Mara Wilson disappeared from the public eye not long after 1996’s Matilda. Wilson is one of the most memorable child actors from the 1990s, thanks in large part to roles in Mrs. Doubtfire and the 1994 Miracle On 34th Street remake. But of course, the role that stands out the most in Wilson’s acting career is that of the titular character in Matilda.
As a child, Wilson was working with industry legends like Martin Short, Danny DeVito, and Robin Williams. She won a Young Artist Award in 1996 for her role in 1996’s Matilda movie and another a year later for A Simple Wish. The star also appeared at the 1995 Academy Awards on the red carpet and as a presenter with Tim Curry. During a 1997 interview on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, the host praised Wilson for having so many acting roles under her belt at only 10 years old. But while this was indicative of a bright future in the industry, Wilson’s career didn’t go the way many may have expected at the time.
Mara Wilson Took An Acting Hiatus A Few Years After Matilda
After Wilson’s role in Matilida, she starred in a string of films, beginning with A Simple Wish and ending with Thomas and the Magic Railroad in 2000. Unlike fellow child stars like Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansson, Wilson didn’t continue her acting career into teen or adulthood. In recent years, Wilson has been very open about the dark side of being a child star and all the problems that came with her roles. Wilson wrote a piece for Vanity Fair in 2018 where she related how she felt as a teen and young 20-something to how she imagines Matilda might have felt. Wilson felt lost since she had accomplished so much as a child and wondered if Matilda too would have felt “trapped by her past.”
Wilson also did an interview with NPR where she discussed her role in Thomas and the Magic Railroad. Wilson was 13 at the time, and filmmakers were doing everything they could to make her look like a child who wasn’t going through puberty. Wilson remembered feeling very embarrassed. When Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown had gone from young girl to young woman, she faced similar public backlash, and Wilson used her Hollywood experience to defend Brown and help ensure the harmful treatment of young girls in the industry did not repeat itself.
What Movies & Shows Mara Wilson Recently Starred In
While Wilson decided long ago she had no plans of becoming an A-list actress, she’s since expressed an openness in interviews to being in the spotlight if it means spreading a powerful message and helping young actresses have a better Hollywood experience than she did. In 2020, Wilson appeared in the documentary Showbiz Kids along with Jada Pinkett Smith and Cameron Boyce, discussing the less favorable side of being a child actress. She’s also returned to the entertainment industry, though primarily as a voice actress for shows like Big Hero 6: The Series. That said, it seems unlikely Wilson will continue her career at the level it was when she starred in Matilda.
Sources: NPR, Vanity Fair
