From Disney darlings to unrecognizable adults, we're diving into the transformative journeys of child stars who've completely reinvented themselves. Discover how fame, challenges, and personal growth have reshaped these once-familiar faces from our childhood memories.
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00:00This is unbelievable. I mean, you're a hard man to track down.
00:03I am, a little bit.
00:04Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for some young actors who found
00:09celebrity at a young age, but have since undergone radical transformations.
00:14Somebody might want to hire me one day, and then they're like,
00:16remember that thing you said?
00:19Number 10. Daryl Sabara
00:2190s kids know him as the clumsy yet savvy Juni Cortez from Spy Kids,
00:26but to the next generation, he is famous for a whole other reason.
00:30Ew, gross.
00:32What do you see?
00:33You.
00:34Very funny.
00:36Though he never really left the entertainment industry,
00:39his popularity waned following the conclusion of the franchise.
00:42He did some voiceover work and dabbled in theater, but it was his love life that
00:47catapulted him back into the limelight. Today, he is best known as pop star Meghan Trainor's husband.
00:53And then month one, I wrote a song for him called Marry Me, and it's on our YouTube wedding video,
01:00and we watch it every day with Riley, because our three-year-old,
01:02it's his favorite video before sleep time.
01:04The couple went viral after they were photographed leaving an adult shop together in 2018.
01:10Let's just say he appeared… different.
01:13The Made You Look singer has since explained that they were shopping for a friend.
01:17Whatever you say, Meghan.
01:19It wasn't for us. I mean, we get pretty freaky, but not like too much.
01:24It was for a friend who was too, too shy.
01:28Number nine, Taylor Momsen.
01:30Watching little Cindy Lou Who from How the Grinch Stole Christmas
01:33grow up in front of our very eyes has been a wonderful ride.
01:41The Grinch!
01:42We've seen her go from gossip girl to goth, and boy did she know what she was doing.
01:47The heavily-lined eyes became her signature aesthetic,
01:50far from the goody-two-shoes she seemed as a child star.
01:53It's the songs. Those last forever, and that's what I put all my
01:57heart and soul into and slaved over, and no one's even mentioning that.
02:00Eventually, Taylor left Tinseltown behind with hopes of making it in the music industry.
02:05Being the creative genius she is,
02:07her rock band The Pretty Reckless took off, and she has not looked back since.
02:18Number eight, Mara Wilson.
02:20You'd expect one of Hollywood's most beloved child stars of all time to have an easy life.
02:25Christmas, what do you think about that?
02:28That's a good one.
02:29However, Mara's journey has been surprisingly challenging, yet inspiring.
02:34You might remember her as the absolutely adorable Matilda from the 1996 movie of the same name,
02:40or Natalie Hillard from Mrs. Doubtfire.
02:43You can't go now.
02:45Only I have to.
02:46We're in the middle of Charlotte's Web. Who's gonna finish it?
02:51Unfortunately, her fame proved to be a disadvantage, especially when puberty hit.
02:57Being tormented at school was ten times worse,
03:00and the industry's beauty standards were harsh, to say the least.
03:04Projects were few and far between, so she quit and turned to the quill.
03:09Mara's now a published author and voice actor,
03:12but you won't see her at your usual red carpet.
03:15When I decided to stop pursuing a career in film acting or TV acting once and for all,
03:22I felt like this great weight lifted,
03:24because it wasn't my job to be pretty or thin or anything for anybody.
03:28You know, it wasn't my job anymore.
03:30Number seven, Jonathan Lipnicki.
03:33Virtually no one who watched Stuart Little could help the mouthful of
03:37awes that escaped every time we saw George Little on our screens.
03:41Sure, George, go ahead. I'm an open book.
03:44Ask me anything, the first thing that pops into your head.
03:48Could you pass the gravy?
03:49The kid we hoped would never grow up is now a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and a producer.
03:55Luckily for fans, he is still acting, but these days, he plays jacked and handsome young men.
04:01Dude, you're doing it wrong, dude.
04:03No, I'm pretty sure I've done it right.
04:05Perhaps the only thing he has in common with his younger self is his love for animals.
04:10Jonathan is dedicated to animal welfare
04:13and is also involved with several other philanthropic organizations.
04:17What a sweetheart.
04:18I do a bunch of different things.
04:19That's great, dude.
04:20All around the thing I love.
04:22Number six, Hailey Joel Osment.
04:25Emily Osment's big brother bagged an Oscar nod at 11 for The Sixth Sense.
04:30What are you thinking, mama?
04:33You think I'm a freak?
04:36Look at my face.
04:37I would never think that about you.
04:40Ever.
04:42Got it?
04:43Got it.
04:44If that doesn't tell you all you need to know about his immense talent,
04:47we don't know what will.
04:49Hailey Joel paused his acting career at one point to have a normal life away from showbiz.
04:54He even grew a beard to make sure he wasn't spotted by fans.
04:58It's about being recognized.
04:59Is that why you now got a beard?
05:00So you don't...
05:02This is true.
05:03I tried to use it as a disguise, but it doesn't work anymore.
05:06In due course, however, Osment came to terms with the fact that acting was his true calling
05:12and returned to the industry.
05:14Thankfully, the working environment had improved by then,
05:17and he could pick up where he left off.
05:19I'm glad you're finding it helpful.
05:21It's awesome.
05:22Number five, Nate Richard.
05:24Melissa Joan Hart's Sabrina might have been a teenage witch,
05:27but it was her boyfriend Harvey Kinkle who had us under his spell.
05:31Hey, here comes Harvey.
05:32Maybe he's got exciting news.
05:34I do.
05:35See?
05:36Yeah, I just got my car realigned.
05:37It used to veer slightly to the left, and now it doesn't.
05:41That's it?
05:42Okay, we are now officially in a rut.
05:44Played by Nate Richard, Harvey was a heartthrob if we had ever seen one.
05:48He dominated our TV screens in the 90s with his dirty blonde hair and swoon-worthy smile.
05:54Yeah, they think they're forcing me to stay in, but really they're just forcing me to sneak out.
05:58You're gonna sneak out?
05:59What if you get caught?
06:00They'll ground me.
06:01But it's okay.
06:02I don't have anything to do next weekend.
06:04He still has his classic grin, but the mane has now made way for a beard
06:09and a variety of hats that make him look even more unfamiliar.
06:12He hasn't left the entertainment world behind,
06:15but his appearances have gotten quite sparse over the years while he focuses on his music career.
06:25Number four, Edward Furlong.
06:28After his award-winning performance as John Connor in the Terminator 2 Judgment Day,
06:33Furlong was set for a solid career.
06:35You're not here to kill me.
06:37I figured that part out for myself.
06:40So what's the deal?
06:41My mission is to protect you.
06:43However, it all went downhill after he developed both a substance use disorder
06:48and an eating disorder.
06:50His home life was unstable, and as a teenager,
06:53he was in a terribly inappropriate relationship with a woman nearly double his age.
06:58I realized that I was toxic.
07:00I was being toxic.
07:01I was a toxic person to be around.
07:03To add to that, he was incarcerated for domestic violence,
07:06which several of his partners accused him of.
07:09All this and more obviously took a toll on his good looks,
07:12but that was the least of his concerns.
07:14Fortunately, he has since changed his ways and is now reportedly sober.
07:19I'm not like future tripping over it.
07:21I feel like if I have like what I need right now,
07:24I'm going to do like a movie here in LA just for like a couple weeks.
07:29And I don't know.
07:30That's what it is.
07:31It's what it is, dude.
07:33Number three, Susan Olsen.
07:35It seems like we blinked and the delightfully endearing Cindy Brady grew up.
07:39Cindy, the point is that you are not to tattle about other people's business anymore.
07:47Now, I mean never, because if you do, you're going to be punished.
07:52Is that clear?
07:53Yes, Daddy.
07:55Good, I hope so.
07:56What we did not expect, however,
07:58was for the Brady Bunch actress to become so polarizing a figure.
08:02After being typecast, Susan stepped away from La La Land.
08:06What kept her in the headlines, however,
08:08were the problematic and allegedly discriminatory comments she made every now and then.
08:14It all started with politics last week when the actor was a guest on Susan Olsen's radio show.
08:19From there, it escalated on Facebook, where the former child star allegedly used the slur.
08:24She once went as far as to claim that she was ousted for a potential Brady Bunch reboot
08:29because of her quote-unquote dangerous statements.
08:32Politics aside, Susan is now a mother with glasses and bangs,
08:36replacing her signature pigtails.
08:38You wouldn't be surprised if you ran into her at the grocery store,
08:41probably because you wouldn't know it was her in the first place.
08:44He goes, dude, you're a part of people's childhood.
08:50And you're the good part.
08:52Number 2.
08:53Jake Lloyd
08:54We saw him as an exceptionally talented young actor who played baby Anakin Skywalker
08:59in the first Star Wars prequel, The Phantom Menace.
09:02You're a Jedi Knight, aren't you?
09:07What makes you think that?
09:09I saw your laser sword.
09:11Only Jedis carry that kind of weapon.
09:13What we didn't see was how desperately 10-year-old Jake was struggling behind the scenes.
09:19Facing taunting at school and being hounded by cameras every waking hour of the day
09:24had a devastating impact on him.
09:26Calling his childhood traumatizing would be an understatement.
09:30I get some pretty crazy questions and I get a lot of people asking me a lot of random stuff.
09:39Most people just want to say hi and hang out for a bit and get an autograph signed.
09:47No wonder he abandoned his rising career as an actor in 2001.
09:51The only time he showed up on our screens after that was when he was arrested for speeding,
09:56which led to a police chase.
09:58In his mugshot, his head was shaved and he sported a goatee.
10:02Obviously far from the innocent little kid we remember.
10:06People think showbiz kids were used to rejection.
10:08You know, we don't mind it when you criticize the way that we are, look, think, act.
10:13But we're still kids, man.
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10:32Number 1.
10:33Stephen Anthony Lawrence
10:35The only way you'll ever recognize this child actor is from his personality.
10:40The Even Stevens star continues to be as impish and playful as when he was a Disney kid.
10:46Little Mr. Sacktown gets to appear on public access TV with the mayor himself.
10:50You like that, huh?
10:51Big deal.
10:52It's just cable.
10:54The only thing that has changed, and drastically, might we add, is his entire face.
10:59For starters, long gone is the memorable bowl cut.
11:02Stephen is now nearly bald, has lost considerable weight, and has a full beard.
11:08You're kind of an international man of mystery.
11:10You might just mistake a different celebrity for him or the other way around.
11:14On the personal side, he struggled with substance use disorder,
11:18but has now turned a new leaf and teaches acting.
11:21I think it's a big, big, big blessing to get kids to start learning technique at an early age,
11:29instead of just making faces in front of the camera.
11:32How do you feel about Hollywood's treatment of child stars?
11:35Sound off in the comments.
11:36I just have friends that are boys, but not boyfriends.
11:39Oh, I see.
11:40You have friends that are boys, but you don't have like...
11:43Is there a boy in your class you like?
11:46Just as friends.
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12:06you