Top 10 Child Stars You Wouldn't Recognize Today

Nineties’ kids know him as the clumsy yet savvy Juni Cortez from “Spy Kids” but to the next generation, he is famous for a whole other reason. Though he never really left the entertainment industry, his popularity waned following the conclusion of the franchise. He did some voiceover work and dabbled in theater but it was his love life that catapulted him back into the limelight. Today, he is best known as pop star Meghan Trainor’s husband. The couple went viral after they were photographed leaving an adult shop together in 2018. Let’s just say, he appeared … different. The “Made You Look” singer has since explained that they were shopping for a friend. Whatever you say, Meghan!

Watching little Cindy Lou Who from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” grow up in front of our very eyes has been a wonderful ride. We’ve seen her go from “Gossip Girl” to goth and boy, did she know what she was doing. The heavily lined eyes became her signature aesthetic, far from the goody-two-shoes she seemed as a child star. Eventually, Taylor left Tinseltown behind with hopes of making it in the music industry. Being the creative genius she is, her rock band, The Pretty Reckless, took off and she has not looked back since.

You’d expect one of Hollywood’s most beloved child stars of all time to have an easy life. However, Mara’s journey has been surprisingly challenging yet inspiring. You might remember her as the absolutely adorable Matilda from the 1996 movie of the same name or Natalie Hillard from “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Unfortunately, her fame proved to be a disadvantage, especially when puberty hit. Being tormented at school was ten times worse and the industry’s beauty standards were harsh, to say the least. Projects were few and far between, so she quit and turned to the quill. Mara’s now a published author and voice actor but you won’t see her at your usual red carpet.

Virtually no one who watched “Stuart Little” could help the mouthful of “awws” that escaped every time we saw George Little on our screens. The kid we hoped would never grow up is now a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and a producer. Luckily for fans, he is still acting but these days, he plays jacked and handsome young men. Perhaps the only thing he has in common with his younger self is his love for animals. Jonathan is dedicated to animal welfare and is also involved with several other philanthropic organizations. What a sweetheart!

Emily’s Osment’s big brother bagged an Oscar nod at eleven for “The Sixth Sense.” If that doesn’t tell you all you need to know about his immense talent, we don’t know what will! Haley Joel paused his acting career at one point to have a normal life away from showbiz. He even grew a beard to make sure he wasn’t spotted by fans. In due course, however, Osment came to terms with the fact that acting was his true calling and returned to the industry. Thankfully, the working environment had improved by then and he could pick up where he left off.

Melissa Joan Hart’s Sabrina might have been a teenage witch but it was her boyfriend, Harvey Kinkle, who had us under his spell. Played by Nate Richert, Harvey was a heartthrob if we had ever seen one. He dominated our TV screens in the nineties with his dirty blonde hair and swoon-worthy smile. He still has his classic grin but the mane has now made way for a beard and a variety of hats that make him look even more unfamiliar. He hasn’t left the entertainment world behind but his appearances have gotten quite sparse over the years while he focuses on his music career.

After his award-winning performance as John Connor in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” Furlong was set for a solid career. However, it all went downhill after he developed both a substance use disorder and an eating disorder. His home life was unstable and as a teenager, he was in a terribly inappropriate relationship with a woman nearly double his age. To add to that, he was incarcerated for domestic violence, which several of his partners accused him of. All this and more obviously took a toll on his good looks but that was the least of his concerns. Fortunately, he has since changed his ways and is now reportedly sober.

It seems like we blinked and the delightfully endearing Cindy Brady grew up. What we did not expect was for the “Brady Bunch” actress to become so polarizing a figure. After being typecast, Susan stepped away from La-La Land. What kept her in the headlines, however, were the problematic and allegedly discriminatory comments she made every now and then. She once went as far as to claim that she was ousted from a potential “Brady Bunch” reboot because of her, quote, “dangerous” statements. Politics aside, Susan is now a mother with glasses and bangs replacing her signature pigtails. You wouldn’t be surprised if you ran into her at the grocery store, probably because you wouldn’t know it was her in the first place.

We saw him as an exceptionally talented young actor who played baby Anakin Skywalker in the first “Star Wars” prequel “The Phantom Menace.” What we didn’t see was how desperately ten-year-old Jake was struggling behind the scenes. Facing taunting at school and being hounded by cameras every waking hour of the day had a devastating impact on him. Calling his childhood traumatizing would be an understatement. No wonder he abandoned his rising career as an actor in 2001. The only time he showed up on our screens after that was when he was arrested for speeding, which led to a police chase. In his mugshot, his head was shaved and he sported a goatee, obviously far from the innocent little kid we remember.

#1: Steven Anthony Lawrence

The only way you’ll ever recognize this child actor is from his personality. The “Even Stevens” star continues to be as impish and playful as when he was a Disney kid. The only thing that has changed, and drastically, might we add, is his entire face. For starters, long gone is the memorable bowl cut. Steven is now nearly bald, has lost considerable weight, and has a full beard. You might just mistake a different celebrity for him or the other way around! On the personal front, he struggled with substance use disorder but has now turned a new leaf and teaches acting.

How do you feel about Hollywood’s treatment of child stars? Sound off in the comments!