By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Rotten Tomatoes/Max
The second episode of the docuseries “Hollywood Demons,” Child Stars Gone Violent, featured interviews with actors such as Dee Jay Daniels and Brian Bonsall. It’s one of the darkest episodes of the series.
Many child stars carry a bad track record after a successful film or TV show. Why does this happen? It could be a variety of reasons. There are several parents of these child actors who “pimp” out their kids.
Parents focus on accumulating money and use their kids to fulfill that promise. Many of these child actors receive immense pressure from their parents, agencies, and the industry in general.
When it’s a hit show and develops great chemistry with the cast members, when the show ends, it can take a toll psychologically on the young actor.
In this episode, you also get to see producers of shows like “Home Improvement” and “That’s So Raven” discuss their experience working with child actors on set. Orlando Brown is an excellent example of a charming and characteristic young actor in the business who was successful but ran into problems after his time with That’s So Raven.
Dee Jay Daniels was best known for playing D.L. Hughley’s son, Michael Hughley, in the UPN sitcom The Hughleys. Daniels also played in Disney’s 2005 film Sky High, which grossed $86.4 million worldwide with a production budget of $35 million. The film is considered a cult classic today.
Daniels grew up with rigorous parents. He got exposed at an early age and got pushed to act at the age of five.
His life hit a massive 360, from appearing in several sitcom shows to having his face tattooed all over the place and getting arrested for a murder case, which he was fortunate enough to be acquitted of.
If you’re a parent, it’s better to think long and hard about putting your kids in the business of film and TV. It’s a cutthroat business, and it’s not meant for everyone.
Kim Fields, Kenan, and Kel are some of the young actors who were okay in the long run. They’re not the only ones, but they are great examples of being raised correctly.
Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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