“Hollywood was burned out on me,” Mara candidly admits. “If you’re not cute anymore, if you’re not beautiful, then you’re worthless.” These harsh words reveal the tough reality she faced as she transitioned from child star to young adult.
A Star is Born
Mara’s Hollywood journey began at just five years old when she appeared as Robin Williams’ youngest child in the 1993 blockbuster Mrs. Doubtfire. Her performance stole the hearts of millions, and it was clear that her talent was undeniable. Born in California, Mara had already gained experience in commercials before landing her breakout role.
“My parents were proud of me, but they kept me grounded,” Mara recalls. “If I ever said something like, ‘I’m the greatest!’ my mom would remind me, ‘You’re just an actor. You’re just a kid.’”
The following year, she took on the role of Susan Walker in the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street, stepping into shoes once filled by the legendary Natalie Wood. In an article for The Guardian, Mara reminisced about her audition, where she confessed to the production team that she didn’t believe in Santa Claus—though she did believe in the Tooth Fairy, whom she had named after actress Sally Field.
A Magical Role and a Personal Loss
Mara’s success continued when she starred in the 1996 adaptation of Matilda, alongside Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman. However, this year also marked a turning point in her personal life. Mara’s mother, Suzie, passed away after a battle with breast cancer. The loss had a profound impact on the young actress.
“I wasn’t sure about my identity anymore,” she explains. “There was the person I was before, and then there was the person I became after. My mom’s absence felt like this huge shadow in my life.”
The grief, coupled with the pressures of fame, left her feeling exhausted. Despite her growing popularity, Mara says she was at her unhappiest during this time. “Most of the time, I just wanted to be like any other kid, especially after my mom passed away.”
The End of Her Acting Career
At age 11, Mara begrudgingly took on her final major role in the 2000 film Thomas and the Magic Railroad. “The characters were too young for me,” she admits. “At 11, I had a visceral reaction to the script… Ugh, I thought. How cute.”
Mara’s departure from acting wasn’t entirely her choice. As she entered her teenage years, the roles stopped coming. Hollywood’s interest in her waned as she transitioned from the “cute” little girl to an awkward adolescent. “At 13, no one had called me cute or mentioned the way I looked in years, at least not in a positive way,” she says.
This period was challenging for Mara, as she grappled with the realities of fame and the public’s changing perception of her. “I used to think that in Hollywood, if you’re not pretty or attractive, then you don’t matter at all. I connected that idea to the end of my career,” she shares. “Even though I was kind of tired of it and Hollywood seemed tired of me too, it still hurts to be turned away.”
Finding Her Voice as a Writer
After stepping away from the big screen, Mara found a new creative outlet in writing. In 2016, she published her first book, Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame. The memoir offers a candid look at her journey from child star to a quieter, more grounded life. Through essays, she reflects on the lessons she learned in Hollywood and the impact of no longer being seen as “cute.”
She also wrote another memoir, Good Girls Don’t, which delves deeper into her experiences as a young actress navigating the high expectations placed on her. “Being cute only brought me sadness,” she writes in one of her essays for The Guardian. “I always believed that I would be the one to stop acting, not the other way around.”
A New Chapter
Now 37, Mara has found peace outside of Hollywood. While the pressures of fame and beauty left her disillusioned with acting, she’s carved out a fulfilling career as a writer, using her voice to share her unique perspective on fame, identity, and resilience.
What are your thoughts on Mara Wilson’s story? Share your perspective and pass this story along to others—her journey is one that resonates far beyond the silver screen.
