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Mara Wilson made a fortune as a child star, and that was especially true for her role on Matilda. However, things would change as she got older, and Wilson would take on different interests, away from Hollywood’s bright lights.
In the following, we’re going to take a closer look at how Mara Wilson’s professional career changed. According to Wilson herself, things started to shift when her looks began to change. Thomas and the Magic Railroad was an example of that, as the child star had a forgettable experience on-set.
We’ll take a look back at what exactly happened, and where Wilson’s career went in the recent years. Wilson hasn’t been as active in the recent years, but she was convinced to work a certain on-screen role in 2016 for a very special reason.
Mara Wilson Revealed That Her Hollywood Career Completely Changed When She No Longer Looked Like A Child
Taking on the role of Matilda was a dream come true for Mara Wilson. She thrived as a child star, however, soon enough the actress realized that things were different once she started growing up.
Wilson reveals that her career took a turn once the ‘child’ label was removed.
“They always want child actors to play parts that are a few years younger than they are, but when you’re a 12-, 13-year-old girl and your body’s changing and your voice is changing, you can’t. I couldn’t play 10 anymore.”
“I didn’t look 10 anymore. I wasn’t as cute anymore because I looked halfway between a child and an adult — which is what puberty is. People didn’t know what to do with me, and I knew it, and I felt it, and it really hurt,” the actress tells NPR.
Wilson especially realized things were changing during her experience on the film, Thomas and the Magic Railroad. Wilson doesn’t have the best memories of what had taken place behind the scenes.
Mara Wilson Was Embarrassed By The Treatment She Was Given During Thomas And The Magic Railroad
The film got its release in 2000. At this point, Wilson was hitting puberty, entering her teens. Playing the role of Lily Stone, Wilson quickly learned that those behind the scenes were acting differently towards her.
She explains with NPR, “I was on the set of a movie called Thomas and the Magic Railroad. … I came to set one day after a few months away, and people were kind of giving each other worried looks. … And I had to have the director come and sit with me and explain to me that my body was changing.”
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Wilson felt awful about the experience and admitted that her confidence took a major hit that day.
“I was horrified, I felt embarrassed, I felt like I had done something wrong even though I hadn’t. They brought out these sports bras that were basically binders — they were meant to bind my chest. I felt completely humiliated. … When you’re in middle school, when you’re a preteen, you always worry: Is everybody talking about me behind my back? And everybody was.”
Ultimately, Wilson ended up changing her priorities, which included writing along with voice over work. However, she was convinced to return on-screen in 2016 for a special cameo.
Mara Wilson Mostly Takes On Voice Work, But Returned To The Small Screen For Broad City
In the recent years Mara Wilson hasn’t done much work in front of the camera. Her latest came in 2021, appearing in Helluva Boss for three episodes, taking on the voice of Mrs. Mayberry.
She did appear on Broad City in 2016 and as it turns out, the cameo was all Mara Wilson’s idea.
“I procrastinated watching Broad City, and when I finally did about a year ago, I was like, ‘Holy s—, this show is amazing.’ I had friends in common with Ilana [Glazer] and we’d met briefly at NYU.”
“I followed Abbi [Jacobson] on Twitter, and she sent me a message saying, ‘That’s really weird that you followed me today, because we are working on an episode right now that’s an homage to Mrs. Doubtfire.'”
Wilson ended up taking the leap and appearing on the series for a guest spot.
“I don’t act much, I don’t really like film or TV acting, but this would be really fun and I have a lot of respect for you two,'” she told the blog. “They were like, ‘Totally, we’d love to have you on.’ They were both really excited. Ilana sent me a ‘Yes, yes kween!’ email.”
Quite the turn around.
