So, Jameel and I have always had this theory that every once in a while you could see a child starlet on a TV show or movie and just by her general cuteness and demeanor, predict that she was going to grow up to be crazy fucking hot. We called this phenomenon TMAing, named after child star turned hottie Tatyana M Ali.
Jameel was reading a thread on the very concept today and told me about it.
So let’s play a game. What we’re looking for is a list of suggestions of celebrities this applies to. Examples besides TMA herself include Alyssa Milano, Scarlett Johannson, Jessica Alba, Danica McKellar, Lindsay Lohan, the Olsen Twins and Lacey Charbet. This is open to male stars too, though we were having trouble coming up with examples (Leonardo DiCaprio, however is a good one), so the ladies can help us out there, hopefully. Anyway, who do you got?
(Important note: Lots of people were so-so or ugly kids and grew up to be cute. And lots of people started their celebrity career as a teen heartthrob. Those don’t count. What we’re looking for are celebs that started their careers as children in child roles (not romantic teen lead roles) and you could have looked at them at the time and said “oh, they’re gonna be hot one day.” In other words, for instance, the cast of 90210 doesn’t count, since the entire point of the show was that they were hot then as well.)
Oh, and by all means, please feel free to link to this and ask others to come over here and add to the list as well.
The lists:
Women who’ve TMAed:
- Tatyana M. Ali
- Alyssa Milano
- Scarlett Johannson
- Jessica Alba
- Danica McKellar
- Lindsay Lohan
- The Olsen Twins
- Lacey Charbet
- Christina Ricci
- Soleil Moon Frye
- Britney Spears
- Christina Agliera
- Miley Cyrus
- Alexa Vega
- Jennifer Love Hewitt
- Fergie
- Amanda Bynes
- Eliza Dushku
- Anna Paquin
- Natalie Portman
- Kirstin Dunst
Men who’ve TMAed:
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- River Phoenix
- Justin Timberlake
- Christian Bale
- Rick Schroeder
Potential TMAs of the future:
- Jayden Smith
Justin Timberlake (and Britney Spears of course). Natalie Portman.
Duh! Timberlake is an awesome one. We struggled forever trying to come up with a guy who was at least kinda famous as a kid and grew up to be a famous sex symbol. I should have thought of him immediately. Both girls totally count too.
Soleil Moon Frye a.k.a. Punky Brewster
http://www.bestcelebritylinks.com/s/soleil_moon_frye/soleilmoonfrye.jpg
🙂
Also a good one…. Hmmm… Should I add names to the note as we come up with them?
Miley Cyrus is turning 18 this year. I can’t wait til the clothes start coming off…..
Anyway.
Are you looking for kids who used to be child stars and are grown or child stars now that have potential for being TMAs in the future?
River Phoenix
Nikki: I don’t think you’ll have to wait very long on Miley. I get the vibe from her that she’s basically a six pack away from doing anything anyone asked her to do.
Anyway, I was looking for former child stars who grew up hot. But now that you mention it, maybe we should be keeping a list of guesses of potentials as well. Cuz that just sounds fun.
Jessica: Ooh, Another good one. See I knew there had to be guy examples, I just needed girls to point them out to me.
(Mav, I just told Jami about this…she’ll get you some guys for the list, trust me!)
Marcel: cool…. the hard one is what nivki said. current kiddie stars who are going to be hot in 10-15 years…
Alexa Vega (the girl from Spy Kids) was kinda disturbingly hot in Repo: The Genetic Opera.
Adam: ooh…. yeah, and she totally on my list of potentials when that movie came out
Janet Jackson (Diffrent strokes and Fame). Was Urkel cute? Jaleel White grew up. Some might say Michael J. Fox or jason Bateman. How “child” do they have to be to start with? Sarah Jessica Parker from Square Pegs age? Neve Cambell and Jennifer Love Hewitt from Party of Five? Ricky Schroeder — Silver Spoons? Mark-Paul Gossalear et al from “Saved by the Bell”? Deon Richmond (“Bud” from The Cosby Show)?
I do not find the Olsen twins attractive at all. How about Neil Patrick Harris? Marissa Joan Hart? Amanda Bynes?
Neal Patrick Harris (Doogie)
Eliza Dushku, Anna Paquin, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Fergie, and Jennifer Love Hewitt. And speaking of Fergie and JLH, I would suggest their Kids Incorporated co-stars Eric Balfour and Mario Lopez for male TMAs.
Amy Jo Johnson (go Pink ranger!)
@Reuven I’d almost say the stars on Saved by the Bell would be too old at that point, same with Party of Five (excluding the very TMAed Lacey Charbet). That said I know at least Jennifer Love Hewitt, Scott Wolf, and Mario Lopez already had careers a few years earlier with Kids Incorporated.
See.. it’s all the starting age guideline that was what I needed. I was already looking for younger than 90210. So Ricky Stratten is in. Zack Morris is out. Got it. So Sarah Michelle Gellar would be too old as a starting age as well.
Well it’s only my opinion, and don’t know what would really be a good cut off. As for SMG, most people weren’t aware how young she started. She was 15 in Swans Crossing for instance.
Actually, Saved by the Bell might be in too, how old were they when it first started? At the very least the Good Morning, Miss Bliss stars would count. I forget sometimes how long that show was on despite how few seasons there were.
Kirstin Dunst.
see, I thought the olsons looked like troll dolls as kids. shows what I know.
I think Staci Keanan was cute as the dickens as a kid, and is pretty hot now. On the boy side, Justin Timberlake.
Reuven: Ok… a lot to catch up on. I’m not sure Janet Jackson counts. She was a teenager on Diff’rent Strokes and Fame. She was a kid on Good Times, but I don’t know that she had the “wow, I bet she’s going to grow up hot” appeal. Jaleel White, Michael J Fox, Jason Bateman, Sarah Jessica Parker and Neve Campbell were all teens before they were famous too. Jennifer Love Hewitt on the other hand is a good example, because as others pointed out, she was definitely a child (and not a teen) on Kids Inc. As is Rick Schroeder. I’ll add them. Is Deon Richmond really famous enough to warrant inclusion on the list? He certainly doesn’t have a name that screams heart throb to me. And was he a “hot kid?” Amy Jo Johnson totally doesn’t count. She was cast as the Pink Ranger because she was already hot, and despite her character’s age, she was like 25 at the time.
Warren: It’s not about personal attractiveness. I don’t find ever single person I’ve put on the list attractive. It’s a matter of are they recognized sex symbols. The Olsens clearly are. NPH is another one who was a teen (and cast because he was a good looking teen) before he became famous, same with MJH. Amanda Bynes on the other hand totally counts. I’ll add her.
Steve: Eliza Dushku had a role in This Boy’s Life opposite DiCaprio and Deniro when she was like 12. So she counts even though she wasn’t really famous til Buffy. Anna Paquin absolutely counts. Adding her. Sarah Michelle Gellar, I’m not sure. She had some bit parts as a kid, but her big break was All My Children and she was 16 by then. I’ll add Fergie along with JLH for the Kids Inc. crowd, but Wolf was cast for that show as a teen heartthrob. Lopez was only ever on two episodes, as a background actor that no one would ever notice if he didn’t become famous later. Balfour, I guess would count, but I’m not sure he’s ever had heartthrob status. A shame, because he’s a good actor.
Yanna: I wasn’t sure on Christian Bale. But someone suggested him based on Newsies and I added him because I needed guys. But if you’d say you thought he was hot when he (and you) were kids, then I’ll buy it.
Connie: definitely… adding her.
Marcel: See, I’m not sure there. Keisha is CRAZY hot now, but I thought she looked kinda dopey as a kid. Definitely “cute” but I never watched Cosby and said “That girl is gonna be hot one day” the way I did with Fresh Prince of Belaire. Another example is Dakota Fanning, who Steph suggested. Looking at her movies back then I never thought she’d look like she does now.
I’m having a really hard time coming up with anyone for the future list. All the child stars I can think of today are already too old. I actually kind of want to take off Miley Cyrus for that reason. She became Hannah Montana to create a (pre)teen heartthrob, as opposed to it happening incidentally. And I have the same problem with the Jonas Brothers or Justin Bieber for instance. The closest I can think of is Wil Smith’s kid who’s sort of on the cusp of moving into his teen heartthrobbiness now. I think you could have predicted it a couple movies ago though. But I don’t know who to point to today. There just aren’t as many kid actors on TV right now. The teens are way more popular.
Laura: Already have Timberlake. Did Keenan do anything before she a teen? I guess she was like 12 or 13 in My Two Dads. That seems like it puts her in the Saved By The Bell camp.
I have to lobby for K.K.P. using the Olsen Twins argument: I can’t say I ever saw them on FULL HOUSE and thought they’d be hot. (Truth be told, I didn’t think they were the most attractive or talented kids on the show.) But they were cute. The Olsen twins and K.K.P. all started as babies too. By the time they reached an age where we could contemplate their future attractiveness, they were already well known.
A number of the child stars currently on the list were definitely cute kids, but I think only some of them – like Ali, Portman, DiCaprio, Milano – were striking enough to make you REALLY think they were gonna be hot one day.
And as you mentioned, we have to keep in mind our own ages when we first saw them as kids. I remember LOVING the girls on THE ELECTRIC COMPANY when I was six! 8^)
The very first one that comes to my mind is Jennifer Connelly. First saw her in Labyrinth in 1986. I was 14. She was 15 in the movie. So I don’t know if she actually fits into your parameters. Anyway, I was immediately smitten and I think she only became more beautiful as she aged.
I also thought of Diane Lane, I first saw her in Six Pack in 1982 when I was 10. However, I looked up her birthdate and she was already 17 in that movie. So she’s likely disqualified.
So I guess I’m stymied…
I gotta go with Michelle Trachtenberg. She was on The Adventures of Pete and Pete when she was like 6. Something about her just shined.
Hm, I would have thought the Olsen twins were counter-examples, irresistibly cute kids you’d think were going to be hotties, but all grown up they look like average teased-up trying-too-hard mall rats with zero appeal.
Elijah Wood. <3
Does he count? I know he had some small parts as a kid, but the first thing I remember him in was Ice Storm and like a lot of the others we talked about a couple years ago, he was already a teen by then. We’re talking about people who were like 7 or 8 and you go “that kid is going to be a sex symbol someday”
I’m glad you titled the phenomenon TMA because that’s exactly what I thought of her.
Well, I mean the show was on back when you were a young black boy, Heather.
He was in Radio Flyer. Also. The girl from the 4th Halloween, that was in Rob Zombies remake. Can’t place her name at the moment.
Ok… he was 11. So if you thought he was hot then, (or going to be hot) I guess that counts. Puts him right along with Hannah Montanna.
I had a crush on him the moment I saw him in that movie.
Jodie Foster. I used to watch her child-actressing in Disney reruns and thought she was kind of ugly, and I remember being surprised when she was all gorgeous in Maverick.
wow, I actually disagree with the Olsens. They looked like troll dolls as kids; I thought they were super-ugly and was surprised they grew up so cute.
I actually thought about her at the time I made the original list. And decided against her. I don’t think she’s unattractive, but she’s never particularly been known for specifically being a sex symbol either. I mean, in general hollywood actors/actresses are going to be attractive that’s part of the job. But aside from Taxi Driver, it’s not like she’s ever done roles that that are about being sexy, you don’t see her on the cover of Cosmo or Maxim being sexy. As opposed to say Mel Gibson, who is just as notable for looking good with his shirt off as he was for any talent he had.
wow and now i see this is from 2010 originally and I called them troll dolls then, too
i feel like you could find some fodder in:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0487865/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast
Laura: In the case of the Olsens I think it’s important to note that I’m not saying they’re specifically my definition of attractive, (and in fact I think Mary Kate is way hotter than Ashley). I’m talking about the phenomenon. People who have a buzz about them as attractive kids and then become sex symbols. Amanda Bynes I personally thought was goofy looking as a kid, and I think she’s average at best now, but I acknowledge that she definitely has a popular appeal.
in the Olsen twin’s specific case, there were like a gazillion websites with countdown timers till their 18th birthday when they’d be legally fuckable from the time they were like 10. So I think that makes them TMAs in the popular mindscape by definition.
Looking at Jenn’s list I see another good opposite example. Thora Birch. I actually think Thora Birch is ridiculously hot. I’d totally sleep with given the chance, and she was uber cute as a little kid, but like Jodie Foster, I don’t think she’s known per se as a sex symbol.
Was Judith Vittet on the list?
i don’t really know who that is, but imdb only has 4 acting credits for her, and she was only 13 in the most recent (1997) so I’d say no.
How about Joseph Gordon-Levitt?
Depends on when people noticed him. My earliest memories of him are from 3rd rock from the sun, and he was maybe 15 or 16 then which is too old.
I just happened to catch “Angels in the Outfield” over the weekend and was amused to see it starred a 13-year-old JGL. I think that’s when most people noticed him probably.
That’s still a teen. Too old to be a “cute kid”
hm. I think both Chad Allen & Giovanni Ribisi (who were both in “My Two Dads”) were “too old” at the time of that show to count, for these purposes.
yeah, like I said, I still think Miley Cyrus might have been “too old” to really count. my Two Dad’s was totally a teen sitcom. The entire point of their characters was that they were the cute love interests.
Obviously David Faustino :-). Heh. Ok, but seriously, I know a lot of people who say Mayim Bialik, but she was too old for the rules of the game. But Joey Lawrence, who started on Gimme a Break… Drew Barrymore and Erika Eleniak? (E.T.)
Faustino no, he’s only ever been famous in the one role. Bialik no, because as you said, she was too old by rule, and also her characters both then and now, are typically anti-sex symbol. Joey Lawrence absolutely yes. Cute kid, who turned into nothing but a sex symbol. Drew Barrrymore yes, cute kid, and though she doesn’t do sexy roles often anymore, certainly did for a while (poison ivy). Erika Eliniak… not really… she was never a child star. She’s in ET for like two seconds, and is only there because she’s supposed to be the hot girl in school, and besides, she was like 13 at the time.
Wasn’t serious about Faustino. And I didn’t think Eleniak would count. I haven’t looked at this list in quite a while. Heh
I figured you were kidding, but might as well answer anyway.
Does it have to be someone from our generation? What about Annette Funicello?
You really need to see City of Lost Children
Reuven: Nope. It can be from any generation older or newer. But Annette was never actually a “child” star really. She was a teen by the time she was in Mickey Mouse club so the teen beach party movies weren’t much of a jump.
William: doesn’t matter. She was 11 in that movie but she hasn’t done another movie since she was 16. So she never grew up to be a sex symbol.
No I mean, it’s a fantastic movie.
both too old and too weird-looking as a kid to count, but I would just like to observe that Anthony Michael Hall grew up into a stellar hottie.
So Reuven inspired me to do some more careful research. Annette Funnicello was technically 12 when the Mickey Mouse Club started (she turned 13 3 weeks in). So she probably technically counts.
Since we’re talking about older generations, I’d say also Liz Taylor, who was definitely a child star and definitely went on to be a sex symbol. Shirley Temple also tried to be a bombshell for a while, but it never really worked out.
Natalie Wood. The little girl in Miracle on 34th St. Not so little when West Side Story rolls around.
ah… but the question is, did anyone predict she was going to grow up hot?
A bit before my time, but judging by the number of movies she was in between those two, I’d say yes.
i guess you forget emma watson no one ever thought that she will grew up hot lol.