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 34th 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.”
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Famous country singer killed in horror crash just a day after her birthday
The cherished late country singer’s vehicle is seen in horrifying photos after the driver was killed in a collision.
“La Rancherita de Chanco,” also known as Ivana Pino Arellano, perished in a horrific vehicle accident. A popular country singer, she was.
Her automobile had rolled over on the side of the road and was severely damaged, according to photos taken immediately after the collision.
The photos show an orange sheet covering the rear of the totaled vehicle. The vehicle is leaning against a wall on its side.
Just one day after celebrating her 32nd birthday with a celebration hosted by family and friends, the singer crashed her automobile.
It took place in the Maule Region in the heart of Chile, close to the town of Pelluhe, on the M-80 highway.
Arellano passed away at the scene of the collision, and her passenger suffered severe injuries.
Although the exact reason of the accident is still being investigated, it is believed that the singer lost control of her vehicle due to the wet road, causing it to topple over.
Arellano was a well-liked member of her community and a rising star in the country music industry. She had four children of her own.
Everyone in that community is in mourning following her untimely and awful death.
Due to her stunning voice and fascinating stage presence, Chanco developed a sizable fan base in her native Chile. Her admirers adored her, and the local government even provided for her.
Arellano was a talented artist who combined more contemporary sounds with classic Latin American sounds.
She frequently incorporated aspects of folk, pop, and indie music, giving these classic genres a fresh and meaningful sound through the use of acoustic instruments, sincere lyrics, and rich voice.
She wrote a number of songs on love and personal development. Their honesty and deep emotional depth won them over a lot of admirers.
The terrible news was confirmed by the Municipality of Chanco in a depressing statement that was shared on social media.
“Unforgettable figure whose charisma will resonate eternally in our lives,” they said of the singer.
“To us, the name ‘Ivana’ will always represent joy and happiness in its most basic form,” they declared.
“Your passing leaves a vacuum that cannot be filled, but your legacy will live on and serve as a constant reminder of the kindness and beauty in your heart and spirit.”
These sentiments were shared by the local council, who also commended Ivana for her dedication to public service and her unshakable love for her family.
Regarding the singer who passed away, they said, “Ivana personified the spirit of public service with passion and love, always ready to help others and find solutions even in the most difficult moments.”
“The most significant aspects of her life and the driving force behind her actions were her spouse and kids,” they stated.
She was buried at the Curanipe Parish Cemetery in Pelluhe on June 17. Fans, family, and friends showed up to pay their final respects.
“We appreciate you, Ivana, for providing us with days full of light and peace,” the Municipality of Chanco stated in a message.
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