Do young actors/actresses get exposed to too much?

Watching last night The Runaways I kept going back into my mind of images of Dakota Fanning in I Am Sam and her other early films. Do you think that here growing up around adults drinking ,smoking, drugs, sex and God knows what else will influence her at all in her upcoming roles. The Runaways being her first real adult role with adult issues other than Hounddog with the one rape scene. I am not saying The Runaways were a bad choice for her and I think she did a hell of a job, but in the future I hope she can get roles that will garner her chances for awards. I also hope she can steer clear of some of the adult things she is seeing right now. She is just a few months older than myself and I know I haven't been exposed to nearly as much as she has.

You're only 16? I could have sworn from some of your posts on here that you were a lot older.

As for Dakota Fanning she's always seemed very mature for her age and doesn't seem like the kind of person who would let what's going on around her affect her. Although some child actresses go off the rails (Lohan), a lot of them end up just fine (Scarlett Jo). I don't think her past experiences will influence her movie choices too much and with the amount of talent she has I'm sure Fanning has a few Oscar nominations coming her way in the future.

Thank You, yep I am only 16.

Dakota has always come across and very mature even in her early interviews. I also think the same way as Abigail Breslin who when she was filming Little Miss Sunshine has headphones on with her music playing loudly so she could not hear the foul language that Alan Arkin as her Grandpa had to use. I think older actors need to be aware and I know of a few that have worked with fanning at her earlier age that has be conscience of her being on set.Some of those people are the great Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, and the late Brittany Murphy.

Well the Runaways wasn't an adult role for one thing, the character she was playing also was 15 goin on 30 at the time as crazy as that may seem today.

I don't know if Scarlett Jo is that much of a comparison, as Dakota worked steady throughout her childhood.

I honestly believe her best bet is to follow Jodie Fosters path and do something normal and go to university. I'd hate to see the Drew Barrymore thing happen to her.

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100% agreed.

Dakota Fanning, Ellen Page. The kinds of people young girls should be looking up to. Of course Dakota playing it by the book dosent sell as many papers as "LiLos going to jail".

And that is a damn shame.

To answer the OP, yes i thnk young actors and actresses in some instances are exposed to to too much.

I'd say its worse over all for those in Television shows that grow up literally on TV, but still, over all i'm always a lil uncomfortable with exploitation of children that goes on for the amusement of others.

I remember hearing an Interview with Alyssa Milano who talked about how she literally grew up on Who's The Boss. She talked about pretty much her first kiss, first boyfriend, when her period came all this stuff happened while she was part of Who's The Boss? These shows do become their extended family in a lot of ways.

I just hope these people don't loose their childhoods on the set of productions. Michael Jackson grew up back stage around other rock stars and musicians who were interested in the "drink, sex, drugs, rock and roll" lifestyle.

No wonder the poor man craved a "real" childhood in his adulthood.

In someways I am glad I never had parents that pushed me into doing something at a real early age. I have always been able to choose what I want to do. I love playing soccer and some would say it gets in the way of pageants, but right now my life doesn't have to be centered around one thing. My priorities right now are to get an education and enjoy what I like to do and I am doing that.

Yes they're exposed to too much too early because they're operating in an adult world. In the same way that, if you meet a child who only has adult friends, they'll seem/act very mature, despite still having a childs mind.

As for Dakota being Ellen rather than Drew, while I hope for the same and understand what you mean, Drew had already gone through everything that you're thinking of when you say that, by the time she was Dakota's age and was, probably, going through the court proceedings which divorced her from her parents. I know. She really should be a complete nutbag or dead, shouldn't she?

Drew had her problems, but she got through it more successfully then many of her relatives. She is a survivor and I see no indication Lohan has the ability to do that.

Drew should actually be an inspiration to these young actors and actresses as should Robert Downey Jr. These are the sort of people in the business they should hook up with when they start heading down the wrong path.

While I understand what you're saying, I have to say that there wasn't anything in the papers at the time about Drew being a survivor and, of course, nothing was reported that made it look that way. Lohan may or may not have what it takes to pull out of her tailspin, but if she does, you're not going to find out about it from the news media.

Do you think Entertainment Shows like ET or The Insider would report on her recovery?

They'd certainly run it, she's a celeb and that's what they do. But going into rehab isn't the same as being a survivor, is it? But, unless they felt that she had public sympathy, I doubt it'd be a too positive story.

Though, tbf, I don't watch these programmes, so I'm only guessing.

Those programs have surely bring talking about her jail sentence and what her jail cell is like and how wshe has to clean her own toilet. I think more positive stories should be aired.

Watch this!

I actually hate those shows with a passion, the exploit so many sad events and just don't let them go. I remember when Anna Nicole Smith died, the two shows spent a good fortnight constantly going on about it with "Up next, shocking news concerning the death of Anna Nicole Smith", it actually disgusted me.

I don't want to seem like a grump here, but whether you are exposed or not (and I'm not down playing anything here), I think everyone (for the most part) gets to choose what they do.

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