In the early 1990s, Mara Wilson became a beloved child star, known for her roles in movies like *Mrs. Doubtfire* and Miracle on 34th Street.
As she grew older, Mara stopped being seen as “cute” and faded from the spotlight.
She explains that Hollywood often loses interest in actors who no longer fit a certain image.
Mara first won hearts at age five when she played Robin Williams’ daughter in *Mrs. Doubtfire*.
Before that, she had been in commercials and then landed a major role in one of Hollywood’s biggest comedies.
Mara Wilson, now 37, recalls how her parents kept her humble despite her early success. Whenever she got too confident, her mother would remind her, “You’re just an actor. You’re just a kid.”
After her big screen debut in *Mrs. Doubtfire*, Mara landed another major role in *Miracle on 34th Street* in 1994, playing Susan Walker, a part previously played by Natalie Wood in 1947.
**Child Star Mara Wilson, 37, Left Hollywood After ‘Matilda’ as She Was ‘Not Cute Anymore’**
In the early 1990s, Mara Wilson charmed audiences as a young star in family classics like *Mrs. Doubtfire* and *Miracle on 34th Street*. Now 37, Wilson reflects on how her career slowed down as she grew older, saying that Hollywood lost interest once she was no longer “cute.”
Mara’s big break came in 1993 when she starred as Robin Williams’ youngest child in *Mrs. Doubtfire*. Before that, she had been in commercials and caught the eye of Hollywood producers.
Wilson recalls her parents’ role in keeping her grounded. “My parents were proud, but they kept me grounded. If I ever said something like, ‘I’m the greatest!’ my mother would remind me, ‘You’re just an actor. You’re just a kid,’” she said.
She landed another significant role in 1994’s *Miracle on 34th Street*, playing Susan Walker, a part once played by Natalie Wood.
In an essay for The Guardian, Wilson shared a fun fact from her audition for *Miracle on 34th Street*. She told the team she didn’t believe in Santa Claus but did believe in the tooth fairy, whom she named after Sally Field, the Oscar-winning actress from *Mrs. Doubtfire*.
Wilson’s final major role was as the magical girl in 1996’s *Matilda*, where she starred alongside Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman.
When Mara Wilson was 11, she took on her last major role in the 2000 film *Thomas and the Magic Railroad*. She didn’t enjoy the experience, saying, “The characters were too young. At 11, I had a visceral reaction to [the] script…Ugh, I thought. How cute,” she told The Guardian.
**‘Burned Out’**
Wilson’s exit from Hollywood wasn’t just her choice. As she entered her teenage years, acting roles became scarce. She was going through puberty and no longer fit the “cute” image that had once made her famous.
She describes herself as “just another weird, nerdy, loud girl with bad teeth and bad hair, whose bra strap was always showing.” At 13, she hadn’t been called cute in years, at least not positively.
Dealing with fame and growing up in the public eye was tough for her. She felt that if she wasn’t cute or beautiful, she was worthless. This belief deeply affected her career.
**Mara as a Writer**
Now a writer, Wilson published her first book, *Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame*, in 2016. The book explores her experiences from childhood stardom to her life out of the spotlight.
In the book, she talks about learning about sex on the set of *Melrose Place*, and how she felt she wasn’t “cute” enough for Hollywood anymore. She also wrote *Good Girls Don’t*, a memoir about the pressures she faced as a child actor.
“Being cute just made me miserable,” she writes. “I had always thought it would be me giving up acting, not the other way around.”
