When we think of child actors, what’s the first thing to come to mind? Sometimes it’s teen superstars on the cover of a magazine, or young artists delivering a stellar performance in an academy-award winning film. But unfortunately, there is another commonly held view — that of privileged kids who are forced to grow up too fast, and experience a corrupt industry beyond their comprehension. While we see many of these stories in Hollywood, it does not need to be the case for all parents. As long as you raise your child the way you feel is best you can avoid many of these problems. The key is to not let any of the success get into your child’s head and to also ensure they have the right people around them so they stay focused and respectful. While this tends to be the biggest worry about raising a child actor, there are also many logistical factors that must be considered, such as transportation and even study time. There are countless pieces of advice that can be given but we have boiled them down to the 10 best tips to help parents raise a child actor.
You better get some percentage back on those miles because you will be driving a lot. From auditions to premiers to marketing events and more, you’ll need to drive to and fro to many different locations. We suggest avoiding gas guzzlers and trying to combine multiple events into one trip.
Electronic devices will be in use constantly to help keep you organized and keep your child busy. You will always need them to be charged so we suggest keeping a couple portable chargers on you just in case you are somewhere without an outlet. Also, investing in an iPad can be very helpful to keep your child actor busy on long car drives.
Disappointment is a part of life, but it is extremely prevalent in the world of child actors and child models. The key is to not allow your child to feel that it is due to anything that is wrong with them, but simply they aren’t right for that role. You can also teach them to use it as motivation to work harder for the next audition. For tips on how to support your child after a rejection, read our recent blog.
One of the most important aspects that can make or break your child model is who they associate themselves with. While it can be difficult to control who they interact with, it is very important to know if they have someone who is a negative influence on their life. You want their actor friends to be on a straight and successful path, and not one that can damage their future.
Kids still need to be kids even if they are child actors otherwise they can get wound up and become very stressed. One way to combat this is to allow them time to not think about their acting life, and simply act their own age. They should play with friends in the street and even keep up a hobby they can do when they are not preparing for their next role.
This can be the most difficult part of raising a child actor. As they are minors they will not be in control of their own paychecks and that falls under your responsibility. Make sure to open a Coogan account so that 15% of their paycheck is always saved. We suggest adding an even higher percentage so that when they are older they will be able to use that money to set up their future.
You will need to get extremely organized in order to keep your child on the path to success. We suggest using the electronic devices we mentioned earlier to the fullest. You can easily set reminders and alarms, while also linking them to your calendar so you don’t miss a thing.
The more successful your child actor is the harder it will be to keep up with “normal” life moments. You still need to ensure that your child does their homework and has time to relax and live a life that is not only surrounded by bright lights and casting directors.
Along with life balance and stress relief comes mental health. You want to ensure your child does not get caught up in the rat race of Hollywood which has the potential to be very mentally unhealthy for young child actors. We suggest having consistent discussions with your child so you know how they are feeling and when you need to step in and take action.
This might be the most important but making sure your child is still staying respectful and not becoming the typical spoiled child actor will make everyone’s life better. You do not want to have an entitled child who becomes even worse as a teenager. Fame can be tough to handle, so as long as they understand that it comes with the job and should not be taken advantage of, you will have no issues as they age into adulthood.
We work with all kinds of families and children at Bensimon Models and Talent which helps us understand the key factors in creating successful actors and good children. We hope this blog helps you understand how to help your child actor succeed and continue to be the child you love and adore!
