feature

Feature

Back to the Future What are the some of the kid stars of yesterday doing today?

Glam finds out!

A

t one point or another, we’ve all wondered what happened to those little kids we used to watch on TV once upon a time. We grew up watching these child celebrities and slowly as our lives got busier, we lost track of them.

Some of yesterday’s child stars are still around today - thriving in the entertainment industry. Others have faded out of the lime light slowly. Let’s take a look at what yesterday’s child stars are doing today. Are they today’s superstars or just old Has-Beens? Glam finds out!

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Alyssa Milano

Alyssa Milano Then: Alyssa Milano grew up in the public eye. She landed her first role in Annie at the age of eight and went on to star in Who’s The Boss? a popular sitcom which ran from 1984 -1992.

She starred as Samantha Micelli till the end of the series and wormed her way into the hearts of TV viewers worldwide Now: Alyssa, knew about the dismal fate of childhood stars who were

growing up in the nineties and so worked hard after her stint at Who’s The Boss? ended. She appeared in a series of films targeted at adult audiences and eventually landed the role of Phoebe Halliwell in Charmed in 1998. She went on to star in that popular TV series till it ended in 2006.

Milano today is gorgeous, successful and has gone on to star and produce in other TV series. Currently she’s starring in Romantically Challenged.

Looks like she didn’t fade into oblivion!

Macaulay Culkin Then: We all remember wishing we were as smart as Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The guy behind Kevin’s character was none other than the adorable Macaulay Culkin. At the height of his fame, this child star was compared to Shirley Temple.

Born in 1980, he began acting at the age of four.

Now: Sadly, Culkin too has faded from the limelight as the years have gone by. Following the colossal successes of the box office Home Alone hits, Culkin’s movies have done only moderately well at the box office. The young actor already has one drug misdemeanour and a divorce under his belt. He continues to act, but so far nothing’s really caught our eye.

Shall we write him off as a Has-Been? It may be too soon to tell. Come on Macaulay, prove us wrong!

on to star in many more films and even made an appearance in Mandy Moore’s music video Candy in 1999.

Now: Johansson is one of the few lucky child stars who did not have

Melissa Joan Hart

Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson Then: Scarlett Johansson started acting when she was just nine years old. She starred in her

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first film North as John Ritter’s daughter. When she was twelve Scarlett garnered a nomination for her role of Amanda in 1996’s Manny and Lo. Johansson went

to work hard to transition to adult roles. Today she is at the height of her fame. She sings, acts (her latest movie being Iron Man 2), is active politically and regularly stars in... every man’s fantasy! Johansson holds the

continues to act and direct, she maintains her wholesome image by mostly taking on family movies and TV series. She also has two adorable sons and is married to musician Mark Wilkinson. Are we sad we don’t get to see much of her anymore? Yes. But she seems happy enough so good on her!

Neil Patrick Harris Then: Neil began his career as a kid star, starring in 1988’s film Clara’s Heart. The actor won a nomination for a Golden Globe for his role in the movie. Following completion of the movie, Neil won the lead role in Doogie Howser M.D. He was again nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in the series.

Now: Today, this particular kid star of yesteryears is well on his way to becoming a superstar. His role as Barney Stinson in widely popular sit-com How I Met Your Mother has earned him three Emmy nominations and a very wide fan base. He continues to act in Broadway musicals and is all set to direct rock musical Rent.

He also recently guest starred on an episode of hot new show Glee, playing the high school rival of showchoir director Will Schuester.

Neil’s natural charisma and easy wit confirm that he won’t be fading away any time soon!

Neil Patrick Harris unique distinction of never having disappeared from the limelight!

Melissa Joan Hart Then: We know her best as Clarissa from Clarissa Knows Best, or Sabrina from Sabrina The Teenage Witch. Melissa Joan Hart was every mother’s dream daughter; she was sweetness personified in the form of the girl next door. The young star

started acting at the age of three (she starred in her first commercial) and by the age of five, Melissa had an impressive twenty five commercials under her belt. As a teenager she solidified her popularity with the clean cut TV shows Clarissa Knows Best and Sabrina The Teenage Witch.

Now: Melissa is sadly, no longer in the media limelight. Whilst she

Well, there you have it folks! Of course, this doesn’t even begin to cover the vast multitude of child stars that have come and gone or alternatively come and stayed.

I wonder what the child stars of today will be doing tomorrow. Zac Efron, where are you gonna be in ten years eh? We’re hoping right here! G’luck kids!

Tatyana M. Ali Then: Born in 1979, Tatyana started performing at the age of six, making regular appearances on Sesame Street. In 1990, the young tween got the role of Ashley Banks in hugely popular TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The series ran till 1996 and fans of the show got to watch Tatyana blossom into a lovely young lady before their eyes.

Now: Straight after the finale of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Tatyana set to work on her music career. Her first Album Kiss the Sky was certified gold. She currently appears on The Young and the Restless and is working on her second album Light due to be released this year. Tatyana is also acting in various other shows/ productions but nothing that matches the scale or popularity of Fresh Prince. Yes, the mighty have fallen, but not very far yet. We’re hoping for a major comeback this year Tatyana!

JUNE 2010

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