Being a child actor is one of the greatest things that can happen to a kid. I should know. It happened to me. When I was eight years old my father and mother and I were members of the cast and crew of the outdoor play, Stars in My Crown. My mother was cast in one of the major supporting roles, I was an extra, and my father was the property master.
The reason I think it is so great is that the child gets to play pretend with a bunch of adults. It has a remarkably positive effect on the kid’s self image. It also teaches them to be confident in front of a large crowd of strangers.
I suspect that there are similar benefits to being a child actor in films but I don’t have any personal experience in that regard. I have made some short films for You Tube with the children of some of my friends but I somehow think that was a bit different from them having a role in a major commercial movie.
I’ve said it before in this venue but I miss performing on stage. When I feel the urge become strong enough I suspect I’ll do something about it. In the mean time I have a lot of interesting memories to write about.
Sweet dreams, don’t forget to tell the ones you love that you love them, and most important of all, be kind.