The dark side of Hollywood starts with child stars. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the documentaries that pulled back the curtains on what it's like to grow up under the harsh spotlight of Hollywood, as experienced by the child stars who went through it.
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00:00It's one of the reasons I don't want my children in it
00:01is because I don't feel it's a place for children.
00:03Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:07for the documentaries that pulled back the curtain
00:10on what it's like to grow up under the harsh spotlight of Hollywood,
00:13as experienced by the child stars who went through it.
00:17Ton of rejection.
00:18Yeah.
00:18Like, am I really considered not wanting to act anymore?
00:21Like if these are the kinds of things I have to go through.
00:24Number 8.
00:25Hollywood's Children.
00:27Way before most entries on this list, almost half a century earlier,
00:31filmmakers Suzette Winter and Gene Feldman
00:35tackled the ugly truth behind child stardom.
00:38These kids are here basically for one reason, to make money.
00:41These children can make, on one day's work, $35,000.
00:45$35,000 is a lot of money.
00:47Their 1982 documentary peeled back the glittery curtain on Hollywood's golden age,
00:53revealing the reality for young actors wasn't so golden.
00:57Child labor, exploitation, and misconduct by adults ran rampant.
01:01At the time, it might have seemed like these issues belonged to the past.
01:06I thought I was a rich man, and I found out that I didn't have a cent.
01:13And then followed a lawsuit which established the Coogan Law.
01:23However, as we know now, this documentary uncovered the troubling foundation of an
01:27industry that often still struggles to protect its young talent.
01:31It's heartbreaking to think that, despite its powerful message,
01:35it wasn't enough to protect future generations from similar struggles.
01:39I think television builds them and destroys them.
01:43You know, you're a star one day,
01:45you can't get a job the next day, you're suddenly 14 and awkward.
01:48Number 7.
01:50Showbiz Kids.
01:51Directed by Alex Winter, best known for the Bill and Ted movies,
01:55this documentary features stories from child stars like Mara Wilson,
01:59Wil Wheaton, Jada Pinkett Smith, Cameron Boyce, and more.
02:03Everybody has an idea of what they want you to be,
02:06and at that age, you don't even know what the hell you want to be.
02:09It explores the personal experiences of these actors,
02:13revealing the reality behind Hollywood's glamour.
02:15Instead of a dream life, they faced intense pressures,
02:19mistreatment, and mental health struggles.
02:21The adults in my life who should have been protecting me from that were like,
02:24this is the dream, and like kept pushing me in front of them,
02:28and pushing me into these places where I didn't feel safe, and I felt really afraid.
02:32The film also shows how being a child star continues to affect them into adulthood,
02:38including how easily the industry discards them once they no longer fit its expectations.
02:43By sharing these stories, the documentary faces the romanticized view of Hollywood,
02:48giving an important reality check on fame's darker side.
02:52And it all kind of came crashing down on me at once, and I short-circuited.
02:56And I also was left with the question of,
02:59is this even really who I am and what I want to do?
03:02Number 6.
03:03Gary.
03:04While many child star documentaries explore shared experiences among celebrities,
03:09this one focuses solely on Gary Coleman,
03:12famous for his role as Arnold Jackson in Different Strokes.
03:15What you talking about, Willis?
03:17Even though it's about one person, Coleman's story includes many familiar encounters,
03:22adults who took advantage of him, millions of dollars that went missing,
03:26and the pressure to be perfect.
03:28Not only betrayed, but completely abandoned by the people who were closest to him, his parents.
03:39The film also reveals how Coleman's cute appearance, loved by fans,
03:44was actually due to medication he had been taking for a health condition
03:48that later affected his career in adulthood.
03:50It also highlights the struggles Coleman and his Different Strokes co-stars faced growing up.
03:55You'll never watch the show the same way again.
03:57You leave behind your power and suddenly you feel terrible,
04:02because now you have to really struggle to be like a regular kid.
04:06Number 5.
04:07Fallen Idols.
04:08Nick and Aaron Carter.
04:10Following the 2024 documentary Quiet On Set,
04:13Investigation Discovery and Max teamed up to look into the controversies
04:17surrounding the Carter brothers, especially Nick.
04:21The Carter family dysfunction is deep, made worse by money and fame and jealousy.
04:30The film discusses their tough upbringing and the struggles of younger brother Aaron,
04:34whose substance use disorder and mental health challenges
04:38are believed to have contributed to his tragic death in 2022.
04:42It also examines the brothers' strained relationship in recent years,
04:46especially after Aaron voiced support for Nick's accusers.
04:50I told him, I said, Aaron, they're going to come after you.
04:54I've been through it, I've seen it, I've experienced it,
04:59but nobody can prepare anybody, even Aaron Carter.
05:02Notably, Nick reportedly declined to be interviewed for this documentary.
05:06Ultimately, producer Michael Hirshhorn wanted to shed light on the dangers of cyber harassment
05:12and the toxic side of fan culture that often refuses to hold idols accountable.
05:16The abuser has a fandom willing to defend them.
05:24These little fandoms, they go to all that war.
05:27Number 4.
05:28Pretty Baby.
05:29Brooke Shields.
05:30Shields made her breakthrough in 1978's Pretty Baby,
05:34where at just 11 years old, she was asked to do things that seem unimaginable today.
05:40I think I learned how to compartmentalize at such an early age, and it was a survival technique.
05:48This documentary takes its title from the film
05:51and examines the sexualization of young women in the spotlight,
05:54highlighting how the entertainment industry upholds harmful and misogynistic norms.
05:59While it centers on Shields' experiences,
06:02she hopes to bring attention to an issue that hasn't improved much since her youth.
06:06You know, why all of a sudden does that mean you're boring or you're too squeaky clean or,
06:11you know, you're a nerd or whatever?
06:13It's like, no, you actually have ownership over your health and your body.
06:18That to me was empowering.
06:19The film skillfully connects her showbiz timeline with public perceptions
06:23and her feelings at each stage.
06:25Shields opens up about feeling silenced.
06:28Her tough relationship with her mother and manager,
06:31and other painful career moments with the hope of getting people talking.
06:34I wanted to erase the whole thing from my mind and body and just keep on the path that I was on.
06:41Number three, Kid 90.
06:44Throughout much of the 90s, Soleil Moon Frye, best known for her role as Punky Brewster,
06:49kept video records of her life in the spotlight.
06:51The big question for me was if things really happened the way I remembered them.
06:57Let's see what you found there.
06:59And look at this, like, Pandora's box.
07:02What happens once I unlock it?
07:04Now, those clips have helped her share her story alongside those of other young talent
07:09and the memories of those who can no longer speak for themselves.
07:13Featuring interviews with fellow child actors,
07:15the documentary provides one of the most candid insights into the life of child actors.
07:20We all know what that meant.
07:21It's like, this is an adult business.
07:23You know, it's not, I feel that and that's one of the reasons I don't want my children in it
07:27is because I don't feel it's a place for children.
07:29It shows kids who really just want to be kids
07:31while revealing a world far from carefree glitz and glamour.
07:35It's an almost totally unfiltered look at being a child star.
07:39Few documentaries are as raw as this one.
07:42By you sharing this and by sharing your experience and these tapes,
07:47you're giving all of that its ultimate purpose, which is to be shared.
07:52It's not supposed to be in a box.
07:53Number two, Child Star.
07:55This documentary begins with a group of kids sharing their thoughts on what fame means.
08:00While they provide some interesting insights, the message is clear.
08:04The world of showbiz is not suitable for developing minds.
08:07Fame also has addictive properties similar to substances.
08:13The focus then shifts to Demi Lovato,
08:16who interviews other child stars like Raven Simone,
08:19Alison Stoner, Kenan Thompson, Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci, and Jojo Siwa.
08:25It centers on the well-being of young stars
08:27and how the industry often fails to protect its talent.
08:31I'm in these like real estate people's office like waiting to sign this paperwork
08:34and he doesn't bring the check kind of thing.
08:37It's crazy going from rags to riches and back to rags.
08:40By taking a cross-generational approach,
08:43it shows how some problems have changed while many remain the same.
08:47It also raises questions about how social media
08:50creates new challenges for a new generation of stars.
08:53The bill also focuses on ensuring that the kids have the opportunity to go to these platforms
08:59and to request that their likeness be taken down to be able to kind of take that power back.
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09:19Number 1. Quiet On Set
09:21The dark side of kids TV.
09:23By the time Quiet On Set was released,
09:25we already had a sense of the issues surrounding child stars.
09:29Everyone knew it from New York to California.
09:32So who would we go to?
09:34Who could we possibly go to to complain about this?
09:37However, hearing their personal stories of exploitation,
09:41mental health struggles, and the pressures of fame hits hard.
09:44This documentary challenges the shiny image often linked to stardom,
09:48inviting viewers to reflect on the real costs behind the spotlight.
09:52It was par for the course.
09:54Like, strange things amused Dan, and that was just one of the things he thought was funny.
09:58It also addresses systemic problems like cyber harassment and toxic fan culture,
10:03which can protect certain people from facing consequences.
10:07By sharing these honest and often painful stories,
10:10Quiet On Set encourages empathy and opens up important conversations
10:14about the need for a more compassionate and protective industry for its young talent.
10:19I didn't need to have dogs lick the peanut butter off.
10:23Jack didn't need to be submerged in a pool of worms.
10:27I don't think that any of that was necessary.
10:29Which child star documentary had the biggest impact on you?
10:33Share your thoughts in the comments.
10:35You made some money, so what are you complaining about?
10:39And yeah, we collect our money, sure, but at what cost?
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