Credit: DisneyDemi Lovato recently opened up about the gaps between her childhood dream of becoming a star and the reality of the entertainment industry for minors. Lovato and other former child actors spoke out in her documentary, Child Star. The film premiered on Hulu on September 17.
Lovato’s journey began watching Shirley Temple, dreaming of a life on the stage and screen. The former Disney Channel star started on Barney & Friends and in beauty pageants. Despite her aspirations, she faced extreme bullying when she started acting, which served as both a catalyst for her ambition and a source of profound emotional pain.
The bullying incidents Lovato faced were intense, leading to feelings of despair and isolation. Lovato revealed that the cruelty from classmates included creating a “suicide petition” against her.
“It was passed around, and people signed it,” Lovato said. “It was so extremely hurtful.”
“I’m going to be so famous they can’t escape my name,” she remembered thinking.
Lovato acknowledged that her need to succeed was entangled with a destructive cycle of seeking external validation, a common thread among child stars. Her dedication led her through various Disney projects, including Camp Rock (2008), which, while thrilling, also began to unveil a darker side of child stardom.
The Darker Reality Behind Demi Lovato’s Disney Fame
The excitement of rapid success at a young age also came with immense pressure for Lovato. Grueling schedules left little room for rest, personal growth, or play. Lovato vividly described being worked to exhaustion.
“I would say, ‘If you’re going to work me like an adult, I’m going to party like an adult,’” Lovato said, referring to substance abuse issues she developed in her teens. “…Finding drugs was easy. That was the only way I knew how to escape.”
In 2018, Lovato survived a near-fatal overdose.
“I get a lot of anxiety when I think about how close I came to not being here at all,” she said.
Reflecting on her time with Disney, she discussed the challenges of maintaining mental health amid constant scrutiny. Lovato candidly addressed her struggles with eating disorders, which worsened during the press tours for her films.
Demi Lovato Isn’t Alone
Demi Lovato is not alone in her battles with mental health. In Child Star, she engaged in candid conversations with fellow celebrities who have navigated similar struggles. Other former child stars, including Drew Barrymore, Jojo Siwa, Kenan Thompson, Raven-Symoné, and Christina Ricci, shared how fame affected their mental well-being, revealing a pattern of substance abuse and self-destructive behaviors.
Barrymore has long been open about her struggles as a child star. In her 1990 memoir “Little Girl Lost,” she revealed that she had her first drink at age nine and used cocaine for the first time at twelve.
“I used to get high with my mom’s friend at like, ten,” Barrymore said in Child Star. “Having a 10-year-old daughter now, it’s unfathomable. But that’s just how I grew up.”
Ricci also fell victim to substance abuse.
“I immediately went right to drugs and alcohol in my teens,” she recalled. “I don’t remember feeling like there was any other way to be happy.”
Many former child actors experience long-term effects, including difficulties with identity and maintaining healthy relationships.
Reunion With ‘Camp Rock’ Co-star
In Child Star, Demi Lovato reunited with Camp Rock co-star Alyson Stoner for the first time in years. Stoner opened up about the challenging work dynamic they shared while filming the Disney movies and discussed the importance of healing their strained relationship.
“The last few years of working together felt really challenging,” Stoner told Lovato. “I do remember a sense of walking on eggshells. There was definitely a lot of fear of a blowup.”
By the time the pair filmed Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010), Lovato was already struggling with substance abuse, an eating disorder, and other mental health issues. Stoner said her heart was “racing” as she spoke to Lovato about the tumultuous time in their lives.
Lovato apologized to Stoner for her behavior at the time.
Co-Director Reflects on Working With Demi Lovato
In an interview with TODAY.com, Child Star co-director Nicola Marsh revealed that Lovato didn’t initially want to appear in the documentary. She described the star’s “real burning, burning passion” to direct the project.
“She really didn’t want it to be about her,” Marsh said. “But I also knew that if you want to get people to open up, the best thing you can do is to be talking to somebody that you have commonality with, that you share stuff with… It’s much easier for Drew and Alyson and any of them to talk about the skeletons in their childhood closets if they’re talking to somebody who also has plenty of skeletons.”
Marsh highlighted the importance of the reunion between Stoner and Lovato.
“The dynamic between Alyson and Demi was really real,” the co-director said. “Things were quite tense and they had a lot of water that hadn’t quite made it under the bridge.”
Marsh praised how Lovato encouraged Stoner to be honest, even if she was afraid of what her co-star would say.
“Most people don’t want to open that Pandora’s box, and so I felt like I had to give Demi a lot of credit for wanting to find out and look inside,” she concluded.
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Child Star premiered on Disney-owned Hulu on September 17.
How could the entertainment industry improve circumstances for child stars like Demi Lovato? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.