Top 10 Things Young Actors CAN'T Do on Sets
#10: Be Woken Up If They’re a Sleeping Baby
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Even huge movie stars can’t sleep when it’s time to shoot their scenes. Whether you’re Jennifer Lawrence or Tom Cruise, if it’s time to shoot, you have to wake up. Well, maybe there are special rules for Tom Cruise, but you get the idea. However, if you’re a sleeping baby on set and it’s time for your scene, guess what? You can just keep on sleeping. That’s right, it’s considered unethical to wake a sleeping baby in that situation. So in those cases, they usually have a twin baby or a doll on standby to use instead.
#9: Have a Beard If They Are Working for Disney
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While Disney has made a lot of young actors into worldwide superstars, they’ve also made them adhere to strict rules regarding things like facial hair. Just ask Joe Jonas who, along with his brothers, were major Disney stars in the late-2000s. When their sitcom “Jonas” started in 2009, Joe was almost 20. But Disney likes their stars innocent and clean-shaven. So, as Jonas wrote, in an essay for Vulture magazine back in 2013, “I had to shave every day because they wanted me to pretend like I was 16.”
#8: Manage Their Own Social Media Accounts
This one isn’t a rule for young actors specifically, but rather for young people in general. You see, if you read the rules and regulations for social media platforms like Instagram, you’ll see that they have an age restriction requiring a person to be 13 years of age or older to create an account. Instagram goes even further, stating that any account representing a person under 13 must “clearly state in the account’s bio that the account is managed by a parent or manager.” With that being said, the amount of influence a young actor has over what goes on their social media will vary.
#7: Have Any Makeup Applied Without Parents' Permission
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The health and well-being of children on movie sets are paramount. And there's always a parent or guardian there to watch over the child, including the time they spend in the makeup chair. And speaking of makeup, nothing is applied to a child’s skin without permission from said parent or guardian. While this might not seem like a big deal for a little eyeliner and blush, what about those infants who are made to look as if they’ve just emerged from a birth canal? The substances used vary from movie to movie, but can include anything from high fructose corn syrup to, as was used in “Knocked Up” - grape jelly and cream cheese.
#6: Get 100% of Their Pay
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This one might seem bad at first, but it’s actually there to protect the child and their earnings. You see, back in the 1920s, Jackie Coogan became a child star after appearing in Charlie Chaplin’s “The Kid.” However, his parents ended up spending almost all of his money, which eventually led to California passing the California Child Actor’s Bill, also known as the Coogan Bill, in 1939. And one of the regulations of said bill states that the employer of a child actor must put 15% of the child’s earnings in a trust or ‘Coogan Account.’ Thus protecting the child’s money from greedy and unethical parents, guardians, and the like.
#5: Be Aware of Stuff They Shouldn’t Know
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Although children may act in R-rated movies, they aren’t supposed to be exposed to content that isn’t suitable for them. This means, as much as possible, any of the naughty bits or scary stuff is filmed when they aren’t on set. While the extent of how in the dark a child remains will vary, there are some extreme examples of how surprisingly well this rule can be applied and maintained. Danny Lloyd, the child actor who played Danny Torrance in “The Shining” has confessed to being oblivious to the fact that they were making a horror movie. He does remember being banned from the set on several occasions, including “the entire time Scatman Crothers was being axed.”
#4: Suffer Consequences for Walking Out on Their Contract
As a minor in the United States, you can’t vote and you can’t legally drink alcohol. But you can walk out on a contract with no repercussions. So that’s kinda cool, right?! It’s true, in the eyes of the law, a minor doesn’t have the competence to enter into a legal contract and it is therefore non-binding. And no, parents are not able to enter into a contract on the child’s behalf. With that being said, there are ways, in California, to petition the courts to approve a contract with a minor, thereby removing said minor’s right to negate it.
#3: Avoid School Work
If you’re a minor who thinks getting an acting job in a movie will help you avoid school work, think again. A basic education is mandatory for everyone, even actors. There must be a studio teacher on set and a place available for them and the child to spend the mandatory allotted school time together. Now, it should also be pointed out that while school work is mandatory, the value of the education that takes place on sets isn’t always top-notch. Often done in bits and pieces during set changes and the like, the actor's schooling is not always a priority for the producers or even the child themselves.
#2: Work If They Are Under 15 Days Old
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Have you ever watched a movie where a woman gives birth and the baby shows up looking like they’re already two weeks old? Well, that’s because they probably are. While the laws do vary from state to state, California is, by far, the largest movie-producing state in the nation. And in California, the law requires an infant to be at least 15 days old to work on a movie. And if the baby is premature, they have to be at least one month old to make their debut on the silver screen.
#1: Work Longer than Their Age Permits
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Not only does California have strict laws about how old a child has to be to work on a movie, but they also dictate how long their work day can be - based on their age. 17-year-olds are allowed to be on set for 10 hours and work for 6-8 of them (more on holidays), while 6-to-9-year-olds can work 4 hours of the 8 they are permitted to be on set. And if we look at infants under 6 months old, they are allowed 2 hours on set but can only work for 20 minutes out of those 120. This is why producers often like to hire twins or triplets - in order to get 2-3 times more availability per day for the character.
