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SALT LAKE CITY — A popular child actress has explained in a blog post why she quit acting years ago.
The post, titled, "Are You Still Acting?!" summarizes what life is like for Mara Wilson, who had starring roles in popular ‘90s movies including "Matilda" and "Mrs. Doubtfire" and who gave up acting a long time ago.
"I've only recently realized that what I did as a child means to people," she said. I'm flattered, though the compliment does not seem to be mine to receive … I just played the part. Still, what I did was important to them. I can understand why they want me to continue acting. But interestingly enough, only about half of the people asking me "Are you still acting?" seem to take what I want into consideration."
Wilson compared the experience to that of a child who loved to fingerpaint as a child, but was naturally good at it and "never took much pride in it." As the child grew out of fingerpainting, people were adamant about the fingerpainting continuing, not understanding that it was never something the child particularly enjoyed.
The metaphor itself is easy enough to understand, but it may take more than that for people to realize that, in fact, Wilson never plans to find herself with a part in another movie.
Perhaps best known for her roles in "Matilda," "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Miracle on 34th Street," Wilson has managed to hold on to fans even though she has not had a role in film since voicing Lily in 2000's "Thomas and the Magic Railroad."
"I get messages on my Facebook and Twitter nearly every day from people telling me that I was in their favorite movie," she wrote. "‘Matilda' has been name-checked by librarians and feminist bloggers alike."
Wilson said film acting is "not very fun" — that the repetition does not allow for a lot of creative freedom. That is why she prefers theater: it is "about connection with an audience, being in the moment, and living a live moment onstage."
The former child star said she still acts, but only with people she knows and trusts. She would rather people get to know her because of the person she is than because of the characters she played.
"I would like people to know me for who I am, especially since I think people have a very skewed image of me," she told NYULocal in 2009. "I'd rather be known for my accomplishments and for things that I really do take pride in, rather than known for this doll-like image I had when I was a child."
Working in film is most often tedious, Wilson said, and the celebrity aspect is "nothing short of ridiculous." And auditions are "brutal and dehumanizing."
She said she never feels nostalgic about leaving the world of acting — only relief.
"I have found that I can live without it," she said.
