Chapter 4 - Childhood and first performances

Summary

Children have appeared on-screen since the early days of cinema. While to begin with these child actors were nothing more than part of the ensemble cast from the audience's perspective, with time they have gained popularity to the point of becoming real film stars. When analysing Scarlett Johansson's early career, Whitney Monaghan reminds us that the term ‘child star’ first came into use in the 1920s and 1930s classic Hollywood era (2019: 25). Back then, stars like Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland conquered people's hearts. For some scholars, that generation in the thirties was the last of the big child stars (Holmstrom 1980). Jane O’Connor argues that now the term commonly describes ‘any and all children who achieve even a modicum of success in the entertainment world’ and who are described as such in the media (2008: 6). What remains then from the classic Hollywood period in the general public imaginary is the negative perception of child stars as tragic figures who have been exploited by their parents and the entertainment industry (O’Connor 2008: 1). Moreover, even today, such early successes into show business continues to blur the boundaries between childhood and adulthood and to challenge the career progression of young performers beyond their prominent child roles. According to Chad Newsom, this latter point is due to the fact that ‘child stars become famous for physical attributes that will rapidly change and character types they will soon outgrow’ (2015: 6). Those children who manage to stay in business do so only thanks to particular circumstances, such as good transitional roles that allow the audience to grasp their coming of age and accept their inclusion in the adult world. In line with this, Monaghan concludes that ‘Johansson's longevity within the film industry can perhaps be attributed to the fact that she did not attain celebrity status as a child, only gaining recognition as a star when she moved into adult roles’ (2019: 24). And to a certain extent the same can be argued about Darín, whose various roles as a child did not single him out but did provide him with the necessary skills to work as a performer in different media.