Why do child stars turn to the dark side?

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Everybody is going on about Miley Cyrus’ controversial “Wrecking Ball” video where she is reportedly guilty of “twerking” or “gyrating” in public. (I haven’t seen this video and am not planning on seeing it ever!) She became famous as a child star that starred with her father, Billy Cyrus, in the children TV-series: Hannah Montana.

Lindsay Lohan has been in and out of rehab and jail because of her substance abuse. She became famous for her double role in The Parent Trap.

Other former child stars that are guilty of substance abuse:
Macaulkay Culkin from “Home Alone” - Seems ironic that he couldn't be trusted to be be “home alone”.
Haley Joel Osment from The Sixth Sense.

The one person that I thought would never derail is Amanda Bynes. In the 2000s she was considered one of the teen queens, together with Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff. She has “retired” from acting a few years back, but recently worried people because of her strange behaviour on Twitter. She has shared the fact that she shaved half of her head, she reportedly hates “ugly” people and asked Barack Obama via Twitter to fire the cop who have arrested her because of drunk driving.

The first time we saw them as sweet, innocent characters in movies or TV series. But the moment when they “grow up” ie turn 18 years old they turn to the dark side. But why?

Why or what do they so desperately want to prove to the world? That their not sweet and innocent after all? Got it. Message received. But at what cost?

Our youth looks up to these young celebrities. These images are corrupting our youth.

The sad truth is: Sex sells. Being considered a “bad” celebrity makes them more famous.

According to a fellow blogger “the wannabe saint” if you want to be insanely famous you must be willing to do crazy things. The most dramatic, shocking, upsetting, disturbing act gets the most attention.

What is even more sad is that we, “the audience” allow it.

Some of us try to justify this and say it is because of the curse on child stars. The early onslaught of fame and responsibilities forced them to “grow up” faster. They have been exposed to “grown up” things while they were still very young. They weren't given the chance of being normal children. Maybe as “grown ups” they felt that there is nothing left to do than go crazy and turn to the dark side?

As “grown ups” they are prone to poor judgement and poor decision making.

But not all child stars go bad. There are some of them that turned into successful grownup celebrities:

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)
Ryan Gosling
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock of the Sun)
Natalie Portman
Scarlet Johansson (had her first role in The Horse Whisperer)
Anna Paquin (she won an Oscar when she was only 11 years old and has recently took the Golden Globe for best actress for her role in True Blood)

Some of you might say they did turn out bad because of the controversial roles they have played. I don’t agree. Even though Daniel Radcliffe was completely naked on the Broadway stage for the play Equus and even though Anna Paquin plays in a R-rated TV series don't make them all bad and don’t necessarily mean that they turned to the dark side. Playing dangerous types of roles does not count. It’s their characters that are dangerous not necessarily the actors behind them.

Maybe it’s just some crazy phase:

Here are some child stars that turned to the dark side, but has recently cleaned up their act:

Britney Spears
Drew Barrymore

Should child stars be banned? What do you think?

Dada for nonsense

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Kommentaar

  • Hou op om na flieks te gaan kyk en gooi jou TV weg. Begin om in die werklikheid belang te stel. Wat van harde werk?

  • Aan die grammatika kan ek sien jy's Afrikaans, so hoekom die Engels?
    Dit gaan interessant wees om te sien hoeveel van die gereelde besoekers hier, almal Afrikaans, gaan hulle kommentaar in Engels gee.
    Dit gaan hierdie eienaardigheid tot gevolg hê:  'n Afrikaanse ou skryf in Engels op 'n Afrikaanse onderafdeling van LitNet en Afrikaanse ouens antwoord hom in Engels.
    Ek hoop maar dit gebeur nie.
    Jan Rap

  • Hello, 

     
    Jan Rap kan nie sien nie dat die hofies van die webwerf is tweetalig. So ook meer tot die punt die hofie waaronder die brief geskryf is: SêNet-briewe | Letters
     
    Daar moet ook opgelet word na die naam, LITNET, en hoe goed dit gekies is, die naam is 'n perfekte samevoeging van woorde wat in Afrikaans of in Engels jou sal bring tot LITNET. 
     
    Gaan dink 'n bietjie daaroor...
     
    Ek moet erken hierdie twee het baie goed uitgedraai, Daniel Radcliffe & Joseph Gordon-Levitt en kom Daniel Radcliffe as 'n baie intelligente jong man oor en het Harry Potter darem vir jou aantreklik uitgedraai. 
     
    Sjoe...
     
    Daar was juis 'n onderhoud met hom deur Terry Gross van Fresh Air en kan hier geluister word. 
     
     
    Net soos die New York Times Magazine 'n uitstekende profiel oor hom gehad het so twee weke gelede. 
     
     
    So ja, daar is die wie se koppe reg aangeskroef is en 'n eerbare vermelding aan Natalie Portman & Scarlet Johansson wie ook briljante loopbane het en word Ryan Gosling en Anna Paquin nie gering geskat nie en verwys ek slegs na die van wie ek hou, Daniel Radcliffe & Joseph Gordon-Levitt asook Natalie Portman, maar so ook Drew Barrymore wat ook 'n baie goeie loopbaan het. 
     
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt het ook al in 'n baie donker drama gespreel getiteld Mysterious Skin. 'n Onstellende film. 

     
    Baie dankie
     
    Wouter
     
  • Hello George, 

     
    Daar is darem uitstekende films en is dit 'n kunsvorm in eie reg net soos daar reekse vir TV is wat van uitstaande kwaliteit is. Desmond Morris, van 'Naked Ape-faam' het in 'n onderhoud die stelling gemaak dat kuns is die manier hoe ons 'speel' en wil ek getuig dat as 'n volwassene, is al die verskilende kunsvorme die lekkerste manier wat daar is vir my om te speel. 
     
    Musiek, films, kunswerke, fiksie ens ...
     
    Speel 'n bietjie ....
     
    Baie dankie
     
    Wouter
  • Wat maak dit nou saak of die brief in Ingels of Afrikaans geskryf is - dis die inhoud wat tel...

     

    Dada, ek dink as jy 'fame' en 'fortune' kry, dan gaan dit na jou kop toe, en ja, die jonges van vandag wil dinge gemaklik hê, en `n 'statement' maak. Op die ou end glo ek dit hang maar af hoe jy grootgemaak is, en of jy volwasse genoeg is om die 'pressure' te vat. The more you have, the more you want, the more of a fool you make of yourself...

  • Wouter

    Oukei, my fout ... die hofies is wel tweetalig maar ek het gereken die groot swart blok wat sê ENGLISH het ook 'n brieweblad.  Ek sien nou hy het nie (en die hofies daar is nie tweetalig nie).  Nogtans, hoekom sou 'n Afrikaanse ou nou 'n Engelse brief skryf?

    Incognito
    Jy vra wat maak dit saak of 'n brief in Afrikaans of Engels geskryf is.  Vra 'n Engelssprekende of 'n swart amptenaar; hulle sal gou vir jou sê die brief MOET in Engels wees.

    Jan Rap

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