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  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

When Child Stars Grow Up

Features
By Joshua Winning
Published 19 September 2012

It happens so fast…

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Taylor Lautner

The Child: First appeared on-screen in 2001 film Shadow Fury as Young Kismet before playing Sharkboy in The Adventures Of Sharkboy And Lavagirl .

The Adult: Possessor of the most envied washboard abs on the planet. Lautner’s first foray into solo action terrain resulted in the maligned Abduction . His first post- Twilight gig is Grown Ups 2.

Claire Danes

The Child: Appeared in an episode of Law & Order in 1992, when she was 13 years old. Danes then landed a starring role in TV drama My So-Called Life , which only lasted 19 episodes – rumour has it that she didn’t want to return for a second season owing to the show’s time commitments.

The Adult: Recently won a Golden Globe for her role in hard-hitting drama Homeland , which returns for season two later this year. Her last film role was in 2009 drama Me And Orson Welles.

Jonathan Brandis

The Child: Debuted as a 12-year-old party guest in Fatal Attraction before playing Bastian Bux in fantasy sequel Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter . Best known for seaQuest DSV , in which he played Lucas Wolenczak for 57 episodes.

The Adult: Produced and wrote his own independent films, but Brandis’ crippling depression led to the actor hanging himself in 2003. He was just 27 years old.

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Kristen Stewart

The Child: Took uncredited roles in The Thirteenth Year and The Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas before landing the big one – starring as Jodie Foster’s daughter in P anic Room.

The Adult: Twilight has dominated her life for the past four years, but Stewart’s already looking to the future with ballsy drama On The Road .

Jonathan Lipnicki

The Child: The cute little squirt of Jerry Maguire fame (his debut), who followed that Tom Cruise vehicle with Stuart Little, The Little Vampire and Like Mike.

The Adult: Has transformed himself into a buff, muscle-bound twentysomething after a break from acting between 2005-2011. Next up: For The Love Of Money (alongside Edward Furlong) and Tag .

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Shia LaBeouf

The Child: Mostly stuck to TV in formative years, appearing on TV sitcom Caroline In The City aged just two. Small roles in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and Holes , plus TV series Even Stevens , got his name out there.

The Adult: Star of the first three Transformer films, LaBeouf is currently looking to horizons new with dramas Lawless and Robert Redford’s upcoming The Company You Keep.

Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen

The Child: TV series Full House dumped this fearsome twosome in the spotlight, and the powers that be took no time turning them into a brand – which included a string of moppet-friendly movies.

The Adult: Little sis Elizabeth Olsen possibly has the adult acting career these girls always dreamed of, which could explain why they’re more interested in fashion these days. Their last film was 2004 flop New York Minute .

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Kurt Russell

The Child: Landed a lead role in Western TV series The Travels Of Jaimie McPheeters in 1963 when he was just 11 years old, which led to a decade-long contract with Disney during the ‘70s.

The Adult:
Was nominated for an Emmy for 1979’s Elvis , and has become an adored figure in cult circles for roles in Escape From New York, The Thing and Death Proof. That, and Overboard . Remember Overboard ?

Christina Ricci

The Child: Not every young actress can say her first ever movie co-star was Cher – except Ricci, who worked with the popstress on 1990’s Mermaids . Her profile rose with roles in The Addams Family movies and Casper .

The Adult: Never a slave to her image as an ‘unconventional’ leading lady, Ricci’s carved out an insanely varied career for herself. There were misses ( Cursed, Speed Racer ) and a torrent of hits ( Sleepy Hollow, Monster, The Opposite Of Sex ).

Corey Feldman

The Child: The ‘80s’ poster boy for kooky kids, Feldman brought his own distinct flavour of oddness to the cult classic likes of The Goonies, Gremlins, Stand By Me and The Lost Boys. He even confronted Jason Voorhees himself in Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter.

The Adult: Feldman survived a battle with drugs and began working with young people. He moved into indie filmmaking and now divides his time between his band and movies – including sequels to The Lost Boys.

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Joshua Winning
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Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.  

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