Why Child Stars are Set Up to Fail

Dear Hollywood

Alyson Stoner

Society & Culture

4.9 • 879 Ratings

🗓️ 11 August 2023

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the kickoff episode of Dear Hollywood, Alyson introduces the toddler-to-train wreck pipeline, a century old system involving child entertainers who enter the industry with pluck and promise, only to repeat similarly tragic downward spirals. Alyson discloses insights from a confidential meeting with multiple generations of former child actors, and provides the contextual framework through which we can investigate the events and elements contributing to their demise. As an independent podcast, your support means a lot. Subscribe and follow @alysonstoner to join the conversation. New episodes every Friday.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Can I do it this way?
0:02.0	Sure.
0:03.0	Thanks for being here.
0:04.0	Thanks for bringing this to life.
0:06.0	First episode should be...
0:08.0	Should be easy. Pretty cute.
0:15.0	Hi, I'm Allison Stewart and I'm 8 years old and I'm auditioning for Name something comparable to the pop culture phenomenon of child stardom.
0:38.4	That was the opening line of my op-ed exploring the toddler-to-train-rec pipeline, a term that I assigned to the
0:46.1	systemized spirals of countless young performers who enter the industry with pluck and
0:52.2	promise and end up unwittingly copying and
0:55.5	pasting similar horror stories and cries for help. Drug addiction,
1:00.7	psychiatric hospitalizations, decimated fortunes, sexual trauma, incarceration, suicide.
1:09.6	These experiences have defined my peers and my realities and I've spent the past 10 years
1:15.1	investigating why this tragedy persists in plain sight with little to no intervention
1:20.0	or prevention. Maybe I should introduce myself quickly.
1:23.3	I'm Allison.
1:24.3	I started performing at three years old and working professionally in Hollywood at seven.
1:29.8	Today is my 30th birthday, making it 23 consecutive years working on more than 200 films,
1:36.2	shows, music videos, commercials, voiceovers, tours, and productions.
1:40.3	I have witnessed, contended with, and, relatively speaking, survived the toddler to train wreck pipeline,
1:47.0	albeit not without deep scars, chronic health issues, and lingering challenges.
1:52.9	When I think about someone hearing of this issue from the outside,
	...

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