- Mara Wilson wrote an essay for The New York Times on the dangers of child stardom.
- Wilson, 33, is best known for the 1996 classic “Matilda”.
- The actress also makes comparisons between her early career and that of Britney Spears.
- Visit the Insider home page for more stories.
Actress and author Mara Wilson, best known for starring in “Matilda”, “Miracle on 34th Street” in 1994 and “Mrs. Doubtfire”, published a personal essay in The New York Times on the dangers of child stardom and treatment media ” terrible “by Britney Spears.
The Times published the essay on Tuesday in which Wilson, now 33, detailed his own experiences of being sexualized by the media at a young age and the striking parallels between his early career and the treatment the media gave Britney Spears , which generated widespread conversations following the premiere of FX’s popular documentary “Framing Britney Spears”.
“The way people talked about Britney Spears was terrifying to me back then, and it still is now,” wrote Wilson. “Her story is a remarkable example of a phenomenon that I have witnessed for years: our culture builds these girls just to destroy them. Fortunately, people are becoming aware of what we did with Mrs. Spears and starting to apologize to her. But we still live with the scars. “
“Framing Britney Spears” explores the relationship between stars and the media.
Sky
Wilson went on to say that while Hollywood has endeavored to address harassment issues in the industry, she has never been sexually harassed on a film set. Instead, she said, “sexual harassment has always come from the media and the public.”
“I never appeared in anything more revealing than a knee-length summer dress. All of this was intentional: my parents thought I would be safer that way. But it did not work. People asked me, ‘Do you have a boyfriend? ‘in interviews since the age of 6. Reporters asked me who I thought was the sexiest actor and about Hugh Grant’s arrest for soliciting a prostitute, “she said.
“It was cute when 10-year-olds sent me letters saying they were in love with me. It wasn’t when the 50-year-old men did it. Even before I turned 12, there were pictures of me on foot fetish sites and photoshopped on porn childish. I always felt ashamed. ”
“Framing Britney Spears” was released earlier this month and follows the toxic media circle that has surrounded Britney Spears for much of her career. The documentary also delves into the contentious battle for guardianship between Spears and his father, Jamie Spears – an issue that Wilson highlights as the biggest difference between his life and Britney’s.
“Many moments in Mrs. Spears’ life were familiar to me. We both had dolls made of us, we had close friends and boyfriends sharing our secrets and adult men commenting on our bodies, ”she wrote.
“But my life was easier not only because I was never famous in the tabloids, but because, unlike Spears, I always had the support of my family. I knew I had money saved for me, and it was mine. If I needed to escape in the public eye, I disappeared – safe at home or at school. “