Child star Mara Wilson, 37, left Hollywood after ‘Matilda’ as she was ‘not cute anymore’

In the early 1990s, the world fell in love with the adorable Mara Wilson, the child actor known for playing the precocious little girl in family classics like Mrs. Doubtfire and Miracle on 34^th Street.

The young star, who turned 37 on July 24, seemed poised for success but as she grew older, she stopped being “cute” and disappeared from the big screen.

“Hollywood was burned out on me,” she says, adding that “if you’re not cute anymore, if you’re not beautiful, then you are worthless.

In 1993, five-year-old Mara Wilson stole the hearts of millions of fans when she starred as Robin Williams’ youngest child in Mrs. Doubtfire.

The California-born star had previously appeared in commercials when she received the invitation to star in one of the biggest-grossing comedies in Hollywood history.

“My parents were proud, but they kept me grounded. If I ever said something like, ‘I’m the greatest!’ my mother would remind me, ‘You’re just an actor. You’re just a kid,’” Wilson, now 37, said.

After her big screen debut, she won the role of Susan Walker – the same role played by Natalie Wood in 1947 – in 1994’s Miracle on 34th Street.

In an essay for the Guardian, Wilson writes of her audition, “I read my lines for the production team and told them I didn’t believe in Santa Claus.” Referencing the Oscar-winning actor who played her mom in Mrs. Doubtfire, she continues, “but I did believe in the tooth fairy and had named mine after Sally Field.”

‘Most unhappy’

Next, Wilson played the magical girl in 1996’s Matilda, starring alongside Danny DeVito and his real-life wife Rhea Perlman.

It was also the same year her mother, Suzie, lost her battle with breast cancer.

“I didn’t really know who I was…There was who I was before that, and who I was after that. She was like this omnipresent thing in my life,” Wilson says of the deep grief she experienced after losing her mother. She adds, “I found it kind of overwhelming. Most of the time, I just wanted to be a normal kid, especially after my mother died.”

The young girl was exhausted and when she was “very famous,” she says she “was the most unhappy.”

When she was 11, she begrudgingly played her last major role in the 2000 fantasy adventure film Thomas and the Magic Railroad. “The characters were too young. At 11, I had a visceral reaction to [the] script…Ugh, I thought. How cute,” she tells the Guardian.

‘Burned out’

But her exit from Hollywood wasn’t only her decision.

As a young teenager, the roles weren’t coming in for Wilson, who was going through puberty and outgrowing the “cute.”

She was “just another weird, nerdy, loud girl with bad teeth and bad hair, whose bra strap was always showing.”

“At 13, no one had called me cute or mentioned the way I looked in years, at least not in a positive way,” she says.

Wilson was forced to deal with the pressures of fame and the challenges of transitioning to adulthood in the public eye. Her changing image had a profound effect on her.

“I had this Hollywood idea that if you’re not cute anymore, if you’re not beautiful, then you are worthless. Because I directly tied that to the demise of my career. Even though I was sort of burned out on it, and Hollywood was burned out on me, it still doesn’t feel good to be rejected.”

Mara as the writer

Wilson, now a writer, authored her first book “Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame,” in 2016.

The book discusses “everything from what she learned about sex on the set of Melrose Place, to discovering in adolescence that she was no longer ‘cute’ enough for Hollywood, these essays chart her journey from accidental fame to relative (but happy) obscurity.”

She also wrote “Good Girls Don’t” a memoir that examines her life as a child actor living up to expectations.

“Being cute just made me miserable,” she writes in her essay for the Guardian. “I had always thought it would be me giving up acting, not the other way around.”

What are your thoughts on Mara Wilson? Please let us know what you think and then share this story so we can hear from others!

Fierce dispute between Karen Grassle and Michael Landon during filming for ‘Little House on the Prairie’

Karen Grassle rose to prominence as Caroline Ingalls Wilder in Little House on the Prairie. People enjoyed this series so much that it is still being watched today.

Although most of the performers spoke about the fantastic vibe throughout filming, Karen spoke about a completely different atmosphere from her perspective.Little House is a classic show broadcast in over 100 countries and has never been removed from the airwaves since 1974. Because of their parts in the series, numerous actors have become well-known.Unfortunately, actor Michael Landon died in 1991, yet people remember him when they learn about this series.

Karen Grassle also created this series. She was born in 1942 and pursued an artistic career. After graduating, she travelled to London to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts before returning to the United States.

Life put Karen Grassle in the right location at the right moment. When the tryouts for the series were held, Karen was supposed to act on another project, but when she had to go to Los Angeles for that role, she couldn’t get tickets, and her agent called her and offered her a role in the series with Michael.

She later admitted that she was alone for her interview for the role of Caroline Ingalls. She also stated that everyone in the interview was exhausted because they had already cast everyone else. Yet, she was invited to go to the wardrobe after only a few lines.

Karen landed the part and admitted she was terrified of what was to come, but Landon always tried to make everyone on a set laugh and feel good. He was under a lot of stress. Karen determined that her character should be based on her mother’s life experience, which greatly aided her.

Although everyone enjoys filming, as the series grew in popularity, Karen felt she deserved more money because she is one of the main characters. This sparked a violent argument with her coworker Michael Landon. She said that Michael refused to pay her extra money when she asked to renegotiate the contract. This disagreement produced a schism in their relationship.

Karen did not talk publicly about the incident or the break in their friendship at the time, but the two exchanged a polite phone call before the actor died.

Cindy, Michael’s widow, stated that, despite his serious appearance, her husband was very passionate about his work, always came home smiling, and was a good father.

The other actors in Little House on the Prairie always claimed they had a great time on set, and Michael made everyone feel good and vital, no matter how significant or tiny their role was. Dean Butler, who played Landon, also had nothing but positive things to say about Michael and thought he was a true professional. Michael was attempting to make things more straightforward and pleasurable for everyone.

Michael also tried to ensure that the performers could return home in the evening and have dinner with their families. He believed that the key to success was to strike a balance between work and personal life.