Demi Lovato Has 3 Pieces of Advice for Aspiring Child Stars, Including Her Own Future Children
If you thought a premiere for a documentary about child stardom was going to start on time, you probably aren’t too familiar with the pressures of early fame. Despite a minor 30-minute delay, Demi Lovato’s latest Hulu doc “Child Star” premiered Thursday night in Hollywood, proving to be her most intimate and cinematic self-examination yet.
Following in the footsteps of “Stay Strong,” “Simply Complicated” and “Dancing With the Devil,” Lovato enlisted help from her fellow famous former child stars for her co-directorial debut (along with filmmaker Nicola Marsh) — and she got legitimate A-list names for it: Raven-Symoné, Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci, Kenan Thompson, Alyson Stoner and JoJo Siwa.
The doc is all about the shared struggles that child stars experience, from Hollywood history-makers such as Shirley Temple and Jackie Coogan to modern social media influencers like Ryan. While their symptoms manifested in different ways, Lovato clearly felt connected to her cohorts in a way that allowed the audience to imagine the toll the price of fame takes.
However, as one of the faces of her generation of Disney Channel stars, she also shared expert advice to any kid — or any potential stage parent — interested in chasing the high that is child stardom, bluntly admitting, “I have way more than just one piece of advice.”
“My first piece of advice is to invest in the relationships that are meaningful and important to you. Because at the end of the day, fame and fortune can and will disappear, but what will be there at the end of the day are your family and friends,” Lovato shared in a post-screening Q&A. “My second piece of advice would be to have a backup plan. Just in case you wake up one day and think, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore. I want to … be an accountant.’ Have a backup plan, it’s really smart. It’s in every child star’s best interest to have a backup plan. And third would be to have fun. If you’re not having fun, what’s the point of it?”
But what about her own hypothetical children in the future?
“I would have them perfect their practice and do school plays, take lessons and work on your craft until you’re 18. Then when you’re 18, you can branch off and follow your dreams. But until then, I think it’s really important that minors have childhoods,” Lovato said. “I don’t know if I would put my children in the industry prior to being 18. But that’s just a personal choice.”
Participants Raven, Stoner and Siwa even stopped by to lend further support at the premiere event with OBB Media President/CEO Michael D. Ratner serving as moderator. Other notable guests in attendance included “Camp Rock” co-star Maria Canals-Barrera, Kesha, Nico Tortorella, Lilly Singh, Chris McCarty and Lovato’s family: mom Dianna, sister Dallas and fiancé Jutes.
“It’s been incredible building a relationship with Demi over the years, and we’re honored that OBB has been her creative partner in many different capacities, including now her directorial debut. We’re also grateful to all the child stars who participated in this project for their vulnerability and trust in sharing such a timely story,” Ratner told TheWrap. “As discussed in the project, technology moves faster than legislation and we now live in a time when kids can become stars overnight. Our hope is this film empowers change for the next generation.”
He continued, “It was crucial that Demi was the director behind this film because she could relate to the subjects and their stories so personally. Her willingness to share her experience of growing up in the spotlight created a space to be honest and vulnerable about mental health and societal pressures within the industry.”
Ultimately, Lovato ended the night with a performance of her new single “You’ll Be OK, Kid,” inspired by and included in the documentary itself. The afterparty/reception included mocktails, cocktails, passed appetizers, Irv’s burgers and dessert from Craig’s, all in the spacious NeueHouse Hollywood location on Sunset.
“Child Star” premieres Tuesday, Sept. 17, on Hulu.
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