Child Actors From Classic Holiday Movies Whose Lives Took Wild Turns After Leaving The Spotlight
Curling up on the couch, a cup of cocoa in hand, and becoming deeply engrossed in a classic holiday movie is one of the most treasured traditions of the season. Years pass, but the characters in Christmas movies remind us of the simpler, more innocent times in our lives when the holidays felt like magic. The child actors in those films may be cemented in our collective seasonal culture, but once the cameras stopped filming, their lives continued...
Thomas Brodie Sangster - Love Actually
As the lovesick young boy Sam, he perfected the romantic running-through-the-airport movie trope. While acting opposite veteran Liam Neeson, he held his own at 12. His performance got him noticed, and the young star steadily booked projects after the memorable role. Today?
20 Years Later...
Nowadays, Thomas is in his early 30s, and he still snags lots of roles. His youthful appearance definitely plays to his favor. Thomas's credits include Jojen Reed in the wildly popular Game of Thrones, the box office-booming The Maze Runner series, and his Emmy-nominated role in The Queen's Gambit.
Jake Lloyd - Jingle All The Way
"It's Turbo Time!" was the catchphrase of the beloved action superhero TurboMan that Jake's character Jamie wanted for Christmas in the film. After appearing in the holiday classic, Jake joined the ranks of the Star Wars Universe, playing Anakin Skywalker.
He Was Bullied Mercilessly
Sadly, his career as a child acting got him constantly bullied at school. All the negativity led to Jake to ditch the industry for good in 2001. Following a high-speed chase with police in 2015, Jake was diagnosed with schizophrenia and received treatment.
