Mara Wilson, 37, Says Hollywood Turned Its Back on Her After ‘Matilda’: “I Wasn’t Cute Anymore”

Mara Wilson became a household name in the early ’90s thanks to her charming performances in Mrs. Doubtfire and Miracle on 34th Street. But as she got older, the attention faded. “In Hollywood, if you’re no longer cute or beautiful, you stop mattering,” Wilson revealed.

Her rise to fame was shadowed by personal tragedy. After losing her mother to breast cancer in 1996, Wilson found the pressures of the industry increasingly difficult to handle. “More than anything, I just wanted to be a normal kid after my mom died,” she said.

At just 11 years old, she accepted what would become her last big-screen role in Thomas and the Magic Railroad. Not long after, the offers stopped coming. “Hollywood had moved on from me,” she reflected.

Wilson later found a new path in writing. In 2016, she released her memoir Where Am I Now?, where she openly discussed the challenges of childhood fame. “Being cute brought me more sadness than joy,” she confessed.

While her acting days may be behind her, Wilson says she’s content with where life has taken her—far from the spotlight, but finally at peace with her past.