Alexa was the older child in Spy Kids, but her looks aren’t a clandestine venture now. She held a constant presence with TV work and had a public personal life when she married Carlos Pena Jr., an actor and singer. The couple now hosts a YouTube channel.
Awkward Child Stars That Truly Grew Into Themselves
There were many TV shows and films that heavily influenced pop culture during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Back then, people were thrilled by the monochrome screen, not Netflix. Have you ever wondered what happened to the Brady Bunch or Partridge Family kids? Take a trip down memory lane and find out.
Kylie Jenner
Kylie doesn’t need an introduction because of her part on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. She also has many social media followers. However, she wasn’t always emulated for her fashion style, being an awkward kid growing up on TV.
Danica McKellar
Danica was the crush for many boys who watched The Wonder Years. She shied away from the bright spotlight after the show ended, breaking away from Hollywood. However, she’s now acting and doing voiceover work here and there.
Jonathan Lipnicki
You probably remember Jerry Maguire because of the many catchphrases and Jonathan Lipnicki as the adorable Ray Boyd. He used the success of that film to land other roles, but his adult resume isn’t very impressive. Still, he’s young, so things could pick up.
Alexa PenaVega
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph was a teenage alien that looked like a human in 3rd Rock from the Sun, and he looked like the pimply, gangly teenager everyone sees. However, he then fell from view for a while, sticking to indie roles and a few TV appearances. Now, he’s focused on big-budget films.
Lindsay Lohan
Everyone adored Lindsay’s freckles in The Parent Trap, but she soon showed that she had more. She was a star from Freaky Friday, Mean Girls, and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. While she’s fallen off recently, you can remember those glory days.
Tatyana Ali
Tatyana is best known for her days on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but the child star continued popping up in TV and film. She’s landed roles on popular soap operas and all the rest, showing that you can turn your geeky childhood into an adult movie-rama.
Daniel Radcliffe
Most people think they’ve known Daniel for their whole lives because he was in the famous Harry Potter films, sticking with it through eight full movies (Warner Bros. ended up splitting Book 7 into two). From there, he’s maintained steady work, though he had to leave the magic wand behind.
Lacey Chabert
Party of Five was a popular show, but it went off the air. Most people wondered what happened to Claudia Salinger, but she’s now a beautiful woman. Lacey Chabert shifted her focus to voice acting, but she has been in a few popular movies, too!
Alyson Stoner
Do you remember the pigtailed, adorable dancer from the Missy Elliot music video, Work It? Well, she’s turned into a fine young woman. Stoner has more than 100 voice-acting and film credits to her name and loves dancing still.
Matthew Lewis
The human example of the caterpillar turning into a butterfly is Matthew Lewis. He played the bumbling and awkward Neville Longbottom during the Harry Potter series, becoming a main hero at the end. After that spotlight, he decided to do some pretty strange things!
Anna Chlumsky
Anna Chlumsky was an overnight sensation for her role in My Girl. She’s had a few others but disappeared from the public in 1998. However, she came back in 2007 for a few films and television shows, making people wonder how they knew the actress because she looked so different!
Jaleel White
Jaleel was the staple for the TGIF lineup for ABC, spawning a cultural tagline of “Did I do that?” He was the famous Steve Urkel, a scrawny but brainy kid next door from Family Matters. He became famous internationally but couldn’t separate himself from the character.
Claire Danes
Clair was the awkward teen from My So-Called Life, and that awkwardness extended into her real life. However, Danes got that last laugh because she’s stealing hearts and awards for her role on Homeland.
Nicola Peltz
Most actors with short resumes don’t last long, but that wasn’t the case for Nicola. She debuted with Deck the Halls, helping her land a great part in The Last Airbender. From there, she went to Transformers: Age of Extinction and many others. While you don’t see her often, she does pop up sometimes!
Jerry O’Connell
Most people know O’Connell as an adult, but they’re shocked to learn that he was on the big screen as a child. They have to go back to Stand By Me from 1986, though. He was Vern and continues to have a steady career in Hollywood today.
Abigail Breslin
Abigail was in Little Miss Sunshine, which was about a young and awkward girl who wanted to be in beauty pageants. She even earned an Academy Award nomination. Overall, she was smart to use that to propel her career, getting top billing for TV and film projects.
Afshan Azad
This Harry Potter actress was only 17 years old when she played Padma Patil, the Ravenclaw girl of The Goblet of Fire. Fans saw the actress turn into a budding beauty with the next four films. However, she hasn’t starred in other American films since then.
Nicholas Hoult
Do you remember About a Boy? Nicholas Hoult played Marcus Brewer in the film, exploding later onto the Hollywood scene with starring roles in many big-budget films. He’s sure grown up well!
Amber Scott
Most 90s kids can’t forget the live-action version of Hook, starring Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams. However, big fans may also remember Amber Scott as Maggie Banning. She was only 7 at the time and hasn’t done much in Hollywood since then!
Danielle Fishel
Danielle is known for her depiction of Topanga on Boy Meets World, and she was the dream for thousands of high school boys. After her Girl Meets World reprisal, she hasn’t done much in Hollywood, but she still looks amazing.
Zac Efron
Zac started his career as a dorky tween on High School Musical but is now a major A-lister in Hollywood. In fact, he’s been as busy as can be with Baywatch (film), Neighbors, and The Greatest Showman. There’s no stopping him.
Neil Patrick Harris
While Neil started as the boy genius in Doogie Howser, M.D., at 16 years old, he didn’t stop there. Still, he never landed notable roles until he transformed himself as the playboy on How I Met Your Mother. The smash-hit revitalized his career, even though he’s a proud gay man.
Soleil Moon Frye
You probably remember Punky Brewster because she had spunk, but Soleil didn’t stop there. Her resume is loaded with voice-acting roles, and she even had a recurring role in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
Eric Lloyd
Eric was in The Santa Clause and never stopped believing. However, his Hollywood career doesn’t have that same magic. This young actor returned for all the sequels and has had small roles in film and television, but he never got his breakout role. Still, he dabbles in music and seems to enjoy life.
Emma Watson
What is it about the Harry Potter kids? They were all introduced as young actors, so people got to watch them grow up. Emma is a style icon for Hollywood and fights for the planet. Plus, she keeps landing leading roles and doing what she can.