Child Actors From Holiday Movies Whose Lives Took A Turn After Leaving The Spotlight
Nothing beats curling up on the couch with a hot cup of cocoa in hand and settling in to feast your eyes on your favorite classic holiday movie. Frankly, it's one of the most treasured traditions of the festive season. But have you ever stopped to wonder what angelic Cindy Lou Who is up to now? Well, she's not so little anymore, and her tastes have changed from seeking out the magic of Christmas to more alternative pastures. And what about the rest of the holiday season's most adored child actors? The young stars in those films may be cemented in our collective seasonal culture, but once the cameras stopped filming, their lives kept on rolling...
Thomas Brodie Sangster
Starred in: Love Actually
Played: Sam
When: 2003
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 just 12 years old. His performance got him noticed, and the young star steadily booked project after project after winning hearts as the hopelessly romantic star of Richard Curtis' hit festive flick. But what about today?
20 years later...
Nowadays, Thomas is in his early 30s, and he still snags lots of roles. Yep, he stuck with his acting career long after that iconic airport scene. And it seems that his youthful appearance definitely plays to his favor when it comes to getting cast. 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
Starred in: Jingle All The Way
Played: Jamie
When: 1996
"It's Turbo Time!" was the catchphrase of the beloved action superhero TurboMan that Jake's character Jamie wanted for Christmas in the film. And Jake's acting career certainly took a turbo boost after appearing in the holiday classic. Just three years on from his appearance alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jake joined the ranks of the Star Wars Universe with his big break as Anakin Skywalker. But all that success soon came to a standstill.
Bullying, jail-time, and a psychiatric hospital
After Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace received shockingly bad reviews from fans, Lloyd's acting in the dud movie soon became the target of harsh online vitriol. Not only was the young star the butt of the entire internet's cruel jokes, but he was also mercilessly bullied by his classmates at school. All the negativity that stemmed from his acting career led Jake to ditch the industry for good in 2001. Things in his personal life weren't much better as the years rolled on, either. Following a high-speed chase with police in 2015, Jake was diagnosed with schizophrenia, for which he later received treatment.
