In the early 1990s, the world fell in love with the adorable Mara Wilson, the child actor known for playing the precocious little girl in family classics like Mrs. Doubtfire and Miracle on 34th Street.
The young star, who turned 37 on July 24, seemed poised for success but as she grew older, she stopped being “cute” and disappeared from the big screen.
“Hollywood was burned out on me,” she says, adding that “if you’re not cute anymore, if you’re not beautiful, then you are worthless.
In 1993, five-year-old Mara Wilson stole the hearts of millions of fans when she starred as Robin Williams’ youngest child in Mrs. Doubtfire.
The California-born star had previously appeared in commercials when she received the invitation to star in one of the biggest-grossing comedies in Hollywood history.
“My parents were proud, but they kept me grounded. If I ever said something like, ‘I’m the greatest!’ my mother would remind me, ‘You’re just an actor. You’re just a kid,’” Wilson, now 37, said.
After her big screen debut, she won the role of Susan Walker – the same role played by Natalie Wood in 1947 – in 1994’s Miracle on 34th Street.
In an essay for the Guardian, Wilson writes of her audition, “I read my lines for the production team and told them I didn’t believe in Santa Claus.” Referencing the Oscar-winning actor who played her mom in Mrs. Doubtfire, she continues, “but I did believe in the tooth fairy and had named mine after Sally Field.”
‘Most unhappy’
Next, Wilson played the magical girl in 1996’s Matilda, starring alongside Danny DeVito and his real-life wife Rhea Perlman.
It was also the same year her mother, Suzie, lost her battle with breast cancer.
“I didn’t really know who I was…There was who I was before that, and who I was after that. She was like this omnipresent thing in my life,” Wilson says of the deep grief she experienced after losing her mother. She adds, “I found it kind of overwhelming. Most of the time, I just wanted to be a normal kid, especially after my mother died.”
The young girl was exhausted and when she was “very famous,” she says she “was the most unhappy.”
When she was 11, she begrudgingly played her last major role in the 2000 fantasy adventure film Thomas and the Magic Railroad. “The characters were too young. At 11, I had a visceral reaction to [the] script…Ugh, I thought. How cute,” she tells the Guardian.
‘Burned out’
But her exit from Hollywood wasn’t only her decision.
As a young teenager, the roles weren’t coming in for Wilson, who was going through puberty and outgrowing the “cute.”
She was “just another weird, nerdy, loud girl with bad teeth and bad hair, whose bra strap was always showing.”
“At 13, no one had called me cute or mentioned the way I looked in years, at least not in a positive way,” she says.
Wilson was forced to deal with the pressures of fame and the challenges of transitioning to adulthood in the public eye. Her changing image had a profound effect on her.
“I had this Hollywood idea that if you’re not cute anymore, if you’re not beautiful, then you are worthless. Because I directly tied that to the demise of my career. Even though I was sort of burned out on it, and Hollywood was burned out on me, it still doesn’t feel good to be rejected.”
Mara as the writer
Wilson, now a writer, authored her first book “Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame,” in 2016.
The book discusses “everything from what she learned about sex on the set of Melrose Place, to discovering in adolescence that she was no longer ‘cute’ enough for Hollywood, these essays chart her journey from accidental fame to relative (but happy) obscurity.”
She also wrote “Good Girls Don’t” a memoir that examines her life as a child actor living up to expectations.
“Being cute just made me miserable,” she writes in her essay for the Guardian. “I had always thought it would be me giving up acting, not the other way around.”
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Evidence of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Splitting Up Comes to Light
In 2022, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck exchanged vows in a hurried Las Vegas ceremony. Unsettling rumors are circulating now that the pair may be getting a divorce. In order to comprehend what is going on, let’s get into the specifics.
Some reports claim that Ben Affleck has been living apart from his wife, Jennifer Lopez, at a different house. Reporters claimed to have seen him leave this house by himself several times.
In particular, the actor was spotted coming and going from a house in Brentwood, Los Angeles, that he seemed to be living alone. Affleck has reportedly been staying the night here, according to sources.
InTouch revealed earlier this week that Lopez and Affleck might be splitting up. According to the publication, Affleck had left their Beverly Hills marital residence. Although Affleck’s formal move out date is still unknown, it appears that he has been residing at his Brentwood house for a minimum of one week.
It’s interesting to note that over this time, Lopez and Affleck have both remained ring wearers. Despite their previous solo sightings at various events, Ben was conspicuously absent from Lopez’s side at the Met Gala last week.
His absence was attributed to “The Accountant 2” filming schedule conflicts with the event. However, the night before the Met Gala, Affleck was spotted in Los Angeles at Tom Brady’s roast. Additionally, Lopez has been spotted by paparazzi exploring Los Angeles without her spouse.
Lopez and her longtime producing partner were recently spotted house searching. At first, people thought she was looking for a new place to live with Affleck. There are now rumors circulating that she may be searching for a place to live alone.
The pair was last seen together in a photo in New York City back in March. They haven’t made any joint public appearances since then.
In terms of Affleck, he has been residing in Brentwood, the same community as his ex-wife Jennifer Garner and their three kids. According to reports, Affleck has been going to his kids’ events, which could account for his decision to stay in Brentwood and continue to be his children’s father.
Regarding these reports, neither Jennifer Lopez nor Ben Affleck have released an official remark as of yet.
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