Greetings over your interweb devices
“Kids!
You can talk and talk till your face is blue
Kids!
But they still do just what they want to do
Why can’t they be like we were;
Perfect in every way!
What’s the matter with kids today?”
The life of a child actor is, to say the least, a unique one. Not only are you working for a living, but you still have to go to school — often in a dressing room or trailer, with few, if any, kids your own age around — and, most often, one teacher for every subject.
Those studio teachers (who often have the added responsibility of social worker) have their hands full trying to master multiple educational disciplines, as well as insisting that the rules are followed to the tee so that the child gets that education AND all child labor laws are followed. (I asked about the Russian labor laws for child actors when I was doing a sitcom in Moscow — I got a lot of blank stares to that question — even with good translators.) Many is the time that there was a hard out for the youth in question at 9 pm. At 8:55, there were still three pages left to shoot with the child. No matter, when that clock struck 9 – better to wrap out the child than face the wrath of the teacher!
It is also important, though, that the child have some semblance of a normal existence, which includes fun and exercise, so when other kids would guest on the show, it was inevitable they would start . . . acting like kids. In the above pic, Jaden was into martial arts, as were the twins — and, of course, they shared a common bond with comic books — so, they all had a good week. If you were a fan of the two Suite Life series, you’ll recognize a regular coterie of young actors playing schoolmates and friends, who actually did become offstage pals of Dylan and Cole’s. In fact, when a week or two went by without their pals, the boys were constantly urging the writers to include those kids in upcoming shows. It certainly broke up the monotony of being around grown-ups all day.
Sometimes the star of the show will take a personal interest in making things a little more fun for the youthful actors. On “The Jeff Foxworthy Show,” Jeff went out and bought two motorized mini cars for the two boys who played his sons and made sure they had time each day to ride them around on the set. (Of course, it fell to the prop guy to make sure those batteries were kept charged up for the following day.)
Of course, none of us is perfect, child or parent, but you hope that you get it mostly right along the way. In dramatic circumstances (and that includes comedy), all things seem to get amplified, though — and that includes good and bad behavior with both kid-actors . . . and with stage-parents.
Normally, it is a good thing for a parent to take pride in the accomplishments of their child, but stage-parents can take that a step too far, often living too much through their child’s accomplishments (especially when they, themselves, never reached that brass acting ring). Sometimes, with more than one kid on a show, adult turf-wars would develop when one parent decides their offspring is more important to the show than another and tries to intercede on their child’s behalf, demanding extra privileges or titles (for themselves, too, not just for the child). Such situations can cause a lot of tension among the grown-ups — even though the kids in question have become best friends!
I witnessed another parenting pitfall during one particular pilot. A mother was taking no chances with her daughter’s big shot and coached her at home on every nuance in her dialogue. As we rehearsed, while the youthful actor was trying her best onstage, I noticed her mother standing just within her daughter’s eyeline, mouthing along to each of her lines with great emotion and a heavy dollop of over-acting (which she had also drilled in to her child). Worst of all, on the few occasions the young lady forgot a line, it was like a dagger through mamma’s heart. The pilot got a pick-up — the youngster was replaced.
With a few glaring exceptions, though, most of the kid actors and their parents with whom I have worked have been fun and good-natured. Some of the kids stayed in the business, others went on to become musicians or doctors or scientists. Some just got out of the business and moved out of town to quiet and happy lives.
All part of the tapestry in the “Biz of Show.”
Those studio teachers (who often have the added responsibility of social worker) have their hands full trying to master multiple educational disciplines, as well as insisting that the rules are followed to the tee so that the child gets that education AND all child labor laws are followed. (I asked about the Russian labor laws for child actors when I was doing a sitcom in Moscow — I got a lot of blank stares to that question — even with good translators.) Many is the time that there was a hard out for the youth in question at 9 pm. At 8:55, there were still three pages left to shoot with the child. No matter, when that clock struck 9 – better to wrap out the child than face the wrath of the teacher!
It is also important, though, that the child have some semblance of a normal existence, which includes fun and exercise, so when other kids would guest on the show, it was inevitable they would start . . . acting like kids. In the above pic, Jaden was into martial arts, as were the twins — and, of course, they shared a common bond with comic books — so, they all had a good week. If you were a fan of the two Suite Life series, you’ll recognize a regular coterie of young actors playing schoolmates and friends, who actually did become offstage pals of Dylan and Cole’s. In fact, when a week or two went by without their pals, the boys were constantly urging the writers to include those kids in upcoming shows. It certainly broke up the monotony of being around grown-ups all day.
Sometimes the star of the show will take a personal interest in making things a little more fun for the youthful actors. On “The Jeff Foxworthy Show,” Jeff went out and bought two motorized mini cars for the two boys who played his sons and made sure they had time each day to ride them around on the set. (Of course, it fell to the prop guy to make sure those batteries were kept charged up for the following day.)
Of course, none of us is perfect, child or parent, but you hope that you get it mostly right along the way. In dramatic circumstances (and that includes comedy), all things seem to get amplified, though — and that includes good and bad behavior with both kid-actors . . . and with stage-parents.
Normally, it is a good thing for a parent to take pride in the accomplishments of their child, but stage-parents can take that a step too far, often living too much through their child’s accomplishments (especially when they, themselves, never reached that brass acting ring). Sometimes, with more than one kid on a show, adult turf-wars would develop when one parent decides their offspring is more important to the show than another and tries to intercede on their child’s behalf, demanding extra privileges or titles (for themselves, too, not just for the child). Such situations can cause a lot of tension among the grown-ups — even though the kids in question have become best friends!
I witnessed another parenting pitfall during one particular pilot. A mother was taking no chances with her daughter’s big shot and coached her at home on every nuance in her dialogue. As we rehearsed, while the youthful actor was trying her best onstage, I noticed her mother standing just within her daughter’s eyeline, mouthing along to each of her lines with great emotion and a heavy dollop of over-acting (which she had also drilled in to her child). Worst of all, on the few occasions the young lady forgot a line, it was like a dagger through mamma’s heart. The pilot got a pick-up — the youngster was replaced.
With a few glaring exceptions, though, most of the kid actors and their parents with whom I have worked have been fun and good-natured. Some of the kids stayed in the business, others went on to become musicians or doctors or scientists. Some just got out of the business and moved out of town to quiet and happy lives.
All part of the tapestry in the “Biz of Show.”
To one and all, Be Safe-Stay Healthy