Actress Minnie Driver, 44, reportedly told Us Weekly that she is not an advocate of child actors in the industry, stating “I’m not really for the whole kids in show business thing.”
Driver added that she’s even more uncomfortable with the parents of professional child actors. That would be us, Hollywood Stage Moms, and I’m afraid that’s the nicest thing she had to say about “our kind.”
The stars of “About A Boy,” David Walton and Benjamin Stockham.
Driver’s commentary is ironic and wreckless, given her career was recently revived by the popular new NBC television show, “About a Boy,” which as the show title directly states and implies, is (you guessed it!) ABOUT-A-BOY. The “boy” in question is played by uber-talented child actor Benjamin Stockham and his Hollywood Mom is Juana Stockham, a respected and beloved member of the Hollywood Mom/ Child Actor community. Prior to landing the series, Driver’s most notable appearance in the past five years was a 2010 episode of Modern Family, coincidentally also a television show dominated by (GASP!) child actors.
Driver further divulged to US Magazine: “It’s really difficult even when you meet lovely parents of children who are in show business. There is still the fact that
Regarding stage parents, Ms. Driver further stated, “That’s an interesting place to start for a character: Someone who’s desperate and conflicted. And if that’s overshadowing everything else, it doesn’t matter how nice or kind or empathetic they may be elsewhere. The overriding thing is quite fierce.”
I wonder if successful former child actors Jodie Foster, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ron Howard, Leonardo DiCaprio, Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tobey MacGuire, Charlie Korsmo, Hilary Swank, Rob Lowe, Reese Witherspoon, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Kristen Stewart, Jason Bateman, Christian Bale, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Neil Patrick Harris, Johnny Galecki, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Paul Gosselarr, Sarah Chalke, Jackie Earle Haley, and Jessica Beil feel they were forced into their acting careers by their desperate parents? Are Justin Timberlake, Freddie Highmore, Nicole Kidman, Mila Kunis, Ryan Gosling, Kurt Russell, Selena Gomez, Mario Lopez, Seth Green, Fred Savage, Brooke Shields, Anna Paquin, Melissa Joan Hart, Sara Gilbert, Evan Rachel Wood, Breckin Meyer, Scott Baio, Mayim Bialik, Alyssa Milano, Abigail Breslin, Dakota Fanning, Christina Ricci, Joey Lawrence, Raven Symone, Angelia Jolie, and Elijah Wood all the talented offspring of horribly conflicted parents?
First table read of ABOUT A BOY season two. Picture posted on Driver’s twitter feed.
Seriously? Generalize and stereotype much? As the parents of child actors, we can all attest that the pursuit of most child actors has little to do with “a parents choice.” Parental support? Yep, thats something Hollywood Moms and Dads give everyday, all day long. I just preached this is an interview in special Child Star issue of Thrifty Hunter Magazine. Parental sacrifice? Yes, a heap of that too. Our children could not pursue their passions without the commitment and dedication of at least one parent and a child actor’s life often requires the support of an entire family: mom, dad, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. But isn’t this true of any worthwhile passion a child has? Our children rely on us as parents to get them enrolled in, prepared for and then transported to (and from) any pursuit whether it be baseball, chess team, gymnastics, church group, mock trial or acting. At the end of the day, all these activities require parental support – emotional, physical, spiritual and financial.
And don’t get me started on the inference that we’re depriving our kids of a childhood. Most actors, including children, work very few hours on a regular basis and that” work” is something that lights these kids up and that they’ve begged to do. And unlike their older acting counterparts, our child actors aren’t working side jobs in their spare time, they’re out enjoying their childhoods. If anything, child actors have more access to unique and enriching opportunities than one could possibly imagine; the Actor’s Fund Looking Ahead Program is a perfect example of this.
Most of the Hollywood Moms and Dads that read this article (after shaking off the initial dismay and anger), laughed and said things like:
“The only thing I’m desperate for is a manicure.”
“Uhm, she is entitled to her opinion. BUT if she feels this way then she shouldn’t take a job where there will be child actors in the project! Oh but its ok for her to work with and profit off of a child actors work?!”
“No childhood? My kid has more friends and social events than I do!”
“I would encourage Ms. Driver to issue an apology to her co-workers, and to re-think her sweeping remarks about all stageparents. How would she like it if we all said, ‘All aging actresses are desperate to remain in the spotlight so they make stupid comments about people they’ve never met.'”
“Who’s Minnie Driver?”
We are not saying that she isn’t entitled to her opinions, regardless of the merit or lack thereof, but would absolutely urge her and others to use common sense and decency in sharing those opinions with the world because at the very least YOU MIGHT HURT YOUR YOUNG CHILD CO-STAR’S FEELINGS.
I came across this site because I struggle with the idea that people like the post above think it is, I whom is seeking attention rather than my son doing something he enjoys. For me it started about two years ago when my son said he wanted to get into acting, I told him I would look into it and when ever it was brought up I made out that all the school’s I looked into were just too expensive. I never bothered looking. I got about six months using that excuse. It wasn’t until we went to his parents evening that his drama teacher asked me if it would be possible for him to attend an after school club as she thought he was very talented and had what it took to get forward. sigh….. a smug look from my son later and we was back to the topic of acting. to cut a long story short i found a really cheap acting school, one hour a week that didn’t want me to buy him an expensive uniform to prance around a hall in. Happy mum, Happy kid. Two week later he was put up for an audition for a local university film, he got it, thirty five call backs from various other auditions he got a part in a major hollywood film. we were flown out to south africa where I watched my lad in his element. my constant nagging to make sure he was okay and wasn’t too tired quickly grated on his nerves. He asked me. why I didn’t worry when he spent years doing karate and street dance? He was right. I’m worried about what people will think of us as a family instead of enjoying the ride and succes he is having. My son see’s school as work, he thinks tidying his bedroom is work. he certainly doesn’t see acting as work. I loose money taking him, not make it. and I certainly don’t take a penny from what he makes. I sit in a room for upto 10 hours a day bored out of my skull while he is treated like royalty, and yes he has to go home and tidy is bedroom, keep his grades up and not get into any trouble just like he would have to do if he was doing anything else with his life, at the end of the day, to me he is just my son. What my son has gained is a great work ethic, confidence that will carry him through life, traveling to countries i certainly couldn’t afford to take him. a bank balance to help him with his start into adult life, but most of all he has a voice, He has the right to cancel or carry on without preasure or guilt.