10 Former Child Stars Who Will Always Be Associated With Their Breakout Role (And Where They Are Now)

Amazon recently announced that Macaulay Culkin will be joining Precipitation season 2 cast in an undisclosed role. We hope Culkin integrates seamlessly Precipitationcast and post-apocalyptic world, because it can be difficult to watch it and not think about Alone at homeIt’s Kevin McCallister. Culkin is one of a small group of actors who will always have the acclaim of being a beloved former child star, but many find it difficult to break the association with his breakout role.

Each of the former child stars follows a different path after achieving stardom at a young age. Demi Lovato Hulu Documentary Child star explores the very different experiences that child actors go through. Some embrace the films that made them famous, returning to the roles decades later. Others use their financial security to pursue passion projects or take on obscure roles. Many child stars use their early success to launch big careers in Hollywood. Checking out where these former child stars are now could shed some interesting light on their original roles.

Macaulay Culkin

Kevin McCallister in Home Alone (1990)

Macaulay Culkin became famous at age 10 for his role as Kevin McCallister in Alone at home. Culkin’s clever and mischievous Kevin is one of the most iconic children’s performances of all time. Alone at home It was a huge box office success and is now considered a Christmas classic. He reprized his role in the 1992 sequel, although Culkin did not star Home Alone 3. Culkin followed his success with several major projects, including My girl (1991) and rich rich (1994.)

In the mid-90s, Culkin retired from acting to focus on his personal life. When he returned a decade later, Culkin took on more adult roles. Culkin did not seek stardom, instead exploring creative outlets like his satirical pop culture website, Bunny Ears. Culkin hugs Alone at homeeven reprising the role for a commercial in 2018, but uses his financial security to pursue roles that interest him, like his upcoming role in season 2 of Precipitation.

Mara Wilson

Matilda Absinthe in Matilda (1996)

Mara Wilson rose to prominence playing Natalie Hillard in Mrs.but her celebrity reached new heights when she starred as the titular character in Matilde. Wilson embodied the strength and vulnerability of the precocious character so well, especially for someone who was only nine years old. She made the film feel grounded, even with Matilda’s magical powers and the heightened behavior of the many adult bullies in Matilda’s life.

Wilson continued to have steady work after Matildebut as she reached her teens, the roles began to dwindle. Wilson decided to step away from acting, especially as he was dealing with the death of his mother. Wilson shifted his energy from acting to writing and other creative pursuits. Your memoir, Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Childhood and Accidental Famedetails the challenges of growing up in the spotlight, which was praised as relatable and important.

Abigail Breslin

Olive Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Abigail Breslin received acclaim for starring as Olive Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine. At just 10 years old, Breslin was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Audiences were moved by the warmth and humor she brought to Olive and by Breslin’s ability to hold her own against veteran actors like Steve Carell and Toni Collette. Breslin took advantage of the momentum of Little Miss Sunshine to build a very varied portfolio of activities.

Breslin, who is just 28 years old, continues to focus primarily on acting. Breslin has explored many genres – from family drama in Nick Cassavetes’ My Guardian Sisters for action comedy in Zombieland to horror satire in Scream Queensavoiding large franchises. Although she has not yet reached the award level of her Little Miss Sunshine days of acting, Breslin’s willingness to dabble in different genres and work with different directors suggests that more interesting work is certainly to come.

Peter Billingsley

Ralphie Parker in A Christmas Story (1983)

Peter Billingsley is best known for playing Ralphie Parker in A Christmas Story at 12 years old. The film follows Ralphie’s misadventures during Christmas in the 1940s. A Christmas Story it was a modest success, but Billingsley’s wide-eyed admiration captured the hearts of the audience. His delivery of lines like “You’ll shoot yourself in the eye!” it was instantly quotable. A Christmas StoryIt grew in popularity over time due to television reruns and is now considered a holiday classic. Billingsley continued to act, but never outgrew his association with the role of Ralph.

Billingsley never found the same success as an actor again, and eventually he turned his hand to producing and writing. He had a small role as a scientist in Iron Manwhich he was also executive producer. Billingsley is excited about the role that made him famous. Billingsley has a small cameo Elf like Ming Ming, one of the elves. In 2022, Billingsley reprized his role as adult Ralphie in A Christmas Story for HBO Max, which he also produced and helped write.

Linda Blair

Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist (1973)

Linda Blair was 13 when she starred The Exorcist as Regan MacNeil, the possessed child. Blair’s physicality is one of the film’s most enduring images. Blair’s performance was controversial, but earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Blair became synonymous with Regan. However, Blair had a very difficult time making The Exorcist it haunted her even after her debut.

Blair was a sought after actress following The Exorcistbut she has been typecast in horror films. She appeared frequently in low-budget horror films in the 70s and 80s, including Hellish Night (1981) and Chained Heat (1983.) Blair was never able to break out of his association with the horror genreeven reprising her role as Regan in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and again in The Exorcist: Believer (2023.)

Chloe Grace Moretz

Mindy Macready aka Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass (2010)

Chloë Grace Moretz gained widespread fame for her role as Hit-Girl in the black superhero comedy Smash. At 13, Moretz brought vulnerability and groundedness to a character who also cursed and kicked ass. Smash there was a sequel three years later, with Moretz reprising his role.

Today, Moretz is 27 years old and continues to work on several projects. Moretz played classic villain Carrie in Stephen King’s 2013 horror film Carrieteenage sex worker Alina in The equalizer (2014) and car accident victim Mia in teen drama If I stay (2014.) Moretz is respected as an actress, but has yet to have her breakthrough role in her transition from child star to adult star. Perhaps Matthew Vaugh’s plans for a Smash the reboot will see Moretz reprise her role as Hit-Girl.

Jaleel White

Steve Urkel on Family Matters (1989-1997)

Steve Urkel was only supposed to be in one episode of Family mattersbut audiences loved Jaleel White’s character so much that he got the lead role and stayed for over 200 episodes. Urkel’s unapologetic nerdiness, catchphrases including “I did this?”, and the physical comedy made him a fan-favorite character. White even had the opportunity to write two episodes of Family matters.

Family mattersSuccess was a double-edged sword for White. He owes his career to Urkel, but his career also never went beyond Urkel. White was 12 when the show started and 21 when it ended, so people confused White with the character he played. He has built a career in voice acting, television guest roles and his podcast, The most dangerous in the worldbut For most people, White will always be Urkel first.

Matthew Broderick

Bueller Ferries on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off made Matthew Broderick an overnight star. John Hughes knew Broderick from afar through his work on Broadway and his role in War games (1983) and felt that Broderick had the irreverence, yet good-natured charm, to bring Ferris to life. Although other actors almost played Ferris Bueller, Matthew Broderick has become synonymous with the character. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off became one of the definitive teen comedies of the 1980s. Broderick built a rather eclectic career after the success of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Broderick oscillated between theater and cinema. The success of his musical on Broadway, The Producersit even led to a Hollywood adaptation starring him and Nathan Lane. Broderick’s film choices are interesting and varied: historical war drama Glory (1989) voicing Simba in the Disney film The Lion King (1994), and the black comedy Election (1999.) Lately, Broderick has appeared as himself, showing his sense of humor, in Only murders in the building 3rd season and Shipwreck (2015.) Broderick parlayed early success into a long career where he can handpick the projects that interest him.

Haley Joel Osment

Cole Sear in The Sixth Sense (1999)

11-year-old Haley Joel Osment became a household name after his role as Cole Sear in M. Night Shyamalan’s psychological thriller. The Sixth Sense. Osment embodied Cole’s fear and loneliness, bringing sophistication to the role. His famous phrase “I see dead people” It became one of the most iconic and chilling lines in cinema history. Osment even received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Immediately after The Sixth SenseOsment starred in more high-profile films, notably Steven Spielberg AI Artificial Intelligence. Since 2002, Osment has voiced Sora in the popular video game franchise. Kingdom Hearts. As Osment aged, his career slowed down and he moved from big blockbusters to independent films. Eventually, Osment found his niche in independent films and television. Osment appears to be drawn to offbeat comedies, having guest-starred in Silicon Valley, Future Man, The boysand What we do in the shadows. Osment made a graceful transition from child star to versatile adult actorfinding your own way to shine.

Daniel Radcliffe/Rupert Grint/Emma Watson

Harry Potter / Ron Weasley / Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise (2001-2011)

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson will forever be synonymous with their characters from Harry Potter films: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Radcliffe and Grint were 11 when filming began, while Watson was just 9. As eight films were shot in 10 years, the three didn’t have many opportunities to pursue other projects at the time. The actors were chosen because they personified the characters to some extent, making the association even harder to shake.

Publish-PotterRadcliffe is drawn to strange films that allow him to show off his range. He played a non-verbal corpse in Swiss Army Man and comic villains in Now you see me 2 and The lost city. He also did four seasons Miracle Workers and Broadway theater. Grint has acted in a few television shows, most recently as Julian Pearce in Servant. Watson studied at Brown University. Since then, Watson has been selective in her acting roles, tackling the role of Belle in Disney’s live-action film. Beauty and the beast and Meg March in Greta Gerwig Little Women.