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Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Tom Cruise fans are only just realising his REAL name... and the heartbreaking reason why he changed it as an ambitious young actor
If you haven't heard of Tom Cruise, you've probably spent much of your life living with your eyes and ears wide shut. But Thomas Cruise Mapother IV doesn't ring the same sort of showbiz bells, and little wonder, given the screen icon ditched his birth name before establishing himself as a Hollywood star. Indeed, Cruise sought to abbreviate his name in a bid to distance himself from a volatile childhood in a strict Catholic household with father Thomas Cruise Mapother III, an electrical engineer, and mother Mary Lee Pfeiffer, a special education teacher. Born in Syracuse in 1962, Cruise grew up with his three sisters in near-poverty before moving to New York City when he was 18 to embark on an acting career that would ultimately turn him into one of the world's biggest, and wealthiest stars. Mapother III passed away following a battle with cancer in 1984, with Cruise later describing his biological father as a 'bully,' a 'coward' and a 'merchant of chaos' who would frequently intimidate and beat his four children. Speaking to Parade magazine in 2006, he recalled: '[My father] was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you. It was a great lesson in my life - how he'd lull you in, make you feel safe and then, bang! 'For me, it was like, "There's something wrong with this guy. Don't trust him. Be careful around him." There's that anxiety.' The actor's mother divorced Mapother III in 1974, when the actor was 12-years old, and Cruise lost touch with him for a decade before reuniting at his hospital bed shortly before his death. 'When I saw him in pain, I thought, "Wow, what a lonely life,"' he said. 'He was in his late 40s. It was sad.' While millions of fans across the world know him only as Cruise, the actor is understood to retain his full surname among friends and family members. Conversely, Cruise's cousin, William Mapother - also a successful actor whose screen credits include hit TV show Lost and Hollywood blockbuster Zodiac - has maintained his birth-name throughout his career. Cruise has previously credited Scientology with helping him overcome his childhood dyslexia. Speaking in 2009, the Mission: Impossible actor told Spanish magazine XL Semanal that he was diagnosed with the learning disability when he was seven years old. The hardline Scientologist said he was often anxious, frustrated and bored as a youth and couldn't concentrate in class. Cruise explained he was 'functionally illiterate' when he graduated from school in 1980, but learned to read perfectly as an adult through Scientology technology. He told the publication: 'I asked myself if I was normal or an idiot. I would try to concentrate but I felt anxiety, frustration, boredom. 'When I graduated from high school in 1980 I was functionally illiterate. 'Nobody gave me a solution and I wanted to know why the system had failed. Finally, as an adult I learned to read perfectly through the method of (Scientology founder) L. Ron Hubbard.'
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Meet the child stars who earned a fortune... and lost everything: From the highest paid teenager in Hollywood to the singer who made $200million before he turned 18
It really wasn't supposed to be this way. Not after a life spent living beneath the glaring spotlight of celebrity, a spotlight charged by a career that began with a significant role in one of the most prominent children's shows of the 2000s. But Drake Bell admits the immeasurable wealth he may well have dreamed of at the height of his acting career is as beyond reach now as it was when he entered the industry as a naive 12-year old boy. In a frank admission, the former child star, now 39, admits he's struggled to pay the rent on a home far removed from the sprawling Beverly Hills mansions one typically might associate with the Hollywood acting community. 'It's like, you know, "Oh, you made a Folgers Coffee commercial. You must live in a mansion in Hollywood. Like, I saw you on TV. You're rich,' he explained during a recent interview with The Unplanned Podcast. 'That's far from the case. And especially, which is the bummer for most of us on Nickelodeon, we don't get residuals for our shows.' Bell became a household name thanks to his association with childrens' TV network Nickelodeon and a series of starring roles - first on The Amanda Show, before earning a wider fanbase on the hugely successful Drake & Josh. Taking centre stage alongside fellow child star Josh Peck, Bell played the angsty, cool, music loving teenager Drake Parker to Peck's clumsy, bookish and socially awkward Josh Nichols. It was an instant hit with viewers, pulling in an astonishing 3.2 million viewers for its show premiere and remaining one of the most watched children's' shows of the era, winning numerous awards along the way. But while Peck has enjoyed significantly bigger roles since leaving the show - among them a portrayal of celebrated American physicist Kenneth Bainbridge in Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning blockbuster Oppenheimer - Bell has struggled to match the early heights of his career. Like so many child stars before him, he has seen those promising early roles amount to significantly less than the pot of gold he was promised. But who else has suffered a similar financial fate? 1. Dustin Diamond It's a show that appears to transcend the early nineties generation of teenagers it was originally made for. Indeed, countless reruns have given Saved By The Bell the sort of multi-generational success one usually associates with the biggest era-defining shows, among them the tirelessly popular Friends. Launched in 1989 and set at the fictional Bayside High School in Los Angeles, the NBC show became an overnight success - and rightly made household names of its genetically blessed principal cast. But it was the nerdy pimple magnet Samuel 'Screech' Powers - named as such because of his grating, high-pitched voice - who claimed many of the show's accolades. Dustin Diamond had already featured in two episodes of coming-of-age comedy The Wonder Years before making his first appearance at Bayside High, but it would be his portrayal of Screech that endeared him to millions. The American actor was just 11 years old when he auditioned, ostensibly for a role in Disney show Good Morning, Miss Bliss - an early prototype of what would ultimately become Saved By The Bell - in 1988. He would maintain the role for the next five years, with Saved By The Bell running across four seasons before airing its final episode for a prime time audience in 1993. One could forgive Diamond for viewing it as a promising start, but it would prove to be a false promise, with bigger roles failing to materialise as he moved into adulthood. Indeed, the actor subsequently reprised his best known role in numerous spin-offs throughout the 1990s - among them the forgettable Saved By The Bell: Hawaiian Style and short-lived sitcom Saved By The Bell: The College Years. Screech would be resurrected yet again, this time for a prolonged six year spell on Saved By The Bell: The New Class - in which he returns to his old Bayside stomping ground as a teaching assistant. 'I didn't know what to do,' he admitted during an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2013. 'It was hard to get work that wasn't Screech-clone stuff.' But for all his endeavours as the divisive character, Diamond's financial returns paled in comparison to the enormous success of Saved By The Bell - for reasons not unlike those that would later affect Bell. While the actor was thought to have made an initial $2million from the show, poor residual deals meant Diamond and his cast-mates failed to receive payment for any of the show's extensive re-runs. In later years the actor would turn to reality TV as a means of income, with Diamond memorably featuring on the British version of Celebrity Big Brother in 2013. Tragically, Diamond died aged 44 in 2021, just weeks after being diagnosed with extensive small-cell carcinoma of the lungs. The actor's estimated net worth at the time of his death ranged from $300,000 to $500,000. 2. Gary Coleman 'What'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?' For Diff'rent Strokes fans it became a signature catchphrase, but for the young actor responsible for delivering it throughout the show's run, it soon grew tiresome. Gary Coleman was 10-years old and already a paid actor with a string of commercials to his name when a starring role on the show changed his life, but ultimately not his personal fortune. Alongside co-star Todd Bridges - the aforementioned 'Willis' - Coleman played Arnold Jackson, the younger of two black children adopted into an affluent white family following the death of their mother. It was a divisive premise, but Diff'rent Strokes became an overnight success following its launch in 1978, running for eight years and making household names of all of its principal cast-members - notably Coleman. Earning a reported $100,000 per episode at the show's peak, Coleman was one of the highest paid child stars of the 1980s - but he only saw a fraction of the riches he earned as Arnold. Managed by his adoptive parents, the actor - who was born with a growth deficiency - saw a larger percentage of his sizeable earnings diverted, leading to a bitter financial dispute in later life. In 1989, just three years after the final credits rolled on Diff'rent Strokes, Coleman sued parents W.G. and Edmonia Sue Coleman, and manager Anita DeThomas, for misappropriation of earnings. A judge at Beverly Hills Superior Court agreed that Coleman's parents and manager had wrongly banked $1.28 million in commissions, salaries, fees and pension distributions from the actor between 1982 and 1987. He would walk away from court after agreeing to a $1.3 million settlement, pocket change when compared to the amount he'd lost. The actor suffered an additional financial blow in 1995 through a failed attempt at launching an arcade business, the Gary Coleman Game Parlor, losing an additional $200,000 through the endeavour. Four years later Coleman filed for bankruptcy protection. 'I can spread the blame [of filing for bankruptcy] all the way around,' he said at the time. 'From me to accountants to my adoptive parents, to agents to lawyers and back to me again.' Coleman, who had struggled with a series of health issues, died aged 42 in 2010 following a fall at his home. An initial will stipulated that his funeral service be '...conducted by those with no financial ties to me and can look each other in the eyes and say they really cared personally for Gary Coleman.' At the time of his death, Coleman's net worth estimated at $75,000 - a fraction of the $18million he earned throughout his career. 3. Jack Wild As film adaptations go, there's no denying that big-screen musical Oliver! was an enormous commercial success. Directed by Carol Reed, this 1968 rendering of Charles Dickens' classic Oliver Twist won a remarkable six Academy Awards and raked in more than $40million at the box-office. It also made overnight stars of its young cast, notably Mark Lester, who played the titular Oliver, and his 16-year old co-star, Jack Wild. As precocious pickpocket Artful Dodger, the hitherto unknown Wild endeared himself to millions through his versatility as a highly capable actor, singer and dancer. Indeed, his captivating portrayal of the beloved Dickens character would earn him deserved BAFTA, Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations the following year. Reflecting on his early success in posthumously released memoir It's A Dodger's Life, he wrote: 'Even before the movie was released, people were saying, "You've stolen the film! You and Ron Moody [who played Fagin] have such chemistry!" 'But I couldn't begin to have any idea of what was to happen when the film was premiered three months later in Leicester Square. 'I'd never experienced anything like this before: the cameras, the attention, the noise; I thought I must be the fifth Beatle.' Oliver! would lead to further roles, notably that of Jimmy in 17 episodes of American children's show H.R. Pufnstuf and a starring role in The Pied Piper - another musical, released in 1974 with a stellar cast that included John Hurt, Donald Pleasance and Roy Kinnear. Fame led to fortune, and Wild later admitted to living the high life during the 1970s, frittering away his money on lavish restaurants, expensive clothes and handouts to friends and family. 'I had suits hand-made by a Mayfair tailor,' he recalled. 'If I asked for something, I got it. In restaurants, I'd get the best table and there were always chauffeur-driven cars to take me everywhere.' But the actor's initial success would fail to provide a launch-pad for his career as he moved into adulthood and began a rapid descent into alcoholism. 'Over the years, people have tried to blame my battles on my early success as a child actor, but I just don't see that,' he wrote in his memoir. 'I'd have been an alcoholic no matter what career I had chosen and, rather than my success unbalancing me, I think it balanced me out. 'Without it I would have been capable of anything, even murder. Some of my family ended up on the wrong side of the law, and I think I would have been there too if it hadn't been for my success; my success did not destroy me, it saved me.' By 1980 Wild's career was in freefall, the money was gone and he was forced to make ends meet with small roles in low-budget pantomimes while his drinking steadily escalated. Finally, in an act of desperation, he turned to Jobseekers Allowance as a means of bringing in money to feed his crippling alcohol dependency. 'I'd sign on for Unemployment Benefit and use that for drink,' he recalled in his memoir. 'I would constantly have a drink within three feet of me so I could be unaware of what was going on around me. 'At the same time I was expecting a phone call from Spielberg saying: 'I want you to be in my next movie!' It was insane.' Wild blamed excessive drinking for his oral cancer diagnosis in 2001. He subsequently underwent chemotherapy and had his tongue and voice-box removed - leaving him unable to communicate verbally for the rest of his life. He died aged 53 in 2006, 17 years after successfully beating his addiction to alcohol. 'I only wish I'd invested the money and not drank quite so much,' he wrote. 'But other than that I don't think there is much else I'd change. 'And I did have a lot of fun.' 4. Amanda Bynes Arguably one of the defining American child stars of her era, Amanda Bynes earned as much as $3million a year at the height of her career. But a life overshadowed by mental health issues, hospitalisations and a strict conservatorship has decimated her earning power, with Bynes no longer working as an actress. Aged just 14 and already established thanks to her role in Nickelodeon show All That, Bynes took centre-stage in spin-off The Amanda Show, a heavily financed vehicle for her evident potential. The show ran for three hugely successful seasons following its 2000 launch, with the actress's versatility paving the way for subsequent roles in a string of Hollywood productions. Indeed, she would take a starring role alongside Frankie Muniz in 2002 teen comedy Big Fat Liar before landing one of the biggest parts of her career, this time as Penny Lou Pingleton in Hairspray. Released to critical and commerical acclaim, director Adam Shankman's 2007 screen adaptation of the legendary Broadway musical placed Bynes alongside acting greats John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer and Christopher Walken in a star-studded cast. It all hinted at greater things for the young actress, by now 21 and commanding life-changing sums of money for her services, but her career would rapidly unravel following a final film appearance in 2010 rom-com Easy A. By 2013, Bynes' most significant appearances were in court, notably for driving under the influence, reckless endangerment and possession of marijuana, as her life went rapidly off the rails. That same year she was hospitalised under a 72-hour Mental Health Evaluation Hold after starting a fire on a complete stranger's driveway - prompting a successful conservatorship from her concerned parents, Rick and Lynn. Bynes owned a reported $5.7 million worth of assets at the time of the conservatorship, much of it accrued through property investment. But despite earning vastly more throughout the 2000s, her parents discovered she had pulled in just $144,000 in 2012, a fraction of her former income, the vast percentage of which coming from a $1.8million rental in southern California, bought by the actress in 2011. In full control of her financial affairs, they also claimed she squandered $1.2 million of her savings in less than one year - among them two $100,000 cash withdrawals. Worse, she was spending heavily despite having no significant source of income. Rick and Lynn's conservatorship ran until 2022, when Bynes' successfully filed to end it. Now looking to reinvent herself after walking away from the TV and film industry, Bynes - who is still said to be worth an estimated $6million - has turned to subscription only service OnlyFans for a source of income. A source close to the former child star has claimed the move will not only afford her the opportunity to make money, share her fashion designs and provide a potential springboard into reality TV, but will also be a safe space to reveal 'what happened from her past at Nickelodeon.' 'Amanda was looking into making money and is convinced that OnlyFans will bring some serious cash her way,' the insider told 'Her intentions are to do this before she seeks any reality show opportunities. She understands the stigma around OnlyFans, but she is determined to make this very safe - nothing naughty. 'She wants to share some of her future designs with her fans, collaborate with them and she also wants to tell stories to people who don't know everything about what happened from her past at Nickelodeon. 'She is seeing OnlyFans as a bit of a career renaissance.' 5. Aaron Carter He'd banked a reported $200million before his 18th birthday, but Aaron Carter would still struggle with financial problems as he entered adulthood - among them a $3.5million tax bill. The younger brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, the singer was only 10-years old when he recorded his self-titled debut album in 1997. It would go on to sell more than a million copies worldwide and provide a launch-pad for an incredible run of early success for the baby-faced Carter. By the time he was 18, the singer had already recorded four multi-platinum albums, but his departure from Jive Records - the label responsible for launching his career - would prove to be the catalyst for a dramatic commercial decline. Indeed, there would be a sixteen year wait for his fifth album, Love, in 2018, but the popularity Carter enjoyed during the early years of his career had long since waned as his young fan-base inevitably grew up. The younger brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, the singer was only 10-years old when he recorded his self-titled debut album in 1997 (pictured in 1998) By the time he was 18, the singer had already recorded four multi-platinum albums, but his departure from Jive Records would prove to be the catalyst for a dramatic commercial decline Five years earlier, the singer had filed a bankruptcy petition to free himself of a $3.5 million debt, accrued through outstanding unpaid taxes in 2003, at the height of his career. But despite his financial struggles, Carter- who battled mental health and substance abuse issues throughout his adult life - insisted he wasn't desperate for money. 'I'm not broke. I mean, I don't make all the money in the world right now, but I'm doing the best that I can,' he told Oprah Winfrey during an appearance on Oprah: Where Are They Now - Extra. 'I do a lot of shows and I write a lot of music. I'm rebuilding my life. Over the last 10 years, my story's been really difficult.' He added: 'No disrespect to my brother, but when Nick was 18 years old and I was 10 years old, I was just kind of starting to make lots of money. 'I made over $200million in my career before I even turned 18 years old. 'We had this massive compound, with, like, 12 houses on it. It was worth over $10million, and I had paid a lot of that money. 'I had done a lot of that stuff, and I never got any of those returns back or anything like that… Even at this point, I've never even owned my own home.' In 2013, the singer filed a bankruptcy petition to free himself of a $3.5 million debt, accrued through outstanding unpaid taxes in 2003, at the height of his career Aaron (right) with older brother Nick in 2004. The singer claimed his parents mishandled his money and neglected his finances Carter also claimed his parents mishandled his money and neglected his finances. 'There was a lot of neglect on my parents' part,' he said. 'They didn't do a lot of things right.' The singer revealed he was only given $2million when he became an adult, despite the Coogan law - which is designed to safeguard a portion of child performers' earnings - stating he should have been given about $20million. Carter died of accidental drowning aged 34 in 2022, after inhaling difluoroethane - a colourless gas - and taking Xanax. His estate, valued at $550,000, was reportedly insolvent after debts and other financial commitments were met following his death.
Arab News
18-07-2025
- Arab News
Actor Humaira Asghar's death highlights quiet epidemic of urban isolation in Pakistan
KARACHI: When the decomposed body of Pakistani actress Humaira Asghar was discovered in her Karachi apartment earlier this month, it had been at least nine months since she passed away. The 42-year-old, originally from Lahore, had moved to Karachi to pursue her acting career and had been living alone for nearly seven years. Ali's remains were finally found at a flat in the city's Ittehad Commercial area when a court bailiff arrived to vacate the rented property, following a complaint by the landlord due to non-payment of rent for months. Police said the bailiff broke open the door and found the deceased inside. The apartment's electricity had been cut off and food in the fridge had expired months earlier. Authorities now believe Ali likely died of natural or accidental causes in October 2024, and no one realized. Her case has stirred uncomfortable conversations in Pakistan about the silent toll of urban isolation, especially in large cities like Karachi, where rapid expansion, changing family structures and weakening community bonds are quietly reshaping how people live — and die. Deputy Inspector General of Karachi police, Syed Asad Raza, said Asghar had shown signs of severe financial distress before her death. 'She was struggling to revive her career while socially disconnected from family and friends,' Raza told Arab News. 'We also found evidence indicating that, shortly before her death, she had reached out to several of her friends seeking financial help.' Last month, the body of veteran actress Ayesha Khan was also discovered in her Karachi apartment, around a week after her death. Welfare groups like the Edhi Foundation say such cases are rising, though comprehensive national data is lacking. 'There has definitely been an increase in this,' said Faisal Edhi, chairman of the charity, which frequently recovers unclaimed bodies. 'Now we have started finding individual bodies and in large numbers.' URBAN MIGRATION, SHRINKING SAFETY NETS According to World Bank estimates, nearly 44 percent of Pakistanis now live in urban areas, up from 35 percent in 2010. 'Maybe 50 years ago, 70 percent of people were living in villages. Now nearly 70 percent or more are in large cities,' Sociologist Dr. Fateh Muhammad Burfat, former vice chancellor of Sindh University, said, linking the rise in unattended deaths to the collapse of traditional village-based social safety nets. 'So this is not only a change from rural life to urban life, but a change in our whole social life.' Indeed, mental health experts warn that loneliness isn't just a social issue but a serious health risk. Karachi-based psychiatrist Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Afridi cited WHO findings that over 870,000 people died globally in 2024 due to conditions linked to extreme isolation. 'In fact, loneliness has been found to be more painful and damaging than conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure,' he said. 'It has also been observed that people who get disconnected from their friends, family and social circles often develop several diseases along with physical, psychological and social issues.' 'BIGGEST CON' In the wake of Ali's death, many are asking: why didn't the industry check in on its own? Model and actor Zainab Raza, who moved from Lahore to Karachi in 2020, described living alone as 'the biggest con' of independence. 'It's not necessary that everyone has family or friends who check in on them,' she said. 'You can find people who also need that support, and you can be there for each other.' After Asghar's death, a group of actors in Karachi created a WhatsApp support group called Connectivity 101, where members check in on each other daily via simple polls. 'Maybe if such groups and support systems existed when Humaira was around, things would have been a lot better,' Raza said. 'Maybe she would have been with us today.' Burfat, the sociologist, said women who were financially well-off but independent did not face the same level of social security issues as Ali, 'who had been unable to pay her rent, whose electricity was cut off, and whose parents were also not supporting her.' 'So, the world we have now entered,' he said, 'these types of incidents will keep happening.'
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Actress Lauren Weedman thought Bell's palsy might end her acting career. Instead, she turned her health crisis into comedy.
It seemed like Lauren Weedman had finally found her rhythm onscreen. A working actress for more than two decades, she landed back-to-back roles on some of TV's biggest hits, including scene-stealing turns in Hacks and Abbott Elementary. Last summer she had just traveled from Los Angeles to New York to appear alongside Kevin Bacon and Julianne Moore in Netflix's Sirens, where she plays chef Patrice, when one trip to the gym in between shooting days changed everything. 'I remember finishing a shoot and going to the gym for cardio. I took a drink of water, and it dribbled out the side of my mouth. I thought maybe there was a hole in the bottle. I tried again. Same thing. Then I got home, showered, looked in the mirror — and there was no denying it,' she tells Yahoo Entertainment. The 56-year-old actress was unexpectedly diagnosed with Bell's palsy, a condition that temporarily paralyzed one side of her face, forcing her to slow down and reassess everything. 'I had a moment where my ego could not fit in my bra,' she joked during a nearly hour-long Zoom conversation last month. 'I was like, I am on all the shows! This is crazy!' Weedman, who is also known for roles in Looking, Euphoria and Arrested Development, had been riding high, only to be thrown off course by the health scare that would reshape how she moved through her life and career. "I was pushing myself, trying to keep everything going — making money, looking a certain way. And then suddenly, it's like I stroked out," she says. "That's what it felt like." Below, the actor and writer opens up about navigating her career with Bell's palsy, her love of acting and why she thinks her best chapter might still be ahead. Can you take me back to when this all started and you were diagnosed with Bell's palsy one year ago? I was in denial about how stress affects your body. I don't like getting into that kind of stuff because it's so boring. You can get into it with me — I mean, it's true! This has been — not the struggle — but Bell's palsy is not like cancer. To talk about it feels like it's not the hugest thing, but it feels like such a big deal to me. It's unnerving. I live in California and was shooting Sirens in New York. I felt like it was worth trying to make it work, to find places to stay out there. I'm a single mom, so I gotta figure out who's gonna be with my [then 14-year-old] kid while I'm gone, and I don't have a ton of support from the ex. There was a little bit of stress in that, that I didn't even think about. But I thought, I'm a theater person. I'm used to being scrappy and figuring it out. I didn't realize how much I was pushing myself. I was 55 then, and I don't think I was accepting how tired I was. I just kept going. What did you do after you first realized something was wrong at the gym? I was talking to a friend on the phone, this guy I'd been seeing. And that was also part of the stress — a relationship that was falling apart. He wasn't really there for me emotionally, and that was hard. So I tell him what's going on, and he says, "Take your blood pressure." It was really high. He goes, "You might need to go to the hospital. It could be a stroke." I had been having headaches too — pain behind my ear. I thought it was sinuses. Apparently, there are no sinuses back there. I went to the ER, and they immediately suspected stroke. But when the doctor saw me, he said it was Bell's palsy. Gave me antivirals, steroids. I told production I'd be fine in three weeks. That was wishful thinking. I wanted to be upfront, not spend time worrying. I've always believed in using the truth in acting. And I thought, this character? It would be fine if she had Bell's palsy. She's not the romantic lead. I don't want to say nobody gives a shit about her, but … She's hilarious! We love smoothie-making Patrice. Thank you. I haven't watched all of it. I got nervous about seeing my face. But I felt like I didn't really matter much to the show. But your character is one that makes the show work. It feels like a true ensemble. That dinner table scene when you and other guest stars are with Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon — it's one of the most memorable ones. Yes! That's a good example. I was sick that day. Didn't understand what was going on yet ... I had to leave the set often ... it was awful. I'd never been sick like that while working. It was … depressing. Isolating. And I thought about all the people who shoot through cancer, who are shooting through illnesses and they keep going. You don't want to shut down production. And meanwhile, I'm thinking, "I'm going to be on camera. This is all being documented. This might be the end of my [career]." But in some ways, it's been kind of amazing. You turned a crisis into comedy. The scene when you're huddling in the pantry and you say, "My Bell's palsy is back." How did you decide to incorporate that into the character? Was it easy to be that vulnerable on camera? I didn't decide that I wanted to be vulnerable. It just happens by accident. I've always come up through solo theater, which is always about turning my life into art. I've written books; I teach about writing about your life. So I felt very sure that if they would let me use it, it could work. And honestly, I thought the character needed something more. I'm not insulting the writing! But it felt like, OK, I'm the lesbian chef. I've played lesbian chefs multiple times. That's a type for me. So when I suggested incorporating the Bell's palsy ... I wanted to talk to the creator. I had a Zoom call with the showrunner [Molly Smith Metzler] and the director. I wanted them to see my face, to understand what we were dealing with. I explained what I wanted to do, and they were so kind. They were like, "Lauren, you are the opposite of vanity. What you are doing is so strong." And I truly thought — I don't know if I have trust issues or if I just was sick and in a weird space — I was like, they're just saying that because they feel really sorry for me. They're probably looking at me going like, let's be really nice. I couldn't almost accept that they were as kind as they actually were. Molly is over-the-top kind. Like, she's a kindness that I really don't understand. I'm like, are you trying to get into heaven? She's like, "Lauren, this is what creating with females is like. Whatever you have to do — we want to support you in any way. If you feel like you want to take more time, we'll give you time. If you want to be on camera and use it, we'll do that." I said I'll definitely take that one. So it worked out. I just improvised in that scene and did the same thing with Abbott Elementary. We wrote it in too. Hacks is the only one that didn't write it in. They just made it that I was a little drunk! All three of those shows are female-led productions. I'm not trying to throw shade at men here — It's hard not to! Because it really is different. Have you had experiences during this health journey where a set hasn't been so welcoming? The only thing that bummed me out was one experience with a makeup artist. I won't say which show, but … I had this idea — because I'd been watching drag queens tape their faces that maybe I could tape my face to lift the paralyzed side. So I told the makeup artist, "Hey, I'm thinking about taping." She said, "Let's see when you get here." But when she saw me, she was like, Oh my God. I said, "I know ... is there anything we can do?" And she said the tape wouldn't work, you'd see it on camera, it's too much. And she said, "I don't know what to do. Listen, you're sick, all right? You are." It felt honest, actually. She said, "You're going through something pretty big right now. I don't know. There's not much we can do." After she left. A different makeup artist who was there for the day came up to me and said, "Hey, would you like a little bit of makeup?" I started crying. I thought I didn't want to be vain — it's so important to me to like I don't care. I wanted to be above that. But I said yes. She was so nurturing. Later, she told me she was also a healer and massage therapist. I realized that's the kind of energy I needed. Everyone treats me like I'm so tough. But what I needed was someone to say ... I'm sorry this is happening, and she acknowledged that. The other woman had been a little harsh. It really stuck with me. Honestly, the shows have been incredibly supportive. The only thing that still bothers me is when people say, "I didn't even notice it!" I'm like, is that gaslighting of emotion? Because what do you mean you didn't notice it? When you're put in an unexpectedly difficult situation like this, I think it's OK to use it to your advantage if you can. Have you had more opportunities since coming forward with your diagnosis? Not really. The idea is that it'll go away. I lost some jobs because of this. But then I found a way to audition. I didn't end up getting a part in Palm Royale, but I was close — and it was because they cut the role. I've learned how to audition with just one side of my face. I just booked my first job having Bell's palsy where it didn't even come up at all. Is it ? My favorite show of last year. Yes! I'm a guest star. I wish that would shift a bit, but I'm happy for the work. When you look back at your work — , , — is there one role you're especially proud of? No-brainer. I liked Euphoria a lot, because the experience mattered to me. I got to sit and listen to Hunter [Schafer] — she helped write that episode, and it was incredibly personal. I truly felt like I was witnessing the evolution of humanity by listening to her talk about being trans. It was deep. I loved it. But it was only one or two days of shooting. Looking by far is the one I'm proudest of. It's the only show I was a series regular on. Even before I got that status, I loved being part of it. So what are your career goals from here? What would you love to do? I'm always working on my own stuff, but I haven't been able to as much since Bell's palsy. Normally, I'm doing TV stuff here and there, while also writing, performing live shows, painting ... all artsy things. TV used to afford me that. I remember hiking with a friend — she's also an actress — and she said, "Lauren, we're done. If we haven't become known by now, we're just going to stay in this guest star spot. They're not going to cast us as leads." And I was like, "Well, I'm not done." I want to act more. I just keep thinking I'm going to keep acting more. I said something so corny, but I was like, "If you love it, it's gonna love you back." I truly love acting and working. There was this period when I felt embarrassed by not being more successful. I assumed it was because I wasn't attractive enough. Like, I truly was like, I'm not hot, I'm not on-camera hot. I'm not a love interest. I'm the lesbian chef. That resentful period has passed. I'm post-menopause; I'm older. I've gotten way more into acting again. I love working on auditions. If I'm not worried about money — I have a pretty low-key life. I have a rent-controlled apartment, so I don't have a lot of overhead. You don't make a lot of money as a guest star. But that's OK. I really believe I'm gonna keep doing more. I'm glad my story is helping other people ... I keep hearing from people with Bell's palsy now. I get a lot of emails, which is so sweet. It's been bringing so much love.
News.com.au
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Jenna Ortega found comfort in talking to former child stars
The Wednesday star began her acting career at just six years old, landing her first leading role at age 10 in the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle. In a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar, Ortega opened up about connecting with other women who grew up in the spotlight and how they helped her navigate the transition from child stardom to adult fame. In recent years, the 22-year-old has formed close bonds with fellow former child stars Winona Ryder, Natalie Portman, and Natasha Lyonne.
