The world first fell in love with the charming Mara Wilson in the early 1990s. She was a child actor who lit up the screen in beloved family movies like Miracle on 34th Street and Mrs. Doubtfire. With her sweet smile and natural talent, she captured the hearts of audiences everywhere.
Now 37 years old as of July 24, Mara seemed ready to take on big roles, but as she grew older, she felt like she lost her “cute” factor and slowly disappeared from the big screen.
“If you’re not cute anymore, if you’re not beautiful, then you are worthless,” Mara said, reflecting on her experience. “Hollywood was burned out on me.”
So, what happened to Mara Wilson? Let’s dive into her story!
When five-year-old Mara Wilson starred as Robin Williams’ youngest child in Mrs. Doubtfire in 1993, she quickly won the hearts of millions. Before that, she had already appeared in commercials and had been in the acting game for a while.
The siblings from ‘MRS DOUBTFIRE’ have reunited over 30 years after the film’s release. pic.twitter.com/igfg92AlN9
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) May 2, 2024
“My parents grounded me even though they were proud of me,” Mara recalled with a laugh. “If I ever said something like, ‘I’m the greatest!’ my mom would remind me, ‘You’re just an actor. You’re just a kid.’”
After her breakout role, Mara was cast as Susan Walker in the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street, the same role that Natalie Wood had played in 1947. Mara remembers her audition vividly: “I read my lines for the production team and told them I didn’t believe in Santa Claus,” she wrote in an essay for The Guardian.
“But I did believe in the tooth fairy and had named mine after Sally Field,” referring to the Oscar-winning actress who played her mother in Mrs. Doubtfire.
But life wasn’t all sunshine for Mara. In 1996, she starred in Matilda, playing the magical girl alongside Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman. Tragically, that same year, her mother, Suzie, lost her battle with breast cancer.
“I wasn’t really sure of my identity,” Mara said, reflecting on her grief. “I felt like I was two different people before and after that. She was like this omnipresent thing in my life.” She added, “I found it kind of overwhelming. I mostly just wanted to be a typical child, especially after my mother’s passing.”
Despite her fame, Mara revealed that she was “the most unhappy” she had ever been.
Her last major role came in 2000 when she was just 11 years old, starring in Thomas and the Magic Railroad. “The characters felt too young for me,” she explained. “I reacted viscerally to the writing at 11 years old. I thought, ugh, I’m over this,” she told The Guardian.
But Mara’s decision to leave Hollywood wasn’t just about roles drying up. As she went through puberty, she started to grow out of the “cute” roles that had made her famous.
“Just another weird, nerdy, loud girl with bad hair and teeth, whose bra strap was always showing,” was how she described herself during this challenging time.
“When I was thirteen, no one had complimented me on my appearance or called me cute—at least not in a flattering way,” she shared.
Backstage at @OkaytoSayTX supporting #mentalhealth awareness and destigmatization! pic.twitter.com/IqfFkuRiPj
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWilson) March 8, 2018
Mara had to navigate the intense demands of celebrity life while trying to grow up in front of the cameras. It had a huge impact on her self-image. “I had this Hollywood notion that you are worthless if you are not attractive or cute anymore,” she explained. “I connected that directly to my career’s downfall. Rejection still hurts, even if I was kind of burned out on it and Hollywood was burned out on me.”
Then, Mara made a significant shift in her life. She became a writer! In 2016, she released her first book, Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame, where she opened up about her journey from being a child star to finding happiness away from the spotlight. The book dives into everything from her experiences on set to the realization that she was no longer seen as “cute” enough for Hollywood.
She also wrote a memoir called Good Girls Don’t, detailing her struggles to meet expectations as a young performer.
In her column for The Guardian, Mara stated, “Being cute just made me miserable. I always thought I’d give up acting one day, not that acting would give up on me.”
Having a rad time at #90sCon! pic.twitter.com/WMEEPpIBRr
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWilson) March 11, 2022
Mara Wilson’s story is a powerful tale of resilience, self-discovery, and learning to find joy beyond Hollywood’s bright lights.
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