In the early 1990s, countless moviegoers were captivated by Mara Wilson, the talented young actress renowned for portraying the clever little girl in cherished family films such as Mrs. Doubtfire and Miracle on 34th Street.
The blossoming star, who celebrated her 37th birthday on July 24, appeared destined for continued success; however, as she matured, her “cute” status faded, and she vanished from the major motion picture scene.
“Hollywood was burned out on me,” she explains, elaborating that “if you’re not adorable anymore, if you’re not physically beautiful, then you possess no value.”
Continue reading to discover the compelling trajectory of Wilson’s life following her departure from the spotlight!
In 1993, a five-year-old Mara Wilson completely won over millions of admirers when she played the role of Robin Williams’ youngest daughter in the blockbuster film Mrs. Doubtfire.
The California-native star had previously featured in various commercials before receiving the offer to headline one of the highest-grossing comedies in cinematic history.
“My parents were supportive and very proud, but they steadfastly kept me humble. If I ever exclaimed something like, ‘I am the greatest!’ my mother would gently remind me, ‘You are simply an actor. You are only a kid,’” Wilson, now 37, recalled.
Following her remarkable cinematic debut, she secured the role of Susan Walker—the identical part played by Natalie Wood in 1947—in the 1994 holiday classic, Miracle on 34th Street.
In a personal essay for the Guardian, Wilson describes her audition experience, stating, “I recited my assigned lines for the production team and disclosed that I held doubts about Santa Claus being real.” She also fondly mentions the Oscar-winning actress who portrayed her mother in Mrs. Doubtfire, adding, “Nonetheless, I fully believed in the tooth fairy and had even named mine after Sally Field.”
Enduring Intense Sadness
Next, Wilson embodied the protagonist, a magical girl, in the 1996 film Matilda, acting opposite Danny DeVito and his real-life spouse, Rhea Perlman.
This very same year was marked by tragedy when her mother, Suzie, ultimately lost her struggle with breast cancer.
“I felt completely uncertain about my self-identity anymore. There existed the person I was before, and then there emerged the person I became after. My mom’s absence cast this profound shadow over my existence,” Wilson details concerning the deep sadness she experienced after her mother’s passing. She continues, “It was extraordinarily difficult to process. Much of the time, I desperately wanted to be perceived as any other child, especially after my mother died.”
The young woman admitted feeling thoroughly exhausted, revealing that at the peak of her extreme fame, she was actually at her “most unhappy.”
When she turned 11, she reluctantly took on her final significant acting role in the 2000 fantasy adventure film Thomas and the Magic Railroad. “The characters were portrayed as too young. At 11, I had a noticeable aversion to [the] script… Ugh, I thought. So precious,” she recounts to the Guardian.
The Pressures of Maturation
However, her departure from the Hollywood scene was not entirely her own decision.
As a young teenager, roles ceased being offered to Wilson, who was navigating puberty and shedding her “cute” persona.
She was perceived as simply another eccentric, nerdy girl who spoke quite loudly, possessed crooked teeth, frequently had messy hair, and whose bra strap was always visible.
“By age 13, no one had described me as adorable or complimented my appearance in years, certainly not in a favorable sense,” she asserts.
Wilson was compelled to confront the burdens of celebrity and the struggles associated with maturing in the public eye. Her developing image significantly impacted her outlook.
“I used to subscribe to the belief that in Hollywood, if you are not deemed pretty or physically attractive, then your presence is entirely inconsequential. I linked that perception directly to the cessation of my career. Even though I was somewhat weary of the industry and Hollywood seemed equally weary of me, it still causes pain to be rejected,” she reflects.
Mara as the Writer
Wilson, who now works as a successful writer, authored her first book, “Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame,” published in 2016.
The book explores numerous topics, including insights she gained about relationships while working near the set of Melrose Place and her realization as a teenager that she was no longer deemed sufficiently ‘cute’ for the Hollywood machine. These collected essays chronicle her progress from unexpected stardom to a more private, yet evidently joyful, existence.
She also wrote “Good Girls Don’t,” a memoir that scrutinizes her experiences as a child actor striving to meet external expectations.
In her essay for the Guardian, she shares, “Being cute contributed only to my unhappiness. I always held the conviction that I would be the one to decide to stop acting, never the other way around.”
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