Hollywood Mom Blog » Celebrity Parents

Celeb Profile: No Child Actors for Future Mom, Hayden Panettiere

Hollywood Mom — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:41:41 +0000

Not many people hold the title of both child actor and celebrity offspring simultaneously; even fewer hold those titles and transition successfully to television stardom by early adulthood. This makes Hayden Panettiere a rare breed indeed. According to a recent interview with “In Style” Magazine, one time child actor and now star of the hit sci-fi series “Heroes,” on NBC, Hayden shares that she’d like to have as many as four children of her own someday; however, contrary to her own upbringing, she will not allow her kids to go the show biz route.

The 19-year-old “Heroes” star, daughter of former soap opera actress Lesley Vogel, shares “I always said I want four kids – I love kids. I would love to be a [mother] and to have a family – for Italians, [a family is] the most important thing you can have.”

But in regards to being a child star, Hayden adds, “I think you have to be a pretty strong person to enter the industry that young and not be affected by it. I was lucky, but I’d never want my kids to be subject to that much criticism at such a young age.” Read more about Hayden in the current issue of “In Style.”

Congrats Sean Patrick and Aonika Laurent Thomas on the birth of baby Lola Jolie

Hollywood Mom — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:40:00 +0000

Aonika and Sean Patrick Thomas

Celebrity couple Sean Patrick Thomas (Raisins in the Sun; Barber Shop) and Aonika Laurent Thomas (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer) delivered a healthy baby girl on Friday, May 16, 2008, at Cedars Sinai. They’ve named her Lola Jolie. I had the pleasure of attending their baby shower a few weeks ago and interviewing the couple about their journey to parenthood.

What I didn’t mention in that interview is that Sean and I actually worked together back in 1997 on a little teen flick called “Can’t Hardly Wait,” which was jammed packed with talented, young actors (Seth Green, Lauren Ambrose, Jaime Pressly, Freddie Rodriguez, Melissa Joan Hart and Selma Blair) who would go on to have wonderful careers as adult actors. Kudos to the casting department on that one.

“Can’t Hardly Wait,” also showcased young talent whose careers were peaking or tapering off (Charlie Korsmo, Ethan Embry, Jennifer Love Hewitt) at least for the time being. I would personally love to see Ethan Embry pull a Patrick Dempsey and come back full force in his late 30′s or early 40′s. Time will tell. And I’m not worried for Charlie Korsmo – last I heard, he graduated from MIT at the top of his class and made the choice to leave Hollywood behind.

What quality is it that carries a teen actor successfully into adulthood in Hollywood? Is it luck? Looks? Talent? Popularity? A combination of all these? I don’t know, but I can tell you that it was not obvious to me while working on the film which of them would go on to have adult acting careers with the exception of Seth Green who is brilliant; and Jamie Pressly, (My Name is Earl) a stunning beauty whose moxie was all ready clearly evident. Freddie Rodriguez (Grind House) also had that “special something,” a vibe that was for lack of a better description, memorable.

It’s one of the most elusive elements in child acting and actors – the transition factor. For every child and teen actor who transition into successful acting careers in their 20′s and 30′s (Jodie Foster, Drew Barrymore, Kurt Russell) there are 1000 or more who don’t. Will your child actor be able to transition? Do you even want him or her to pursue a lifetime career in acting? And if they can’t or don’t continue to book as they get older, how will you help them cope? If you’re a former child actor who has gone on to bigger and better things outside of the industry or you know someone like this, I’d love to hear from you.

As for Sean Patrick Thomas, he obviously made the “transition” into his chosen profession with ease. It was wonderful to see him again, all grown up, married and starting a family of his own. Lola is a beautiful baby name and they’re a beautiful couple – all my best wishes to the entire family.

Aonika and Sean Patrick Thomas Interview

Hollywood Mom — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:40:00 +0000

My interview with Aonika and Sean Patrick Thomas is on the Celebrity Baby Blog tonight – not as revealing or lengthy an interview as Iyari’s but it was about covering the baby shower festivities after all. Aonika was very open about her fertility difficulties and I hope to interview her on an in depth basis to learn more about her experiences. It’s immensely rewarding for me as a writer when people read my interviews/articles/posts and can relate to or learn from them.

This was a busy week on all fronts for this Hollywood Mom which began on Sunday with a Laker’s Game date (we won!) and then another family birthday party. Monday I was terribly busy procrastinating and trolling other people’s blogs; Tuesday I chatted with new vendors and came ever so close to purchasing my own screen printing machines. I was interrupted (and my check book was spared) when Jordan felt ill and called me to pick her up early from school. By finishing the day in my home office it was quiet enough to knock out the Thomas’ baby shower article – the day’s silver lining.

Yesterday was all about finalizing the decor line, the new line sheets and packaging; while today I spent the morning with a darling PR person (who looks exactly like a former employer of mine) discussing publicity plans for Crib Rock, Hollywood Mom Blog and Russell Designs (the hubby’s new side biz – very artsy).

In between events I was submitting my daughter the actress on jobs, returning casting calls, updating all the corporate websites, gathering gifts for teacher appreciation day at school and preparing for Jo’s debut as Rizzo in Grease: purchasing costumes, running lines, singing lessons, etc. She’s rehearsing non-stop over the next 72 hours or so which means I’ll be driving to-and-fro for the next 72 hours or so. What a Martyr right? Nah…I wouldn’t trade it for the world.