14 former child stars who have opened up about the price of fame

Cole Sprouse and his twin brother Dylan starred on "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" and subsequent spinoffs from 2005 to 2011. Their acting careers started out even earlier, playing Ross' son Ben on "Friends."

"When you're a child actor, you're a minor, and so a lot of the larger business decisions that are controlling your career are outside your agency," Sprouse told Variety in 2019. "One of the dangers of, at least in my position, which was a sitcom inside a sound stage for nine years with Disney Channel, you're raised in such an insular environment that you forget what real human experience or boots-on-the-ground actually looks like."

Sprouse credits taking a break from acting to attend New York University for keeping him grounded.

"Taking time for college was really important, and I think it's one of those things that I'd recommend to every single young actor," he said. "It allowed me to regain a semblance of my anonymity, which is something that's really important. Anonymity is one of those things that allows you to enter into a human space with an open heart and really be able to move with more agency and learn about people and learn about their stories without these predetermined notions of yourself, being carried by other people."

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On an episode of "The View," Symone spoke about being criticized for her weight on set.

"It was definitely hard," she said. "I remember not being able to have the bagel or anything at — we would call it crafty, where it's just a table of food, ready for you to eat whatever you want. And I remember people would be like, 'You can't eat that. You're getting fat!' I'm like, 'I'm 7! I'm hungry!'"

She also told People Magazine in 2017 that times have changed since she was a child star, and people are more accepting.

"I wish I was living now as a younger person," she said. "I probably wouldn't have so many mental issues."

Radcliffe told Sam in an episode of "The Off-Camera Show" that he used alcohol to cope with being recognized and feeling watched in public.

"In my case, the quickest way of forgetting about the fact that you were being watched was to get very drunk," he said. "Then as you get very drunk, you become aware that, 'Oh, people are watching more now because now I'm getting very drunk, so I should probably drink more to ignore that more.' There is no blueprint for starting young and working stuff out."

Radcliffe said it took "a few years and it took a couple of attempts" to curb his drinking habit.

Culkin pled guilty to two misdemeanor drug possession charges in 2005.

"I played with some fire, I guess is the best way to put it," he told Esquire in February. "At the same time, I've never been to rehab or anything like that. I've never had to clean out that way. There were certain times when I had to catch myself, once or twice ... But I never went so far down that road where I needed outside help."

After years away from the spotlight, Porter got sober and won season 10 of "The Voice."

"It's amazing and every day I work hard to not go backwards and keep moving forwards, and I ust feel very blessed to be here and be doing what I love," she told People magazine.

Bynes' comedy skills helped her land her own show when she was 13 years old. After a slew of successful movies including "What A Girl Wants," "Hairspray," "She's the Man," and "Easy A," Bynes took a break from acting due to her drug usage.

"My advice to anyone who is struggling with substance abuse would be to be really careful because drugs can really take a hold of your life," she told Paper magazine in 2018. "Everybody is different, obviously, but for me, the mixture of marijuana and whatever other drugs and sometimes drinking really messed up my brain. It really made me a completely different person. I actually am a nice person. I would never feel, say or do any of the things that I did and said to the people I hurt on Twitter."

Wilson was just 6 years old when she made her on-screen debut in "Mrs. Doubtfire" in 1993.

She took a break from acting to focus on a career as an author and journalist, but continues to do voiceover work and make small cameos. She has also written about childhood stardom for Cracked, The Guardian, and others.

"So the next time someone hiding behind a username decides to tell me what would make me prettier, I'm going to propose the following: I will meet them in person and ask them to listen," she wrote for The Guardian. "I will tell them about going through puberty in the public eye after my mother died of cancer. I will tell them how it feels to find a website advertising nude photos of yourself as a 12‑year‑old. I will tell them I've looked at "cute" from both sides now, and in both cases it just made me miserable. I will tell them how fitting it is that the only real acting I do these days is voiceover, where no one can see me. I will tell them how my mother wanted me to prove myself through my actions and skills, rather than my looks. Now I believe I have, and I am happier than ever."

Lohan had a series of run-ins with the law, spent time in rehab, and largely disappeared from the spotlight in the early 2010s aside from a few guest spots on TV shows. In 2019, she spoke to Variety for an article titled "Lindsay Lohan Wants You to Forget Her Past."

"The first time I was in a tabloid, I was like, 'Oh, my God, I feel like Britney Spears!' because she was in a tabloid and I felt cool," she said. "Little did I know what would happen from there."

She continued: "I know that I'm a damn good actress, and it's been my passion since I was a child, and I know that when I care about something I put 100 percent and more into it," she said. "And I know that in my past I was young and irresponsible — but that's what growing up is. You learn from your mistakes."

Dunst started young in Hollywood. She played Claudia in "Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles" in 1994 with Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise when she was 11 years old. A year later, she played Judy Shepherd in "Jumanji" with Robin Williams.

At age 27, Dunst checked herself into the Cirque Lodge treatment center in Utah for depression.

"I was struggling, and I had the opportunity to go somewhere and take care of myself," she told E! News. "I was fortunate to have the resources to do it. My friends and family thought it was a good idea, too. But I didn't know where to go. My doctor recommended Cirque Lodge."

Cyrus' music took a mature turn with her 2013 album "Bangerz" and a twerk-filled performance at that year's MTV Video Music Awards. Her latest album "Plastic Hearts," released in November 2020, shifted into a rock sound.

"People were so shocked by some of the things that I did," she told TODAY in 2017. "It should be more shocking that when I was 11 or 12, I was put in full hair and makeup, a wig, and told what to wear by a group of mostly older men."

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King credit's her mother's decision to send her to public school for keeping her grounded.

"It was instrumental in me becoming a person who can find balance on shaky ground. It's not an easy thing, living your life on display, and it's particularly hard when you're young," she told People magazine. "But participating in those social situations as a teen gave me an understanding to how different people can be, which has been very helpful when navigating Hollywood."

Carter said that he became depressed after his parents divorced in 2004.

"I couldn't dwell on it," he said. "I couldn't think about it too much. I kind of had to block it out. I started partying and getting into a lot of trouble."

After he "went broke" and his career stalled, Carter turned to drugs and alcohol. He eventually realized he needed help and checked into the Betty Ford Center.

Duff starred in "Lizzie McGuire" on Disney Channel from 2001 to 2004, and went on to launch her acting and singing career.

"I struggled a little bit when I was 18 or 19 with food," she told Byrdie in 2019. "And wanting to fit into this 'image' of a girl who is not me. But that was such a long time ago. Honestly, I feel like I'm in the same five- to 10-pound struggle as most other women out there. Sometimes I'm crushing it and feeling great, and other times I'm like, ugh. I love to cook and, honestly, being a mom and being consistently busy helps keep my priorities straight."

In an interview with Dax Shepherd on his podcast "Armchair Expert," Portman said she struggled to feel comfortable with her sexuality following her roles in "Beautiful Girls" and "Léon: The Professional" in the 1990s.

"Being sexualized as a child took away from my own sexuality because it made me afraid," she said. "When I was in my teens I was like, 'I don't wanna have any love scenes or make-out scenes.' I would start choosing parts that were less sexy because it made me worried about the way I was perceived and how safe I felt."

She continued, "It made me feel like the way I could be safe was to be like, 'I'm conservative,' and 'I'm serious and you should respect me,' and 'I'm smart,' and 'Don't look at me that way.' But at that age, you do have your own sexuality, and you do have your own desire. You do want to explore things, and you do want to be open."

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