WEBVTT - Demi Lovato 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:01.640 Man, what's hand him? 0:00:01.680 --> 0:00:01.840 Man? 0:00:01.840 --> 0:00:05.440 You got Marshaw Be Small Lynch, Doug Hendrickson and Gavin 0:00:05.519 --> 0:00:07.480 Newsome and you're listening to politickets. 0:00:08.360 --> 0:00:09.800 You know to be, you known to be. 0:00:20.160 --> 0:00:23.640 It's great to be with my partner Doug Hendrickson, and 0:00:23.640 --> 0:00:27.160 it's great to be here on a podcast with remarkable, 0:00:27.360 --> 0:00:35.320 remarkable advocate, activist and actress, singer, songwriter, now director of 0:00:35.360 --> 0:00:38.879 a remarkable new documentary on Hulu called Child Star. The 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:41.480 one and only Demi Levado. Welcome to Politicking. 0:00:42.080 --> 0:00:43.520 Thank you, thank you so much. 0:00:43.600 --> 0:00:45.720 It is great to have you. And Doug and I 0:00:45.800 --> 0:00:49.480 were just talking earlier this morning. We both watched this documentary, 0:00:49.520 --> 0:00:52.960 and I encourage anyone listening to get out on Hulu 0:00:53.000 --> 0:00:57.440 and watch this documentary if you care about issues running 0:00:57.600 --> 0:01:02.360 mental health, you care about issues associated with fame, with celebrity, 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:06.680 if you care about just the larger human condition in 0:01:06.720 --> 0:01:11.040 a world where we're so inundated with social media and 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:17.000 we're constantly, constantly being reminded not only of our attributes, 0:01:17.080 --> 0:01:19.960 but often of our faults and they're reflected back on us. 0:01:20.000 --> 0:01:22.560 And you took us on a journey of your life 0:01:22.840 --> 0:01:26.440 and your history and Child Star, and you brought in 0:01:26.480 --> 0:01:30.440 a lot of remarkable figures that are well known public 0:01:30.480 --> 0:01:34.080 figures in part of that journey in a remarkable documentary 0:01:34.560 --> 0:01:36.920 about not only your life, but their life. Tell us 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:38.880 a little bit about the documentary and more over what 0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:40.080 the inspiration was for it. 0:01:40.840 --> 0:01:44.600 Well, the documentary is basically the good, the bad, and 0:01:44.640 --> 0:01:48.320 the ugly of child stardom. You know, this journey of 0:01:48.520 --> 0:01:52.120 starting this documentary, it was an idea of mine that 0:01:52.200 --> 0:01:55.320 I had probably about ten years ago, and I didn't 0:01:55.520 --> 0:01:56.720 get the ball rolling. 0:01:56.480 --> 0:01:58.440 Until about two or three years ago. 0:01:59.600 --> 0:02:03.760 I just was fascinated with child stardom, the effects that 0:02:03.840 --> 0:02:08.680 it has on not only the child star but their families. 0:02:09.320 --> 0:02:13.080 You know what it's like, and obviously I had a 0:02:13.120 --> 0:02:16.160 personal connection to it, being a child star myself. So 0:02:16.760 --> 0:02:20.280 I wanted to explore this and that's kind of how 0:02:20.280 --> 0:02:21.239 the film came about. 0:02:21.520 --> 0:02:24.359 And you were The film begins with your own sort 0:02:24.400 --> 0:02:27.720 of expression of you know, the celebrity through the sort 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:31.640 of lens of looking at Shirley Temple and saying, you know, 0:02:31.720 --> 0:02:35.400 one day that could be me and looking at her life. 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:40.359 I mean, you fell into acting at a remarkably early age, right. 0:02:40.320 --> 0:02:43.120 Yes, I was my first audition that I ever went 0:02:43.160 --> 0:02:46.560 on was I think I was four or five years old, 0:02:47.120 --> 0:02:50.520 and I ended up booking Barney and Friends when I 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:55.160 was about seven years old, and I continued to do 0:02:55.360 --> 0:03:00.519 commercials and guest starring roles until I booked my first 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:02.400 gig on the Disney Channel at fourteen. 0:03:02.600 --> 0:03:05.359 At fourteen, Doug, you remember Barney back in the day, 0:03:05.400 --> 0:03:06.480 did drive you crazy? 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:09.560 Well, it's so I'm so fared up to have you 0:03:09.600 --> 0:03:13.160 on politics, and I've I've probably seen camp Rock three 0:03:13.240 --> 0:03:17.240 hundred times with my kids. They listened to Skyscraper all 0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:19.520 the time to get him through problems and issues and whatnot. 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:23.000 The real story is he doesn't watch it with his kids, 0:03:23.000 --> 0:03:25.680 But that's a whole other conversation tell the truth. 0:03:25.840 --> 0:03:28.160 But no, I love the doc and it's funny Demi. 0:03:28.200 --> 0:03:30.720 As you know, I'm an NFL sports agent, and I 0:03:30.760 --> 0:03:32.200 can relate so well to. 0:03:32.200 --> 0:03:33.880 It because you also see it in sports. 0:03:33.919 --> 0:03:37.880 You have so many parents and whatnot that are getting 0:03:37.880 --> 0:03:39.920 his kids in early and earlier more than I've ever 0:03:39.960 --> 0:03:43.080 seen before, and getting him in early, almost like the 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:46.920 entertainment business, because I think that there's that situation where 0:03:46.960 --> 0:03:50.000 they want fame, they want fortune, and these kids are 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:52.520 thrown into it, and they're going to private lessons, and 0:03:52.560 --> 0:03:54.200 they're going to camps, and they're going to all these 0:03:54.200 --> 0:03:56.400 different things, and I can see it so much of 0:03:56.400 --> 0:03:59.280 what you went through on the sports lens now now 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:00.800 more than ever in that world. 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:02.480 Wow, that's so interesting. 0:04:02.520 --> 0:04:04.920 I've never thought of it from that perspective, but you know, 0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:08.640 it does take up your entire life when you are 0:04:09.280 --> 0:04:13.880 pursuing a career in any of these outlets, whether it 0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:19.799 be through acting or singing or sports. Yeah, it's definitely. 0:04:19.800 --> 0:04:23.840 That's a really interesting perspective. I never thought of it 0:04:23.880 --> 0:04:24.200 like that. 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:27.680 And it's interesting with sports we see it. I mean, 0:04:27.839 --> 0:04:30.119 you see these parents on the sideline, and you wonder, 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:33.839 is it the parents that wish they were on the 0:04:33.839 --> 0:04:35.799 field or is it the kids that wish on the field. 0:04:36.160 --> 0:04:38.880 For you, was there that sort of dialectic? I mean, 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:42.480 did you feel pushed into acting? Did your parents or 0:04:42.560 --> 0:04:45.760 role models push you or was it something that you 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:49.239 were dragging them to support. 0:04:49.560 --> 0:04:52.000 Well, what's interesting is my mom used to be a 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:56.480 country singer and she opened up for I think it 0:04:56.560 --> 0:05:00.000 was Reba McIntyre and George Strait and Hank Williams Junior, 0:05:00.200 --> 0:05:04.000 and she you know, was always singing in the house, 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:07.760 and so I grew up around music, and you know, 0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:12.200 when I saw Shirley Temple on TV, I thought, if 0:05:12.240 --> 0:05:14.000 she can do it, I want to do it. And 0:05:14.080 --> 0:05:16.200 so I really was the one that was pushing my 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:19.400 parents to help me pursue. 0:05:19.000 --> 0:05:24.280 This, and you know it was Yeah. Was I around 0:05:24.400 --> 0:05:25.280 music a lot and. 0:05:25.279 --> 0:05:27.920 Was influenced by my mom, of course, but I really 0:05:27.960 --> 0:05:29.520 think that I was the one that was pushing. 0:05:29.680 --> 0:05:33.720 Do you remember the moment that you felt like a star, 0:05:33.880 --> 0:05:37.240 you felt like a celebrity, where you went WHOA something's different. 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:41.919 Yes, I was. I think I was about fourteen or fifteen. 0:05:42.480 --> 0:05:44.920 I had just shot camp Rock, but it hadn't come 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:47.239 out yet, and the way that things were at the time, 0:05:48.839 --> 0:05:52.080 like blogging and tabloid sites, people already knew that I 0:05:52.360 --> 0:05:56.280 was Mitchie from Camp Rock, and so I had a 0:05:56.279 --> 0:05:58.760 little buzz around me going. 0:05:58.920 --> 0:06:00.719 But like, I wasn't super familiar. 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:05.760 I hadn't witnessed anything in my career yet. 0:06:05.800 --> 0:06:06.960 The movie hadn't come out. 0:06:07.120 --> 0:06:11.720 I wasn't aware of my I guess up and coming 0:06:11.800 --> 0:06:16.159 stature or status. And there was a moment where I 0:06:16.200 --> 0:06:18.760 went to visit a friend at an autograph signing. He 0:06:18.920 --> 0:06:21.920 had been on Hannah Montana and was doing an autograph 0:06:21.960 --> 0:06:28.720 signing and somebody screamed like like that, and I was like, 0:06:29.600 --> 0:06:31.479 I looked around and was like, oh my gosh, what's 0:06:31.520 --> 0:06:31.920 going on? 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:33.279 You know, scared wow? 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:36.960 And they said it's samue Levado and I was like what, 0:06:37.360 --> 0:06:40.640 like me? And that was the moment that I realized 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:42.000 my life was going to change forever. 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:44.280 And I imagine that felt great. 0:06:44.080 --> 0:06:46.039 At the moment, right, Yeah, it did feel good. 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:47.840 It felt really good because it felt like all the 0:06:47.880 --> 0:06:50.360 hard work had finally paid off in that moment. And 0:06:51.080 --> 0:06:54.640 I met my first fan essentially, you know, I. 0:06:56.000 --> 0:06:57.000 Didn't have the movie. 0:06:57.080 --> 0:06:59.840 The movie wasn't out yet, and I was blown away 0:06:59.839 --> 0:07:00.679 that she even. 0:07:00.560 --> 0:07:01.640 Knew my name. 0:07:02.600 --> 0:07:04.880 But yeah, it was like meeting my first fan. It 0:07:04.920 --> 0:07:06.440 was really a cool experience. 0:07:06.720 --> 0:07:09.480 Well, Demie, it's fascinating because I think everybody in the 0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:12.680 public viewpoints, you know, views your life and any celebrities 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:15.680 life is, you know, champagne and roses every day, but 0:07:15.760 --> 0:07:19.880 they don't understand the loneliness and the stuff you guys 0:07:19.880 --> 0:07:20.360 go through. 0:07:20.600 --> 0:07:22.400 It's in now so much of social media. 0:07:22.800 --> 0:07:27.080 You know, when you're walking through somewhere nobody wants to hey, Demi, 0:07:27.160 --> 0:07:29.160 how you doing, how's everything going to love your movie? 0:07:29.160 --> 0:07:32.160 They want a picture, They want a selfie that that 0:07:32.240 --> 0:07:34.680 can put on Instagram. With social media, nobody really wants 0:07:34.680 --> 0:07:36.880 to know how you're doing or they ask you questions. 0:07:36.920 --> 0:07:39.760 All they want to bust through the crowd to get 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:41.840 to know you or meet you and get a picture. 0:07:41.920 --> 0:07:44.520 And that's all I want. It's so it's so bad. 0:07:44.880 --> 0:07:47.160 You know what's interesting is when people say, I hate 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:51.400 to bother you, but sorry to bother you, but I'm 0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:53.400 going to ask for an autograph anyways or a picture 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:55.040 now now it's pictures. 0:07:54.640 --> 0:07:57.280 But you know, it's it's interesting. 0:07:57.320 --> 0:08:03.400 It's like this weird dynamic between celebrity and you know, 0:08:03.440 --> 0:08:06.120 people who aren't celebrities, where they want something from you 0:08:06.160 --> 0:08:08.640 and they think they know you, but they don't. And 0:08:08.680 --> 0:08:11.360 I assume that you know exactly what this is like, 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:13.920 you know, being in the position that you're in. 0:08:14.240 --> 0:08:18.520 But I think with your journey, it's so it's so 0:08:18.720 --> 0:08:22.160 powerful and poignant at the same time because you have 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:24.840 that sort of rush which you talked about of recognition, 0:08:25.760 --> 0:08:27.880 but you also in the documentary, I remember at one 0:08:27.880 --> 0:08:30.320 point you were talking about looking out on the audience. 0:08:30.640 --> 0:08:32.320 And I guess you were singing at the time and 0:08:32.360 --> 0:08:36.360 you saw an empty seat, yes, and you felt this vulnerability, Yes, 0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:39.800 that that still happens, and that somehow I'm not good enough. Yes, 0:08:39.880 --> 0:08:41.040 why is there an empty seat? 0:08:41.400 --> 0:08:41.679 Yes? 0:08:42.320 --> 0:08:47.040 I remember performing at a concert not too far back, 0:08:47.160 --> 0:08:49.480 a couple of years ago. I think I was in 0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:53.360 Dubai and I saw empty seats and the audience and 0:08:54.200 --> 0:08:56.960 I was on stage, and it took me out of 0:08:57.000 --> 0:09:01.319 the present moment of performing for my fans because I thought, oh, 0:09:01.640 --> 0:09:04.200 I'm not good enough to have sold this place out, 0:09:04.360 --> 0:09:07.440 and it was really discouraging. But you know, that's just 0:09:07.480 --> 0:09:11.800 something that I've come to accept, that you're not always 0:09:11.840 --> 0:09:14.920 going to sell out every arena that you play, and 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:18.760 that's okay. It doesn't mean that you are not you know, 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:24.559 of valuable human being worthy of love and acceptance. 0:09:24.800 --> 0:09:25.040 You know. 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:28.080 That's But I when I was younger. 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:30.800 I confused the two. I confused my brand with who 0:09:30.840 --> 0:09:36.960 I was. Therefore I equated, you know, validation outside validation 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:39.600 with self worth, which was really unhealthy. And I think 0:09:39.640 --> 0:09:43.160 a lot of young people in the entertainment industry, and 0:09:43.360 --> 0:09:46.120 especially now on social media, I think they deal with 0:09:46.120 --> 0:09:46.520 that too. 0:09:47.160 --> 0:09:51.360 What's I thought so wonderful and chime in because this 0:09:51.559 --> 0:09:54.720 was in our conversation it was how honest and raw 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:58.280 you've been about your own journey and your own anxieties, 0:09:58.280 --> 0:10:01.000 your own securities that are universe shared, this sort of 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:06.320 imposter syndrome, never feeling good enough, having initial early success, 0:10:07.040 --> 0:10:11.120 being challenged by that, and looking for validation externally as 0:10:11.120 --> 0:10:15.400 opposed to internally. When did you decide to be so 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:18.640 expressive and honest. Was there a sort of point or 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:21.000 was it a bottoming out where you just felt I 0:10:21.120 --> 0:10:23.200 have to sort of come out of my shell. It's 0:10:23.200 --> 0:10:25.040 time for me to sort of let it all out. 0:10:25.720 --> 0:10:28.760 I've pretty much always been vulnerable with my fan base. 0:10:29.520 --> 0:10:33.280 I was bullied in middle school and I decided to 0:10:33.720 --> 0:10:37.680 be an advocate for anti bullying when I was probably 0:10:37.679 --> 0:10:39.320 about fifteen sixteen years old. 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:41.200 And by the way, just on that, just forgive me 0:10:41.240 --> 0:10:43.240 for coming out. But it wasn't just that they were 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:45.000 doing a suicide petition. 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:46.200 Yeah, it was really bad. 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:47.480 It was the next level bullying. 0:10:47.800 --> 0:10:51.520 It was really bad, and so I wanted to be 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:56.000 outspoken for people who had been bullied in school themselves. 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:59.720 And I think the point where I realized I needed 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:04.400 to be vulnerable with everyone was I had a It 0:11:04.480 --> 0:11:07.000 was my first time in treatment. I went to treatment 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:10.360 when I was eighteen for mental health issues in an 0:11:10.360 --> 0:11:15.880 eating disorder, and I remember my manager, you know, saying 0:11:15.960 --> 0:11:18.640 to me, what do you want to How do you 0:11:18.640 --> 0:11:21.480 want to navigate this. Do you want to keep it 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:25.720 private and not share, you know, your experience with people 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:28.600 and just kind of brush it under the rug. Or 0:11:28.800 --> 0:11:31.319 do you want to use this as an as an 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:35.800 opportunity to be a you know, inspiration to others. And 0:11:35.840 --> 0:11:38.600 I thought, well, if I can help people, then that's 0:11:38.600 --> 0:11:40.920 what I want to do, and so I've always I've 0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:43.560 decided to That was like a turning point in my 0:11:43.559 --> 0:11:46.640 life where I end career, where I thought, being vulnerable. 0:11:46.280 --> 0:11:47.840 If it helps people, that's what I want to do. 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:49.760 But I imagine there had to be some pushback to 0:11:50.320 --> 0:11:52.600 you may have had some or we're all the people 0:11:52.640 --> 0:11:55.680 around you saying that's go for that, because there's always 0:11:55.720 --> 0:11:58.280 that friction between you know you're going to be you're 0:11:58.320 --> 0:12:01.719 taking a big risk here, Yeah, be sacrificing this sort 0:12:01.760 --> 0:12:04.560 of persona, which is what we're selling to the public. 0:12:04.600 --> 0:12:08.720 Even in you had some amazing interviews Jojo and others, 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:11.960 and you know, just in terms of own sexual identity 0:12:11.960 --> 0:12:15.080 and issues like that and potentially how that could impact 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:18.200 one's career. But was that was that part of a 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:20.360 discussion or was it just when you heard that in 0:12:20.400 --> 0:12:21.920 that conversation, like, let's do this. 0:12:22.480 --> 0:12:27.480 I'm pretty stubborn when I you know, or headstrong when 0:12:27.520 --> 0:12:30.600 I set my mind to something. That's that's what I do, 0:12:30.640 --> 0:12:34.120 and and that's what I did as I decided to 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:37.000 be outspoken about what I had been through because I 0:12:37.080 --> 0:12:40.240 knew that it could potentially help save lives. 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:53.560 Yeah, well, Deemmie, I appreciate you brutal honesty. 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:55.360 I mean, it's funny. You know, Gavin and I are 0:12:55.400 --> 0:12:57.720 a lot older than you. He a little bit more 0:12:57.720 --> 0:13:01.040 older than me. But in any event, you know, by 0:13:01.080 --> 0:13:03.520 the way, I remember back in high school, you know, 0:13:03.559 --> 0:13:07.199 my dad died and back then, there was no counselors 0:13:07.280 --> 0:13:08.120 even available to. 0:13:08.120 --> 0:13:10.920 Hey, go talk to this counselor. It wasn't talked about. 0:13:12.000 --> 0:13:15.960 And you fast forward now our partner, Marshawn Lynch, you know, 0:13:16.040 --> 0:13:17.960 he was you know, the tough guy in the NFL, 0:13:18.000 --> 0:13:20.000 and he was the guy that you know, ran over 0:13:20.080 --> 0:13:23.520 people and and and whatnot. But his last press conference 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:25.679 he said to all the young people in the NFL 0:13:25.679 --> 0:13:28.600 and athletes, take care of your chicken and take care 0:13:28.640 --> 0:13:29.280 of your mentals. 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:32.000 And people are like what and it. 0:13:32.000 --> 0:13:33.880 Was so it was so point it take carry of chicken, 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:37.120 take carr of money, and take care of mentals. And 0:13:37.160 --> 0:13:39.680 that's the first time a pro athlete has really talked 0:13:39.679 --> 0:13:42.760 about the mental health game. And this was really five 0:13:42.840 --> 0:13:46.880 years ago. And so since five years every NFL team 0:13:46.920 --> 0:13:49.880 now has their mental health coach. You sports has mental 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:53.720 health coaches. It's now really gone fast forward since Marshawan 0:13:53.800 --> 0:13:56.800 said that, And and for him to say that was 0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:59.280 big because that kind of changed the culture and sports 0:13:59.600 --> 0:14:02.240 where he could come out and say that. And you 0:14:02.280 --> 0:14:04.400 did the same thing in entertainment business, So kudos to 0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:07.800 you because thank you. It's a real thing and people 0:14:07.960 --> 0:14:10.439 just they don't understand it. But when he says it, 0:14:10.480 --> 0:14:11.880 and you say, people listen. 0:14:12.400 --> 0:14:16.120 Well, we're human. Bottom line is we're all human. And 0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:20.600 even though we are put in positions that are you know, 0:14:21.400 --> 0:14:24.600 where we're under a magnifying glass for millions of people, 0:14:25.000 --> 0:14:29.520 at the end of the day, you know, we we're 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:32.120 human and we deal with mental health issues just like 0:14:32.160 --> 0:14:36.880 everyone else. And so it's important that we talk about 0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:38.640 this because so many people can. 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:39.280 Be helped by it. 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:41.520 I mean, how does like, if you were if you 0:14:41.560 --> 0:14:43.200 were to have kids and do this, how do you 0:14:43.320 --> 0:14:47.280 navigate that, you know, the child stardom because you know 0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:49.760 nowadays with athletes that come out in nineteen twenty and 0:14:50.040 --> 0:14:52.840 you're trying to preach financial literacy and education and whatnot 0:14:52.880 --> 0:14:55.680 to them, But you're now doing this with families who 0:14:55.720 --> 0:14:58.960 have kids, and the whole the thing to starts sooner 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:00.320 or sooner. If you were to do do it all 0:15:00.360 --> 0:15:03.280 over again, what advice would you give yourself and or 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:06.480 family now with a young child that wants to get 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:09.200 in entertainment business or music and kind of get rolling. 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:13.800 I think, first and foremost, if I could give myself 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:18.040 any advice, give my younger self any advice, one of 0:15:18.080 --> 0:15:20.800 the main things I would tell my younger self. 0:15:20.640 --> 0:15:22.200 Would be it's okay to take breaks. 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:26.440 Taking breaks was something that I didn't think was feasible 0:15:26.440 --> 0:15:28.440 in my career because I didn't want to lose the 0:15:28.480 --> 0:15:33.440 momentum and you know of my career, and so I 0:15:33.440 --> 0:15:37.240 think taking breaks is really important and for me, I 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:39.080 don't know the answer to that question because I don't 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:42.440 have kids yet. I do want to have kids, and 0:15:42.520 --> 0:15:44.760 I think that when I do have kids, I want 0:15:44.800 --> 0:15:48.200 to one I want to say no social media until 0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:53.360 you're sixteen, which I know people might say, well, good luck. 0:15:53.160 --> 0:15:56.840 With that, but I can try, I can dream. And 0:15:58.160 --> 0:15:58.800 you know, if. 0:15:58.640 --> 0:16:01.760 They came to me and said I want a career 0:16:02.480 --> 0:16:05.960 in the entertainment industry, I would say wait until you're eighteen, 0:16:07.440 --> 0:16:11.800 just because I didn't have a full childhood and I 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:14.880 want that for my kids. And I think that until 0:16:14.920 --> 0:16:17.120 you're eighteen, you can do all you can to work 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:22.040 on your craft, whether that's voice lessons or songwriting or 0:16:22.080 --> 0:16:24.560 if you want to be an actor, act in school plays. 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:31.600 There's other avenues that you can take to pursue your dreams, and. 0:16:30.640 --> 0:16:32.880 Then when you're eighteen you can go full force. But 0:16:32.920 --> 0:16:35.119 that's what I want to do with my kids. 0:16:34.880 --> 0:16:37.560 And you know, and I think the movie expresses that beautifully, 0:16:37.600 --> 0:16:41.880 just through the the lives of Drew Barrymore and her 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:45.840 own experiences. I mean, it's always a you know, people 0:16:45.920 --> 0:16:47.880 read about it. It's one thing to hear Drew talk about 0:16:48.040 --> 0:16:52.040 at eleven years old using substances. It's you know, to 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:55.560 hear the stories of all these other young child stars 0:16:55.600 --> 0:16:58.600 at all. They lost their childhood in some respect. They 0:16:58.640 --> 0:17:01.480 also had some in common which I thought was so interesting, 0:17:01.520 --> 0:17:05.200 this notion of disassociation, Yes, quite literally, sort of being 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:08.679 disassociated from their environment and there's almost this blur in 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:11.520 terms of their own experiences and lived life. 0:17:11.720 --> 0:17:12.040 Yeah. 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:15.840 So something that you know, I came to learn after 0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:19.920 talking to the participants in the film was, like you said, 0:17:19.920 --> 0:17:23.359 this common threat of disassociation, which I personally believe is 0:17:24.960 --> 0:17:27.479 while fame can be a privilege, I think that it 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:31.840 also can be very traumatic, especially to minors, and I 0:17:31.880 --> 0:17:36.320 think that the disassociation was probably a direct trauma response 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:38.560 to the fame and the pressure that was put on 0:17:39.000 --> 0:17:41.639 all of us as young child performers. 0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:47.359 Were any of those conversations in the documentary surprising to you? 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:51.240 More revelatory? I mean, these are old relationships people that 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:54.320 we that you worked with. There was a lot of 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:58.720 honest exchange too, apologies, Yes, how way people felt treated. 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:03.520 The interactions also a lot of love. When you had 0:18:03.520 --> 0:18:06.679 that wonderful conversation with your co star about running into 0:18:06.680 --> 0:18:09.360 the bathroom, you talked about an eating disorder. Yeah, and 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:12.479 she saw you purging and you were expecting to be judged. 0:18:12.560 --> 0:18:14.240 Instead you were embraced. 0:18:14.440 --> 0:18:15.440 Yes, I was embraced. 0:18:15.480 --> 0:18:21.000 Alison is just such an incredible person and they're an 0:18:21.000 --> 0:18:26.400 advocate as well for kids in the industry. And yeah, 0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:30.119 there were apologies that needed to be made because I 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:34.040 didn't treat people the way that I do now. You know, 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:36.879 I would like to think that I'm a different person 0:18:36.920 --> 0:18:41.040 than I was when I was seventeen, because because I 0:18:41.080 --> 0:18:43.679 was struggling so much inside with those mental health issues 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:46.720 that we talked about, you know, because I was struggling, 0:18:46.880 --> 0:18:51.439 I didn't I wasn't the most respectful to everyone around me, 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:55.600 and so growing up, you know, I just I had 0:18:55.640 --> 0:18:59.399 to learn. I learned that I was suffering, and that 0:19:00.320 --> 0:19:03.880 you know, it was I learned that I was suffering, 0:19:03.920 --> 0:19:06.959 and I had to make amends to those people that 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:08.560 I didn't treat the best. 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:11.040 I love that, And I mean, you know, Drew Barrymore's 0:19:11.040 --> 0:19:13.119 obviously I was been an icon and I don't know, 0:19:13.240 --> 0:19:15.840 did you know her much before the doc? And then 0:19:16.320 --> 0:19:19.040 is there other people you latched onto in regards to 0:19:19.240 --> 0:19:21.960 just your story and your life that's been a mentor 0:19:22.000 --> 0:19:23.600 to you or someone that you've been kind of going 0:19:23.640 --> 0:19:24.439 through the struggle with. 0:19:26.840 --> 0:19:30.919 You know, there hasn't been. I haven't had like a 0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:33.959 lot of mentors in my life. I've had people that 0:19:34.119 --> 0:19:38.159 I've been close to and I've I've learned from, but 0:19:38.320 --> 0:19:41.760 there I didn't really grow up with a mentor in 0:19:41.800 --> 0:19:44.040 the industry, which I wish that I had. It would 0:19:44.080 --> 0:19:47.680 have provided a lot of wisdom that I feel like 0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:52.240 I could have used at fifteen, sixteen, seventeen years old. 0:19:52.280 --> 0:19:54.399 Even even now, I would love to have a mentor. 0:19:54.440 --> 0:19:58.000 I didn't have one. But I did know Drew prior 0:19:58.080 --> 0:20:01.639 to her working on this film with me. She I 0:20:01.680 --> 0:20:05.679 had done her show several times, so I did know 0:20:05.760 --> 0:20:09.119 her and we were in communication about the film prior 0:20:09.160 --> 0:20:12.359 to us sitting down and talking, and I was just 0:20:12.400 --> 0:20:15.159 so grateful for her wisdom and experience and. 0:20:17.400 --> 0:20:19.000 What she had to share with us. 0:20:19.240 --> 0:20:21.440 You know, Doug and I have between us, He's got 0:20:21.640 --> 0:20:25.000 three kids, I've got four. He's got two daughters. I 0:20:25.040 --> 0:20:27.879 have two daughters. I couldn't agree with you more on 0:20:27.920 --> 0:20:33.560 the till sixteen. I failed. I got till fourteen, Doug. 0:20:33.600 --> 0:20:36.480 I mean, but I just I can't even imagine everything 0:20:36.520 --> 0:20:38.639 you went through in the struggles, and you know you 0:20:38.680 --> 0:20:40.119 were the I mean, you were right there in the 0:20:40.200 --> 0:20:43.840 vanguard when it was sort of that you mentioned Hannah Montana, 0:20:44.480 --> 0:20:48.160 there was this this Disney's blowing up. Yes, and Nickelodeon 0:20:48.160 --> 0:20:50.840 gets into the picture and they're blowing up a little 0:20:50.880 --> 0:20:53.960 bit differently. You talk to Keenan Thompson in this documentary 0:20:53.960 --> 0:20:59.000 about that. But social media now and content creators and 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:02.359 YouTube of a case and you know the Jojo comment 0:21:02.400 --> 0:21:05.520 where she's posting two hundred and forty posts a day 0:21:05.600 --> 0:21:08.920 about our life. I mean, it does feel like we're 0:21:08.960 --> 0:21:11.480 drinking from a fire. Was as parents, but I can't 0:21:11.480 --> 0:21:15.640 even imagine as children, as young girls in particular, how 0:21:15.680 --> 0:21:17.960 overwhelming this moment must feel as well. 0:21:18.960 --> 0:21:21.480 It must be so difficult. I mean, it was difficult 0:21:21.520 --> 0:21:25.840