These kid stars lit up the screen in the early 2000s -- but what's happened to them
since? Some have gone on to critically acclaimed roles while others took a step
back from Hollywood. Let us catch you up on these former kid actors' lives and careers.
Jennette McCurdy ruled the Nickelodeon airwaves on iCarly, where she played Carly's spunky gal
pal Sam Puckett. McCurdy later reprised the role of Sam on Nickelodeon's short-lived Sam & Cat,
opposite soon-to-be megawatt pop star Ariana Grande . A revival of
iCarly was announced in 2020, but McCurdy has made it clear that she
won't be joining the new show, which will stream on Paramount+.
McCurdy moved into directing in 2018 with her short film Kenny, produced and starred
in a one-woman show, I'm Glad My Mom Died, in February 2020, and launched her podcast,
Empty Inside, in 2020. McCurdy has also written for outlets including The Huffington Post and
The Wall Street Journal, often tackling thorny subjects like eating disorders and alcoholism.
Many of these topics are personal for McCurdy, a fact she doesn't shy away from:
She was particularly frank in discussing her dependence on alcohol after her mother's death
on her podcast. Her talent might have gotten her fans' attention on iCarly and Sam & Cat,
but her bravery and brilliance have earned her their everlasting respect and support.
Malcolm David Kelley's broad smile and winning demeanor haven't changed since he first
appeared on the big screen in the 2002 family drama Antwone Fisher. The young
actor followed this up with a role on 2004's Lost. Kelley played Walt,
the son of plane crash survivor Michael, who must fight off the evils of the supernatural
island while his father attempts to repair their dysfunctional relationship.
Since Lost, Kelley's career has flourished. He's made several small screen appearances on shows
like Blindspot and Insecure. Recent years have seen him explore historical fiction:
In 2017, he co-starred in Detroit, a gritty drama about a group of friends' frightening night with
the police in 1967. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, Detroit won Outstanding Independent Motion Picture
at the 2018 NAACP Image Awards, in addition to numerous other awards. Kelley is poised
to tackle ever-more complex projects, ranging from unique short films to searing indie dramas.
You've enjoyed a pretty charmed acting career when you've not only starred in one of the most
beloved Christmas movies of all time, but also one of the most talked-about limited series to
ever hit Netflix. Thomas Brodie-Sangster has the honor of leading this blessed career,
and has even added a little modeling to his lengthy list of credits.
This isn't a surprise to those already familiar with the actor's work: The cute kid who stole the
show and the hearts of millions in 2003's Love Actually was always going to mature into a real
gentleman. His role as Benny Watts in The Queen's Gambit is a fine display of this talent. As he
crests this wave of success, Brodie-Sangster shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
2020 marked the year Tyler James Williams celebrated the 15th anniversary of his breakout
role on the hit 2005 sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris. Thanks to reruns and streaming platforms,
a brand new generation of kids can enjoy the family comedy,
co-created and narrated by Chris Rock. This show is loosely based on his upbringing,
and features Williams in the title role of young Chris.
"Maybe he didn't see who threw it."
"Where were these guys when Tupac got shot?"
Williams played the character for four seasons, and his career hasn't slowed down since. After the
series wrapped, Williams appeared in a wide range of films including Peeples, Detroit,
and Dear White People, among others.Williams made a major genre jump when he appeared as
Noah on the zombie drama The Walking Dead. Williams has since gone on to co-star on
the short lived ABC action-drama Whiskey Cavalier, star in the 2020 drama The Argument,
and pop up on acclaimed comedy series including Key & Peele and A Black Lady Sketch Show.
Freddie Highmore stars on The Good Doctor as Dr. Shaun Murphy, an autistic surgeon who's had to
prove to himself and the staff that being on the spectrum isn't a hindrance to his skills with the
scalpel. The UK actor also serves as a producer on the show, and has directed a few episodes as well.
That's a pretty tall order for anyone, even the most capable talent. But Highmore's fans have
always known he had it in him. He first got bitten by the directing bug while playing Norman Bates on
the series Bates Motel, but his time in Hollywood goes further back than that eerie show. Audiences
first got to know Highmore in the movies Finding Neverland, in which he played the real-world
inspiration for Peter Pan, and 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in which he played the
titular Charlie. The star-on-the-rise scooped up a few awards for those attention-grabbing roles.
Highmore then wowed audiences in August Rush and The Spiderwick Chronicles,
and proceeded to take on the small screen roles for which he has since become best known.
As a teen, Patrick Fugit starred in one of the coolest rock movies of the 2000s:
Almost Famous. Fugit played William Miller, an awkward high school student
living through the 1970s. His nurturing mother is keen on William's intelligence,
so she skips him ahead a few grades, hoping it will fast-track his career.
But William convinces her to allow him to travel across the country with a popular rock band so
he can write his first big article for Rolling Stone. The film's soundtrack provides audiences
with just the right amount of nostalgia, and Fugit's performance is enormously endearing.
"It's all happening."
"It's all happening. It's all happening."
After the success of Almost Famous, Fugit's career was sporadic. He had a small part in
White Oleander, popped up on a few episodes of ER, and appeared in Saved!, a religious satire. 2019
saw him explode onto the small screen in a whole new way. On Treadstone, an action series based on
the Bourne films, Fugit played Stephen Haynes, a man coming undone due to the government's
misuse of his mind. The character is menacing and tortured — a far cry from Fugit's earlier roles.
Though the show only lasted one season, it's an intriguing sign of things to come for the actor.
As bossy Summer Hathaway in 2003's beloved rock comedy School of Rock, Miranda Cosgrove
keeps Jack Black's slacker hero on his toes. The unconventional teacher is so put off by Summer's
type-A tendencies that he appoints her manager of the band he forms with the class. With her
nose high in the air, Summer succeeds — to the point that she even earns her teacher's respect.
Cosgrove stood out among the other talented kids in that movie, and it wasn't long before Hollywood
took notice. She landed on the Nickelodeon show Drake & Josh, then starred on iCarly. Cosgrove
spent six seasons playing web show host Carly Shay to big ratings and serious acclaim: She was
nominated for several Kids' Choice and Teen Choice Awards. Cosgrove has also had success as the voice
of Margo in the Despicable Me movies, and recently branched out into science fiction in 2019's 3022.
In late 2020, a revival of iCarly was announced, seeing Cosgrove reprise her signature role.
Way back in 2000, seven-year-old Taylor Momsen played Cindy Lou Who
in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a live-action adaptation of the classic Dr. Seuss book.
20 years after her debut as Whoville's peacemaker, Momsen talked to Today about
what she remembers most from the experience. To prepare for Cindy's lovely song in the movie,
Momsen recorded her studio sessions with the late legendary film composer James Horner.
"That was such an impactful moment in my life,
because it made me go, 'I wanna make music for the rest of my life.'"
Momsen went on to star in Spy Kids 2 and as Jenny Humphrey on the teen drama Gossip
Girl. But music quickly took hold of her focus and shows no signs of letting go.
For the entirety of the past decade, Momsen has primarily performed as the frontwoman
of her rock band, The Pretty Reckless, and doesn't appear to have plans to return to
acting. As the band has released multiple albums and singles and gone on a number
of tours over the past few years, this choice seems to suit Momsen just fine.
On The 2002 ABC comedy My Wife and Kids, Franklin,
played by Noah Gray-Cabey , gives little Kady all the attention he can muster. Franklin hopes
Kady might see beyond his short stature and huge IQ and see that he's in love with her.
Gray-Cabey showed off his quick comic timing and chops as a classical pianist as the irresistible
Franklin, and the world took notice. He expanded beyond these comic roots in 2006 when he joined
the cast of NBC's hit sci-fi drama Heroes. Gray-Cabey played Micah Sanders, a boy who can
manipulate technology. His powers are genetic, as his parents also have superhuman abilities.
Micah and his mother are constantly on the run from people who want to capture and perform
tests on those with powers. Gray-Cabey grew up over the course of his four seasons on Heroes,
and even returned for the 2015 miniseries, Heroes Reborn: Dark Matter, and the one season show,
Heroes Reborn. Gray-Cabey then took a departure from the supernatural in 2019
on the Freeform spin-off Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. On this short-lived series,
he played Mason Gregory, a mysterious athlete attending Beacon Heights University.
Willa Holland's mother, Darnell Gregorio, was married to Hollywood director Brian de
Palma from 1995 to 1997. As de Palma was a neighbor to the legendary Steven Spielberg,
little Willa Holland would sometimes play at the director's house. Spielberg saw the "it"
factor in her and encouraged her parents to get her in front of the camera. She began modeling,
and later booked a regular gig playing Kaitlin Cooper on the hit FOX series
The O.C. The 2003 series follows the privileged inhabitants of Orange County,
California as they attempt to put out family fires and settle old scores.
Once the series wrapped, Holland focused her attention on the big screen with roles
in Garden Party and Middle of Nowhere, but later returned to TV on Gossip Girl. In 2012,
she played Thea Queen, AKA Speedy, on the CW's popular superhero series
Arrow. She would go on to appear as the character on The Flash as well.
Holland also has a career in video games voice acting. She has played Aqua, a Keyblade
apprentice, in many installments of the Kingdom Hearts franchise.
Kyla Pratt's film and television career started very early, with appearances on Living Single,
In the House, and ER. One of her most prominent roles arrived in 2001: For five seasons,
she voiced lead character Penny Proud on the Disney Channel animated series The Proud Family.
She was also able to grace the small screen with her cheerful countenance on the hit UPN comedy
One on One. As spunky teenager Breanna Barnes, daughter to single sportscaster Flex Alexander,
Pratt lit up the screen. Fans tuned into the dynamic duo's world for five seasons,
watching Flex navigate raising his feisty daughter while maintaining his career.
Pratt's work slowed down as she entered her adult years and began
to focus much of her attention on her children. 2020 saw Pratt land
a role on Call Me Kat and reach a new generation of viewers through streaming,
when UPN's catalogue of Black comedies of the 1990s, including One on One, hit Netflix.
Parker McKenna Posey played Kady Kyle on ABC's 2001 sitcom My Wife and Kids.
As the youngest member of the Kyle family, Kady torments her older siblings and is the
apple of her father's eye, played by show co-creator Damon Wayans . Kady
was undoubtedly Posey's breakout role, and a huge draw for the show.
Posey's career stalled for a few years following her time on My Wife and Kids,
however. After the show ended in 2005, she made a spare handful of appearances on shows
and movies including iCarly and Summer Camp. A decade after her 2009 iCarly appearance,
she starred alongside Lauren London on the BET series Games People Play, and guest starred
on the UMC series A House Divided. Things have been rough for Posey off-camera, unfortunately:
In 2018, her ex-boyfriend Chris Sails was arrested for assault. Posey was later able
to get a restraining order against him, and thanked fans for their support. Hopefully,
the future will be bright from here on out for this talented actress.
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