Ever wonder how The Little Rascals or Annie remembered their lines, how their spirit wasn’t hindered by the intimidation of a script? There are adults who still are unable to read, yet these young kids mastered the simultaneous art of memorization and acting. A child’s ability to remember their lines is inspiring; they deliver with such energy, nailing the character portrayals flawlessly. There are not many movies that a child actor does not succeed in, but there definitely are many that do.
Often we see a face in a current film and say, “Hey, that person looks familiar!” We wrack our brains for a moment before dialing up our trusted Google to see just who that grown woman in Once Upon a Time in Hollywoodis, just to kick ourselves for not realizing sooner that it’s none other than Dakota Fanning. There are a plethora of actors that grew up in the acting business and are still giving it a go as an adult—and quite frankly, these individuals are some of acting’s most elite.
Ke Huy Quan, 51
Ke Huy Quan was just 12 years old when he starred in his breakout role in 1984 as Short Round, an adolescent taxi driver in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. He served as an accomplice of Harrison Ford, granting him an opportunity of a lifetime to push the envelope in his first film. One year later, Quan played his iconic lead role in The Goonies as Data, a genius with intelligent inventions and clever ideas.
He and his co-star Mikey, played by Sean Astin, were responsible for the infamous booby traps of The Goonies. The group of friends who stumble upon a treasure in this entertaining classic were also suggested to improvise. Interestingly enough, Astin name-dropped his older brother in an improv scene and when he asked director Richard Donner if this was okay, Donner responded, “Sure!” Astin continues to explain that Donner was implying that “If a kid’s gonna do it, if you’re actually doing it in your life and you wanna say that, it should be in the movie.”
In continuing with Quan and his success as a merging actor into adulthood, he stepped away from acting after a handful of series like Together We Standand Head of the Class as well as films likeBreathing FireandEncino Man. After about 20 years away to focus on stunt choreography and assistant directing, Quan returned to work as an actor for the 2022 release of Everything Everywhere All at Once. His supporting role as Waymond Wang led him to win both an Oscar and Golden Globe in 2023, making Quan’s return to film quite iconic.
Drew Barrymore, 48
With her 1982 breakout role as Gertie in E.T. The Extraterrestrial, Drew Barrymore quickly gained stardom. Casting her due to an impressive imagination, as her pitch to director Steven Spielberg about leading a punk rock band led him to believe she would be a perfect fit for the role. Though Barrymore fell to drugs and alcohol at a very young age, causing her acting to be put on pause, she returned to film in some very successful films of the 90s and 2000s like Charlie’s Angels, Never Been Kissed, Scream, and more.
Barrymore is one of those highly acclaimed actresses. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has also won a Golden Globe Award for her role as Edith in the 2009 biopic Grey Gardens. She’s started in a plethora of comedy and drama films like 50 First Dates, Blended and Fever Pitch. Though she is now a talk show host on CBS, Barrymore continues to work in film, as she played herself in a cameo for the 2021 Netflix filmA Castle for Christmas. With no plans to stop acting, we can only hope that Barrymore graces fans with her wit and charm in an upcoming series or film in the near future.
Dakota Fanning, 29
Starting her acting career with a role on the NBC series ER, Dakota Fanning says that although she was only six years old, she remembers it like it was yesterday, as it’s one of her favorite roles to date. At age seven, Fanning became the youngest actress to be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as Lucy in the 2002 movie I Am Sam, making her a known prospect for quality roles while being fairly young. Her next role would be in Steven Spielberg’s miniseries Taken.
Fast-forward through three films, including Sweet Home Alabama as a young Reese Witherspoon, and we have one of Fanning’s breakout roles as Ray alongside the late Brittany Murphy in the 2003 film Uptown Girls. Continuing to act alongside some of the greatest like Denzel Washington in Man On Fireand Robert De Niro in the 2005 film Hide and Seek, Fanning appeared unstoppable from the moment she began her career.
Fanning has essentially been in some sort of screenplay since she began her career, making her acting stamina and ability fairly underrated. As an adult, Fanning has appeared in multiple television series like Alienist and The Angel of Darkness. And when it comes to movies, Fanning continues to take on roles like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in 2019. Though she and her younger sister Elle Fanning were set to star alongside each other in a film adaptation of the novel Nightingale, the film is no longer set to release. We’re unsure when we will see more of Fanning, but what can be expected is her consistent ability to move fans with her convincing roles.
Leonardo DiCaprio, 48
At the age of 11, Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated for an Oscar for his role as the mentally challenged Arnie in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Fast-forward to the present day, and he’s won three Golden Globes and has become one of acting’s highest-paid actors with a box-office gross of over $7 billion. Of course, his iconic role as Jack in the 1997 film Titanic has had much to do with his financial standing. He’s jumped from genre to genre, exposing his monumental versatility in film. After Titanic, DiCaprio leaned more towards crime-themed scripts, then starring in the 2002 films Catch Me If You Can and Gangs of New York.
Along with romance and crime, DiCaprio took lead roles in psychological films like Shutter Island and Inception. Winning an Academy Award for the 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, DiCapriocontinued to push towards success with other movies like The Wolf of Wall Streetand The Great Gatsby. Now an owner and founder of the production company Appian Way, there’s no slowing down for one of acting’s greatest.
Emma Watson, 32
Best known for her iconic role as Hermione in Harry Potter, Emma Watson was only 11 when her career began. This saga included eight films between 2001 and 2011, making Watson one of the highest-paid actresses in film. Once filming wrapped for Harry Potter, she took on the lead role as Sam in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Winning the British Artist of the Year Award in 2014 after the premiere of two more films The Bling Ring and Noah, Watson was persistent in showcasing her extreme talent. She starred as Belle in the live-action musical Beauty and the Beast in 2017, continuing to show how versatile her skill was. Though we haven’t seen Watson in many new films, her respectability is one for the books, as she is part of one of the most beloved series in history.
Regina King, 52
Regina King is a classic on screen. She takes on a load of roles in various genres, showing fans consistency and an emotive genius for the films she acts in. King has taken home quite a few awards in her career including four Emmys, an Academy Award, and Golden Globe Award. She started her career in the television series 227 at the age of 14. The show ran from 1985-1990. King then took on a role in the 1995 film Friday as actor Ice Cube’s younger sister. From 2009-2013 King starred in the tv crime series Southland as Detective Lydia Adams and continued her success in series like American Crime, Seven Seconds, Watchmen, and more.
As for films, King has just as large a resume as she does in tv. She has supporting roles in the 1991 filmBoyz n the Hood, the 1993 film Poetic Justice, How Stella Got Her Groove Back in 1998, and a variety of others. Come the 2000s, King continued to thrive alongside leads like her roles in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde,A Cinderella Story, and Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. She stays in tune with her character portrayal at all times and succeeds in everything she takes on with ease and after her award-winning role in the 2018 film adaptation, If Beale Street Could Talk, we can expect something just as astounding as usual in the near future.
Ryan Gosling, 42
Making his acting debut at age 13 on Disney in The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993 to 1995, Ryan Gosling was quick to display his inherent spirit and charm. He then appeared on two anthology television series like the 1995 Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps in 1996. His breakout role would be the romantic classic, The Notebook in 2004 alongside Rachel McAdams when Gosling was 23. Aside from the many popular films he has led in like Crazy, Stupid, Love, Drive, and La La Land, which won him a Golden Globe, Gosling has also done work with the independent film industry in a multitude of films. And when talking about his character portrayal on screen, Gosling explains, “All my characters are me. I’m not a good enough actor to become a character. I hear about actors who become the role and I think ‘I wonder what that feels like?’ Because for me, they’re all me.”
In 2013, Gosling transitioned into directing due to reluctance about where his acting talent was leading, but he soon went back to his roots in 2015. And after feeling like he had lost perspective on what he was doing acting-wise, his return with the 2015 film The Big Shortmade for a promising homecoming, as it was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards, making Gosling’s acting uncertainty a distant friend. As Gosling continued to thrive with roles like the Neil Armstrong astronaut biopicFirst Man in 2018 and Netflix’s 2022 The Gray Man alongside Chris Evans, he seemingly began to trust his skill more, as most all his films have been very successful. His most current film is Barbie, set to release July 23, 2023, where he plays Ken across from Margot Robbie and many other acclaimed actors. And though he may be busy at home with his wife Eva Mendes and family, we can only hope that Gosling continues to keep his toes in the acting waters, as his artistry is not one to dismiss.
Abigail Breslin, 27
At the young age of nine, Abigail Breslin began her acting career with an Academy Award nomination as Olive in the popular 2006 drama Little Miss Sunshine. Her talent was above average, as she was able to mold into any character she portrayed in films like the 2008 Nim’s Island, Definitely, Maybe, and My Sister’s Keeper in 2009. She continued her career with roles alongside many acclaimed actors and showed that she was right where she belonged. Her roles weren’t just a feature either, they were the main leads like that in Zombieland, August: Osage County, and The Call, where she evoked intense emotion as a kidnapped teenager who dialed into Halle Berry as the 9-1-1 operator determined to rescue her.
Breslin’s latest films were the 2021 movie Stillwater with Matt Damon and the 2022 comedy horror film Slayers. Her next work will be the upcoming biopic as Trish in the true story of Patricia “Trish” Weir in Miranda’s Victim, and with her high skill level, we can only expect another convincing play from the admirable Breslin.
Jodie Foster, 60
Jodie Foster, a recipient of many awards including a rank in Channel 4’s 100 Greatest Movie Stars of all Time, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has graced film with a dignified strength that has carried her from a child actor into one of film’s most elite. Modeling at age three, Foster was soon to transition into cinema when she was six years old in the 1968 television series Mayberry R.F.D. Foster continued with tv for a couple of years before merging into her first movie with Disney in the 1972 film Napoleon and Samantha. Two years later she starred in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore as Audrey, a tomboy who befriended the son of a single mother who was in search of a better life. However, her breakout role would be in Scorsese’s 1976 film Taxi Driver where she earned an Academy Award nomination as Iris, a child prostitute.
Before transitioning into her adult roles, Foster starred in many films as a teenager in the late 70s like The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, Disney’s original Freaky Friday, Candleshoe, Foxes, and more. After attending Yale University, Foster won her first Academy Award for the 1988 film The Accused. Just three years later would be her iconic role in Silence of the Lambs, where she won her second Academy Award.
Finding her own film production company Egg Picturesin 1992, Foster was all in when it came to cinematics. Though her production company came to an end in 2000, Foster transitioned without hesitation into a plethora of horror and thriller films in the early 2000s like Panic Roomand Inside Man. She veered into the life of directing in 2010 and continues to take on roles like the 2018 film Hotel Artemis and The Mauritanianin 2021. Foster’s next film Nyad has yet to release its premiere date, but one thing we do know is that Foster will not disappoint in the slightest.
Selena Gomez, 30
With a multitude of careers on her resume like actress, singer, model, entrepreneur, and producer, with most of her jobs beginning as a child, it’s no wonder why Selena Gomez has continued to succeed in everything she does. Starting off on Barney & Friends when she was eight years old, she spent about two years on the show before transitioning into her breakout Disney role on Wizards of Waverly Place from 2007-2012. With such success in her early career, Gomez was able to easily merge into the movie industry. She began with the 2008 movie Another Cinderella Story as the lead actress. Then would come roles in her teenage years like Monte Carlo and Spring Breakers alongside Disney’s Vanessa Hudgens.
Gomez continued with suitable roles all the way through her twenties like Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Mavis, and the Hotel Transylvaniasaga as the voice for the animated character Mavis Dracula-Loughran. Though she was gaining momentum in the film world, she switched her focus to executive producing for the Netflixseries 13 Reasons Why from 2017-2020. She launched her production company, July Moon,in 2008, and it has thrived with both television series and movies.
Currently acting alongside Steve Martin in the acclaimed crime series Only Murders in the Building, Gomez continues to push limits as an actress and businesswoman. We aren’t sure what’s next film-wise for her, whether it be a documentary of her life or a lead film role, but we can expect nothing short of another intriguing Gomez lead when the time comes.
Actors have a keen sense of focus, and when they begin their careers at a young age and continue in the film industry, their talent only increases. Though there have been many child actors that earned their name in their roles, the ability to stay in cinema well into adulthood is a true skill.