TV and Movies are full of children. Through a child, it's much easier for the director to convey certain base emotions, such as fear, hope or encourage feelings of protectiveness in the audience, not to mention that the audience often empathizes with children much more effectively than with an adult.
It's for this reason that children often star in horror films, such as 'Warren Case: The Enfield Case' or 'The Orphan'.
This isn't the case for all the actors who start in the business from a very young age but many are blinded by success, money and bad friends. This all leads to loss of control of their lives and often, substance abuse. American rehab centers are often welcoming important actors or celebrities to try to overcome their addictions.
Although many of them have managed to pass through that dark stage in their lives and relaunch their career as in the case of Drew Barrymore. Others, although they have not stopped acting, have moved away from the Hollywood industry to start appearing in independent films. Whilst a few decide they'd had enough of fame and the life that comes with it, and called it quits altogether. Here at Movienco we have compiled the most striking cases of children who seemed to have a promising career in the world of cinema, but were consumed by substance abuse.
1 Macaulay Culkin
The case of Macaulay Culkin is infamous nowadays. With 'Home Alone' launching him to fame, he reaped both success and fortune at an extremely early age. At 14 he decided to abandon acting and at only 16 to become independent of its parents.
In 2004 he was arrested for possession of marijuana and several illegal medicines. Alienated to the media, a few years ago Macaulay Culkin was put back on everyone's lips when the press from all over the world published some images where the actor's appearance had deteriorated considerably. Those images confirmed what was known. Little Kevin McCallister had fallen into drugs.
After detoxing from drugs returning to public life in July 2016, Culkin gave an interview to The Guardian where he confessed the hell he lives in. When it is not dawn or nightfall are the perfect hours in which Macaulay Culkin can stroll through the less crowded streets of Paris or New York, cities in which he lives. In spite of having left acting, he recently had a cameo in 'Zoolander 2', and participates in the productions of its friend Adam Green.
Now Culkin dedicates the majority of the time to its group of music called 'The Pizza Underground'.
2 Amanda Bynes
Another child prodigy of the film industry whom fell from grace is Amanda Bynes. Known for appearing in the Nickelodeon series 'The Amanda Show', then appearing in youth films such as 'She's the Man', 'Love Wrecked' and 'Easy A'.
Numerous traffic accidents flood the actress's police file. Driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, running from the scene of a car accident and setting the neighbors house on fire are just some of the background incidents of Bynes. Fame and success did not sit well with her.
After these events where the image of Bynes was quite deteriorated, in 2013 the actress herself decided to go to a psychiatric center, where she was diagnosed with bipolarity and schizophrenia.
After three years away from the cameras and public life, in August 2016 the young actress published several messages in her Twitter account to surprise her followers. "Hi everybody! I haven't tweeted in a long time and I want to say hi! I've been really busy at FIDM (Fashion Design and Merchandizing Institute), and I just finished my midterms." Thankfully, she appears to be recovered.
3 Drew Barrimore
The case of Drew Barrymore is one of the most surprising in Hollywood. She made the leap to fame with at the young age of seven by appearing in 'E.T: The Extraterrestrial'. Thanks to the role of Gertie, she received a BAFTA nomination for the New Actress, but unfortunately, she didn't win. After this her mother began to take to Barrymore to castings and she had several appearances on television. Six years after the success of 'ET: The Extraterrestrial', and at only 13 years old, Drew was seen in the world of alcohol and drugs and during this time continued to work and even was nominated for a Golden Globe for 'Irreconcilable Differences' .
Months later her mother put her in a rehab center for the young Drew to overcome her addictions and virtually abandoned her. These years were really hard for the actress and she even tried to commit suicide, but after a lot of effort managed to recover and return to the world of acting and the big screen with films like '50 First Dates', 'Charlie's Angels', 'Music and Lyrics' or 'How to Be Single'.
4 Edward Furlong
Who does not remember the rebellious yet affectionate John Connor? 'Terminator 2' was Edward Furlong's first gig in the world of cinema and that earned him to make a hole in the industry. Numerous indie films in which he rubbed shoulders with stars of the likes of Liam Neeson or Meryl Streep came after acting alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. But his next great work was 'American History X'. It was during this time that Furlong started experimenting with alcohol and drugs. At the age of 20, the actor attended Alcoholics Anonymous and later entered a rehabilitation center where he returned in 2000.
His addictions almost cost him his life, as he has been admitted to the hospital for several overdoses and ethyl poisoning. In addition to having several episodes in which he thought about suicide. The police stations became a recurring place for Furlong as he has been repeatedly arrested for drunk driving and without identification or public scandal.
Despite the problems with alcohol and drugs the actor has not stopped working at any time. Dedicating his career to smaller films or series like 'CSI: New York'.
5 Mary Kate and Ashley Oslen
With just nine months the Olsen twins jumped to fame after both playing Michelle in 'Full House'. After eight seasons the series came to an end and the sisters continued to knead their huge amount of money starring in films such as 'It Takes Two', 'When in Rome' or 'New York Minute'.
But drugs, alcohol and anorexia also knocked on the door of Mary-Kate and Ashley.
In 2004 Mary-Kate entered a rehabilitation center for celebrities called Cirque Lodge, to overcome the extreme thinness already echoed by the media. It is the little Olsen twins who has maintained a close relationship with drugs, alcohol and parties any day of the week. But with the help of her sister Ashley, who has always supported her, she managed to overcome her demons and recover completely.
Currently, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are far from public opinion and the world of acting and only let themselves be seen in events of the world of fashion. The twins, great lovers of textile design, own their own firm. In addition, Mary-Kate fully married last 2015 with Olivier Sarkozy, half brother of Nicolas Sarkozy.
6 Jodie Sweetin
Jodie Sweetin is another little girl who rose to fame for appearing in 'Full House' is another example of child prodigies going through a stage full of darkness and addictions. In 1996, at only 13 years old Sweetin had her first drink, at the wedding of her friend, Candace Cameron.
This was the first step in the decline of her life as a child prodigy and began in an endless spiral in she would be drinking day after day.
And at age 15, she started to smoke marijuana before trying and becoming addicted to ecstasy, cocaine and a myriad of substances.
After several comings and goings, scandals hypocritical situations, like giving talks in the universities so that the young people do not fall into the same drug dependent spiral, while she continued consuming.
In 2009, fully recovered, she published her autobiography titled 'UnSweetined'.
Currently, Jodie Sweetin is the mother of three girls and acts in the remake 'Fuller House'.
7 Christina Ricci
Star of 'The Adams family' and 'Casper', Christina Ricci was one of the most acclaimed teen actresses of the 90s. But the young fame and and many Hollywood parties led to Ricci astray. Obsessed with her weight, she suffered bulimia and anorexia when their parents separated.
And this was only the beginning of an adolescence filled with police arrests, drugs and alcohol. In addition the actress also injured on several occasions. But fortunately this difficult season short-lived as soon you diagnose diseases he entered a center to begin therapy.
To always weigh everything Christina Ricci has been linked to the world of interpretation and even created his own production company, Blaspheme Films. His recent works have been: 'Bel Ami', alongside Robert Pattinson; 'New York, I Love You', with Natalie Portman; and 'Anything Else', directed by Woody Allen.
8 Haley Joel Osment
One of the child actors that looked like he was going to have a future in the world of the cinema playing big characters was Haley Joel Osment. The child we met in 'The Sixth Sense', although he had the opportunity to play a young Forrest Gump, would then go on to have other major appearances in 'Pay It Forward' or 'A.I. Artificial Intelligence'.
But as he continued through the years the offers stopped coming and Osment turned to drink.
By 18 the young actor has been arrested on several occasions for being under the influence of alcohol and marijuana. But we had the biggest surprise when we saw his physical change, he went from being a toddler and skinny kid to a burly adult with several extra pounds. In addition, his attempt to relaunch his career which has been failed with several releases that leave much to be desired. But now Osment has come out and said that physical change was due to a new project, 'Yoga Hosers', starring Johnny Depp, which gave life to a journalist turned politician.
9 Linda Blair
In 1973, Linda Blair gave life to Regan, that girl with a demon inside that suffers horrific transformations. 'The Exorcist' is one of the more important and acclaimed horror films in the history of cinema. But the terror of Linda Blair went beyond the film. Several religious groups threatened the small girl for having made a tribute to the devil. Many There were so many of these threats that Warner Bros. had that put her and her family into protection.
In 1977, at 18 years old, Blair was detained and accused of possession and trafficking of cocaine, and was declared guilty and spent three years in prison. But is was much earlier that the actress began to experiment with drugs and entered into a rehab clinic at only 17.
Although Linda Blair tried to recover her career as a Hollywood actress, she was unable to, and resorted to posing for erotic and risqué photoshoots. In the last couple of years she has participated in a few shoots, but mostly spends her life taking care of animals.
10 Brian Bonsall
Brian Bonsall may be one of the least known at the moment. In just 5 years he made the leap to the small screen giving life to Andy Keaton in the series 'Family Ties' starring Michael J. Fox. Thanks to this role won three Young Artist awards. 'Mikey' was his debut on the big screen and following it was 'Blank Check' by which he is best known. But in 1995, Bonsall decided to leave acting.
Although only 14, he left the world of cinema, but Bonsall didn't lose any of his bad addictions. He was arrested several times for drunk driving, assaults, gender-based violence, and violation of parole. In addiction to drugs and alcohol there have also been minor cases. Brian Bonsall has not reappeared in Hollywood since leaving in 1995
11 River Phoenix
At only 16, River Phoenix was already one of Hollywood's most acclaimed actors. He was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for 'Running on Empty'. He was included in the list of the "New Promising actors of 1986" of the magazine Screen World. His works include 'Stand by Me', 'My Own Private Idaho' and 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'. But the drugs came too soon into the life of the talent to snatch it to the 23 years.
It was on the night of October 31, 1993 at The Viper Room, one of Los Angeles' most well-known venues with Johnny Depp as one of the owners. River Phoenix was to perform alongside Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary. The actor took heroin, having previously consumed other drugs. This mix caused him to die immediately before the eye of his brothers, Joaquin and Rain, his girlfriend Samantha Mathis and surrounded by his friends.
12 Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst is world famous after appearing in Sam Raimi's 'Spider-Man'. But it was much earlier when the actress made the leap to fame. At age 10 she shared a scene and kiss with Brad Pitt in 'Interview with the Vampire'. Which earned her her first Golden Globe nomination and her first awards: the MTV Movie for Best Performance by a Revelation and the Saturn Award for Best Young Actress.
Being one of the daughters in 'Little Women' gave him good reviews of the most important media. Then came films like 'Jumanji', 'The Virgin Suicides' and 'Anastasia' in which she voice acted.
Although Kirsten Dunst had a childhood away from drugs, in 2008, she entered a rehab center, to overcome a depression. Fame and success had led the actress to this dire situation. Although she has denied that the cause of the problems was drugs and alcohol, in some occasions the actress has affirmed to have consumed both.
13 Jake Lloyd
Jake Lloyd had the great opportunity to play Anakin Skywalker in 'Star Wars: The Phantom Menace'.
At the age of eight he could already see the talent of the actor who did not finish arriving in good port. After appearing in 'Episode 1' of the Star Wars saga in his filmography only one more film appears: 'Madison'.
Many kids wanted to be Jake Lloyd and fly over the galaxy aboard a ship, but the actor does not have a good memory of this stage. His schoolmates made fun of him and lived a life very different from what he imagined. He decided to stay away from acting and live a quiet life away from the cameras. But the dark side knocked on his door.
Drugs and alcohol also clung to the life of Jake Lloyd. Including numerous arrests for violence, reckless driving or fleeing from the authority occupy his police record, in addition to having spent some time in prison. There was a time when we did not know anything about the actor who gave birth to little Darth Vader, but in April of 2016 he entered a psychiatric center. Her mother asked that her son be admitted because at the age of 19 he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Jake Lloyd continues to recover in the center.
14 Mischa Barton
Another broken toy of the American film industry was Mischa Barton.
We met her when she acted as Marisa Cooper in 'The O.C.'. Barton's life changed completely and began to meet with celebrities like Lindsay Lohan or Nicole Richie who were not a good example for the actress. In 2007, when the series ended, her life decayed remarkably.
She was also arrested for driving under the effects of marijuana, so she had to attend a group of addicts to be rehabilitated. But it was not enough as she continued to get into the world of drugs. Like her colleagues in the profession, she also has a long history of police, in which possession of drugs or detention for driving in poor condition, are some of the scandals of the innocent Marisa Cooper. When seeing the decay of the actress its family decided to intern it in a psychiatric center, also promoted because Barton tried to take the life.
Despite having gone through bad times and a few addictions, Mischa Barton's career has not stopped. Among her recent works stand out independent films such as: 'Deserted', 'L.A. Slasher 'or' The Hoarder'.
15 Angus T. Jones
'Two and a Half Men' is the show that made Angus T. Jones famous. At the age of nine he was already on screen with Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer and Ashton Kutcher. Thanks to the heady salary Jones earned each season, he became the highest-paid young actor on television. He appeared in the May 2008 issue of People magazine as one of the richest teenagers in the world. Finally decided to leave the series in the ninth season, claiming that it was "trash".
Sudden fame + wealth = unhealthy addictions.
In his high school years Jones began to use drugs like marijuana or LSD. Fortunately these addictions remained only a short time in his life. But soon after, a traffic accident made him recover his Christian faith. He began to look for churches where he lived a Christian life and opted for an Adventist congregation. It was at this time that he attacked the series, saying: "I do not want to be there, I do not want to contribute to the plans of the enemy".
Angus T. Jones lives away from interpretation. It has only appeared in some episodes of series like: 'Hannah Montana', 'Horace and Pete' or 'Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn'.