It's kind of strange that Brad Renfro rarely seems to be talked about when discussing child actors that struggled in the limelight. You always hear about the two Coreys, RDJ, River Phoenix and...
It's kind of strange that Brad Renfro rarely seems to be talked about when discussing child actors that struggled in the limelight. You always hear about the two Coreys, RDJ, River Phoenix and various Disney kids that had issues but this is the first time I have ever heard of this guy.
It's a remarkable sad story and, despite the title, also makes you wonder if there is something more that could have been done. It seems strange to me that Hollywood is allowed to build these kids up, exploit their talents, expose them to all sorts of harmful substances as a byproduct of them being in widespread use in that industry but then doesn't do their due diligence in taking care of them during and afterwards.
I know the industry is better than it used to be with on-site studio teachers, legal restrictions on work hours, financial protections (so parents can't just steal it all), etc... but what about mental health support? That definitely seems to be seriously lacking when it comes to child actors. :(
Confrontations between studio teachers and filmmakers expose a conflict of interest within the current system: Studio teachers are hired and paid by the production itself, rather than an outside authority.
Also, that definitely needs to change considering those teachers are the only real emotional safety net those kids have besides their legal guardians (who are often not terribly concerned or equipped to deal with that).
It's kind of strange that Brad Renfro rarely seems to be talked about when discussing child actors that struggled in the limelight. You always hear about the two Coreys, RDJ, River Phoenix and various Disney kids that had issues but this is the first time I have ever heard of this guy.
It's a remarkable sad story and, despite the title, also makes you wonder if there is something more that could have been done. It seems strange to me that Hollywood is allowed to build these kids up, exploit their talents, expose them to all sorts of harmful substances as a byproduct of them being in widespread use in that industry but then doesn't do their due diligence in taking care of them during and afterwards.
I know the industry is better than it used to be with on-site studio teachers, legal restrictions on work hours, financial protections (so parents can't just steal it all), etc... but what about mental health support? That definitely seems to be seriously lacking when it comes to child actors. :(
Also, that definitely needs to change considering those teachers are the only real emotional safety net those kids have besides their legal guardians (who are often not terribly concerned or equipped to deal with that).