11 Child Stars Who Revealed What It Was Really Like Going To Public School
10/05/2024 10:00 AM
Taylor Momsen, Natalie Portman, Taylor Lautner and more former child stars recalled their experience attending public school while also appearing in films and television -- as one admits to being bullied for acting.
For many young actors in Hollywood, their time is split between working on movie sets and catching up on coursework in the classroom. While child stars often opt to be homeschooled to accommodate their busy schedules, some choose a more typical schooling experience.
When they're not in front of the camera, these kid actors make time to attend public school so that they can learn among their peers and gain some normalcy in their lives. While balancing an acting career and time in the classroom can be tough, they often see it as an invaluable life experience. Unfortunately, many of these stars admit they have to deal with the downsides of public school too, like bullying and tough teachers -- and eventually realize it isn't the right choice for them.
Find out what it was like for these young stars at school…
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Taylor Momsen grew up in front of the camera, appearing in How The Grinch Stole Christmas before landing her starring role on Gossip Girl. But before committing to acting full-time, she still attended a public elementary school, which she says was a pretty negative experience due to the bullying she experienced. Although she says she "got used to it" over time, it still "was alienating." Thankfully, when she got to middle school, she was able to make real friends.
"The Grinch changed my life in a multitude of ways -- one of them being I was made fun of relentlessly," she said on the Podcrushed podcast. "Every time I would start a new school or go somewhere else, I don't even think the kids knew my name. I was just Grinch Girl. Not even the character name, just Grinch Girl."
Natalie Portman was still a preteen when she began her acting career but she continued to attend public school. She tried to keep her two lives very separate, even choosing a stage name so people wouldn't connect her two identities. While she admitsshe would get "upset" if people called her by her stage name in school, she says that for the most part, no one really seemed to care that she was an actress.
"I went to a public high school on Long Island, Syosset High School," she said during a commencement speech at Harvard. "Since I'm ancient and the Internet was just starting when I was in high school, people didn't really pay that much attention to the fact that I was an actress. I was known mainly at school for having a backpack bigger than I was and always having white-out on my hands because I hated seeing anything crossed out in my notebooks. I was voted for my senior yearbook most likely to be a contestant on Jeopardy' -- or code for nerdiest."
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Taylor Lautner was a star on the rise when he was still in middle school, appearing in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl as well as many TV shows and commercials. Looking back, Taylor says he was definitely bullied by some of his classmates. He ended up later taking the California High School Proficiency Examination so he could focus on acting.
"Because I was acting, when I was in school there was a little bullying going on. Not physical bullying but people making fun of what I do ... I just had to tell myself I can't let this get to me. This is what I love to do. And I'm going to continue doing it," he told Rolling Stone.
Growing up, Sarah Michelle Gellar split her time between film sets and an elite prep school in New York City. Looking back, Sarah says she didn't fit in because she wasn't as wealthy as her classmates and her work as an actress made her different.
"I was different and that's the one thing you can't be at school, because you're ostracized. I didn't have the money these kids had," she told The Independent. "I can remember this kid having an engraved Tiffany money-clip when I barely had enough money for my bus pass. It was amazing to see what excessive wealth at an early age and lack of parental supervision breeds."
She later went on to attend New York's Professional Children's School, which ended up being a better fit for her.
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Christina Ricci may have been a child star but she says she was thankfully able to have a normal schooling experience. Despite her fame, Christina avoided talking about her career at school and managed to keep a completely separate life.
"I was smart enough at the time to immediately understand that I would not be accepted by my peers if I spoke about my career when I came back to school, so I never talked about it. I made a point of ignoring it and avoiding it. I was able to be very focused and disciplined in a way I think people were surprised by because it's not necessarily a trait children have very often. But other than that I think I was pretty normal," she shared with Empire Magazine.
6. Mila Kunis
Despite beginning her acting career when she was just nine, Mila Kunis' parents always stressed the importance of being in school. She was able to balance it all until her freshman year when she landed her role in That '70s Show. Mila ended up getting kicked out of the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies because of her filming schedule -- but Fairfax High School agreed to accommodate her.
"I didn't want to be home-schooled. For my parents, I wanted to graduate on a stage with everyone else," Mila shared with Interview Magazine. "So I was like, 'Look, I can't go to class when I'm working. It's impossible. But on my hiatuses, I will come to school. I have three teachers and I have other tutors.' And the school was very supportive. The only class that I had to attend every day was biology when we were doing dissections. I would take an 8 a.m. bio class, dissect my animal, and then run to work."
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Michelle Trachtenberg may have been the star of Harriet The Spy and appeared on quite a few Nickelodeon shows but it didn't stop her classmates from tormenting her. While attending school in the midst of her blossoming acting career, Michelle says she was subject to merciless bullying. One year on Valentine's Day, her class was assigned to give everyone a card -- but Michelle didn't receive anything.
"No one gave a thought I was helping my family pay bills. I was just the girl on the tv," Michelle wrote on Instagram. "The kids were cruel. There is no need to harp on the past. But I still have scars from being thrown down stairs and slammed into lockers head first. I write this to every child, teen, person out there who is bullied. You are something. Do not put your value in someone else. Not letting them win is your win."
While Jodie Sweetin was starring on Full House, she was also going to public school. She says middle school was incredibly difficult and she was constantly bullied by her classmates. Kids often tried to mess with her -- but she says it gave her thick skin.
"I knew people either wanted to be my friend because they were impressed by me or because they just wanted to be around me to f--k with me," she said on Steve-O's Wild Ride podcast. "I remember walking through the quad in the 7th grade on the first day of school, and someone just chucked an apple right at my head. They'd write s--t on my locker, or intentionally try to trip me, or as you walk by, talk s--t."
She continued, "I just learned to be like, 'F--k you.' It gave me a real thick skin. It prepared me well for the internet, that's for sure."
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Dakota Fanning was homeschooled for much of her childhood but when she got to freshman year, she decided she wanted to go to a regular high school in Los Angeles. Looking back, Dakota says her classmates treated her with kindness and she was even on the cheerleading squad and named homecoming queen.
"I started there in the ninth grade, and they were pretty receptive to me right away. I really wanted a home base, because I feel like no matter how old people are, they remember homecoming. They remember their senior prom. And I really wanted that," she told HuffPost.
10. Josh Peck
As a kid, Josh Peck grew up going to a performing arts school in New York but when he landed his role on The Amanda Show, he moved to Los Angeles with his mom. They wound up living in Beverly Hills and he went to a local public school that was not accommodating to his working schedule. On top of that, his fellow classmates "sucked" and treated him badly.
"I'm used to a performing arts high school where they're literally like, 'Whatever you need, the bigger the opportunity, the better. We'll make it easy.' I walk into this normal school where they're like, 'You're not coming for three weeks? Like, you have algebra.' And I'm like, 'I got song and dance, I can't make it.' And they were like, 'Then you fail, we're not helping you to skip school for months on end,'" Josh recalled on Steve-O's Wild Ride podcast.
Josh later ended up enrolling at a continuation school for child actors.
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11. Tia & Tamera Mowry
Tia and Tamera Mowry went to a normal high school while they were filming Sister, Sister and it "wasn't really the best experience" for them. Looking back, they shared that high schoolers "can be mean" and they ended up getting frequently bullied by their classmates. Other students made fun of everything from their appearance to their television show.
"I would never forget a kid screamed down the hall and he said, 'Your show sucks!' Just like that, out loud in front of all the kids and I said, 'You know what, I'm sick and tired of this. I'm finally going to say something.' And then I turned around and I said, 'Well the checks don't!'" Tamera told HLN, adding that he shut up after that.
