 2023.
09:35His time on the big screen is now a distant memory and a collection of funny stories,
09:39and he seems to be perfectly content with that.
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10:07Shirley Temple
10:17She wasn't just a child actor, she was a national sensation.
10:21First put in front of a camera at three, Shirley Temple went on to spend her entire youth performing.
10:26She quickly became a sought-after star, appearing in several projects every year throughout
10:29the 1930s.
10:38After her on-screen career began to wane in adulthood, she officially left the limelight
10:42in 1950.
10:43She returned to the public eye over a decade later with goals of succeeding in politics.
10:47After an unsuccessful run for Congress in the late 60s, she ended up becoming a U.S.
10:51Ambassador for Ghana and Czechoslovakia.
10:54She never returned to entertainment before passing away in 2014, but she still remains
10:58one of the industry's biggest icons.
11:07Which former child actor do you think has the most normal life now?
11:10Let us know in the comments!
11:40For more information visit www.FEMA.gov