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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10 Methods for Treating Body Acne
Many people suffer from body acne. Acne affects 9.4% of the world’s population, according to research. It is usual to have them, yet they might cause some people to lose confidence.
“Embrace yourself,” I want to say to anyone with acne. ACNE IS JUST A CONDITION, AND YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! AND NOTHING ELSE.”
There are ten strategies to treat body acne. Maintain your positive outlook!
Don’t let the sweat dry out on your skin! Take a shower!
Sweat is created significantly while exercising and maintaining your body’s health regimen. Avoid letting it dry on your skin by showering as soon as you finish your workout.
Exfoliating scrubs should be included in your skincare regimen. It can remove dead skin cells and clean your skin of sweat, debris, and anything else that clogs your pores.
Some textiles and clothing may irritate your skin. Wear breathable clothing to stay comfortable and avoid skin concerns.
Hair off your back!
Long hair can collect grime on your back. Please keep it to the side and off your back to avoid unpleasant acne.
Choose your skincare products carefully.
Take care when using skincare products. Examine the ingredients and choose acne-prone skin care products. Acne can be treated with salicylic acid, tea tree oil, and white willow bark.
Stay hydrated!
Remember that moisturized skin is healthy! Increase your water intake because it aids in immune function and washes out bacteria that cause acne.
Add anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant foods to your diet.
Including anti-inflammatory items in your diet helps to lessen the appearance of acne. Berries, whole grains, beans, certain nuts, and various other foods all contribute to this aim.
Do not pop the zits!
Avoid touching or popping the zits. It can result in scarring or even infection. If it itches excessively, consult a dermatologist and obtain a topical spray for a speedier recovery.
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