Mara Wilson, who turned 38 on July 24, rose to fame as a child star in Mrs. Doubtfire, Miracle on 34th Street, and Matilda. Behind the early success, she faced Hollywood’s harsh treatment of young actors. “My parents kept me grounded,” she recalls, but by age 11, acting made her miserable. The loss of her mother to breast cancer in 1996 compounded the pressure. “When I was very famous, I was the most unhappy,” she admitted.

Her final major role was in Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000), after which she gradually stepped away. As she entered adolescence, roles dried up. “Hollywood was burned out on me,” she said. “If you’re not cute anymore, you’re worthless.” Now a writer, Wilson shares her story candidly in essays and memoirs like Good Girls Don’t.

She openly discusses grief, rejection, and how being defined by “cute” limited her career. “I always thought it would be me giving up acting, not the other way around.”