HBO’s ‘Showbiz Kids’ attempts to shine a light on the dark side of child stardom

Showbiz Kids opens with a statistic: “Every year, over 20,000 child actors audition for roles in Hollywood. Ninety-five percent of them don’t book a single job.” The new HBO documentary decides to focus primarily on the five percent of young actors who do get roles (and big ones, too) by pasting together archival news footage, old movie clips, and interviews from people who grew up in the spotlight. 

These now-grown actors include Wil Wheaton (Stand by Me, Star Trek: The Next Generation), Henry Thomas (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial), Mara Wilson (Mrs. Doubtfire, Matilda), Milla Jovovich (Return to the Blue Lagoon), and Jada Pinkett Smith (The Nutty Professor). Additionally, Cameron Boyce (Jessie, Descendants) and Diana Serra Cary (who performed as Baby Peggy in silent films) make posthumous appearances.  Read more…

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