Demi Lovato’s 'Child Star' Documentary on Hulu Exposes the Dark Side of Fame—Here’s What We Learned

Child stars have been a major part of the entertainment industry since its earliest days—and they’ve been a subject of public fascination for just as long. The idea of a kid going from school to stardom feels like something out of a fairy tale, though as anyone can tell you, there isn’t always a happy ending. Many pitfalls can happen when one is pushed into an adult world at a young age, and it's heartbreaking to consider how many child stars have struggled with addiction, been abused or passed away far too young. 

Hulu’s new documentary Child Star, co-directed by Demi Lovato, shines a light on the dark side of fame and the challenges many child stars have faced. Lovato got her start as a teen Disney Channel star on the '00s shows Camp Rock and Sonny With a Chance, so the documentary takes a personal approach and combines Lovato’s stories about her own battles with addiction and eating disorders with revealing conversations between Lovato and former child stars like Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci and Raven-Symoné. 

Here are some of the most revealing things we learned from watching Hulu’s Child Star. 

Christina Ricci was protected by Cher

Christina Ricci made her debut playing Cher’s daughter in the 1990 film Mermaids. Ricci was just 10 years old, and she said that Cher served as a mentor. As she told Lovato, “Cher took me under her wing, and she recognized that sometimes you could be on a set, and you don't know exactly what is going on behind the scenes—power struggles, or different issues. And if you don't know any better, and have no experience, you can think it was your fault. And she never wanted me to feel insecure."

While Ricci had her share of personal struggles, and called her dad a “failed cult leader” in her interview, she said, “I was really lucky, in that when I first started, I worked with a lot of women that were very strong. They were great talents, but they were also very strong and had boundaries and had rules about how they were treated. And that's one thing that I definitely got from her."

Drew Barrymore sees herself as a “walking cautionary tale”

Drew Barrymore is one of the most prominent examples of child stardom’s dark side, as she was born into a showbiz family and fell into addiction at a shockingly young age. In the documentary, she calls herself a “walking cautionary tale,” and recalls doing drugs with adults at age 10. Today, of course, Barrymore is an inspiration to many, as she’s sober and well-adjusted, with an infectiously positive spirit, and she has two daughters who are around the same age she was when engaging in dangerous behavior.

While Barrymore said she “didn’t know boundaries” during her child star years, she’s gone on to make protecting her daughters a priority, and credits her E.T. director Steven Spielberg with being a father figure and giving her much-needed support at a time when most of the adults in her life failed her.

Demi Lovato endured abuse from her classmates

While it seems like being a child star could make you popular with your classmates, this isn’t always the case, as kids can often be jealous and act like just because one of their peers is different they deserve to be bullied. 

In one of the documentary’s saddest moments, Demi Lovato reveals that her classmates were incredibly cruel, saying, “The popular girls signed a suicide petition saying that I should kill myself.” The combination of bullying and a demanding schedule took a serious toll on Lovato, and she ended up battling addiction and mental health issues. Thankfully, she’s now sober and in a better place than she once was. 

Raven-Symoné knew she was her family’s breadwinner

Raven-Symoné was acting before she could even speak full sentences, and when she was just 3 years old, she was cast in The Cosby Show. When Lovato asked if she was aware of what she was doing given how young she was, she replied, “I knew it was work immediately,” and added, “I understood that this was a job. If you lose it, you don’t make the money.” Raven-Symoné shared how this impacted her family dynamic, saying, “Sometimes the parents’ dreams might bleed into the child’s, and you get so enmeshed. Parents forget that children, young kids, are performing for their parents. They’re performing for their parents’ love and affection.” 

Read on for more about child stars!

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Mara Wilson Young: The ‘Matilda’ Star on Her Early Career and Growing Up In the Spotlight

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