Even though it makes sense that the movie studios and networks employ so many child stars, it is unfortunate in a lot of ways. After all, a lot of people who rose to fame as kids have since gone on to struggle in a big way once they started to grow up. In fact, the odds of child stars growing up to be well-adjusted are so bleak that it often is a great thing when they leave Hollywood behind for an average life.
After spending a huge portion of her early life in front of cameras, fans started to notice that it had been several years since Jennette McCurdy took on any notable acting projects. Then, in March 2021 McCurdy revealed that she was quitting acting and she spoke about the reasons why she made that decision.
Jennette’s Rise To Fame
At one time, Jennette McCurdy was one of Nickelodeon’s biggest stars which is really saying something considering how successful that network is. Best known for her time as the star of the hit shows iCarly and Sam & Cat, McCurdy was a mainstay of the network from 2007 until 2014.
On top of her two most famous projects, Jennette McCurdy has appeared in a lot of other projects. For example, McCurdy was a small part of many TV series including The Cleveland Show and The Penguins of Madagascar. That is also to say nothing of the fact that McCurdy had a starring role in the mid-2010s show Between.
Leaving Hollywood Behind
When most stars appear on talk shows or agree to a video interview, the resulting TV segment lasts five to ten minutes. As a result of those discussions ending so quickly, a lot of them aren’t overly revealing. On the other hand, over the last several years a lot of stars have launched podcasts, which has allowed them to take part in lengthy wide-ranging conversations. For example, Jennette McCurdy launched a podcast titled “Empty Inside”.
During a 2021 episode of her “Empty Inside” podcast in which she talked with Anna Faris, Jennette McCurdy spoke about her acting career and she didn’t mince words in the slightest. In fact, McCurdy revealed that she has decided to almost entirely quit acting.
After Anna Faris spoke about breaking into acting as a child, Jennette McCurdy talked about starting her career as a kid and how quickly the pressure stacked up on her. "My mom put me in it when I was 6, and by sort of age, I guess, 10 or 11 I was the main financial support for my family. It was very much the pressure of my family didn't have a lot of money, and this was the way out, which I actually think was helpful in driving me to some degree of success."
After talking about what motivated her acting efforts, Jennette McCurdy revealed that she never wanted that career and she spoke about the moment she decided to leave performing behind. "I ultimately quit after my mom passed away, because with her death kind of died a lot of her ideas for my life, and that was its own journey and a difficult one for sure."
Reflecting And Moving Forward
When it was announced that an iCarly reboot was in the works with the original cast, a lot of fans of the series hoped to see Jennette McCurdy be part of the project. However, once McCurdy announced that she was mostly done with acting, it became clear that almost certainly wasn’t going to happen.
As it turns out, it isn’t just that Jennette McCurdy is done with acting and likely wants nothing to do with the iCarly reboot. Instead, it is worse than that as during the aforementioned episode of her “Empty Inside” podcast, McCurdy spoke about her distaste for her past acting roles. Given that McCurdy is best known for her iCarly tenure, it is practically certain that she resents that show too.
While speaking about her acting past, Jennette McCurdy said that she “resents (her) career in a lot of ways.” Worse than that, McCurdy went on to reveal that she felt "so unfulfilled by the roles that I played” and that she thought the projects she was a part of were “just cheesy, embarrassing".
On the bright side, Jennette McCurdy has figured out that she wants to try writing and directing. In fact, during the aforementioned podcast episode, McCurdy revealed that she wrote a one-woman show and that starring in it likely was the one acting role she would still take on. On top of her writing and directing aspirations, McCurdy also seems to enjoy her new role as a podcast host.