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First, while working together on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Jenna Ortega revealed that Winona Ryder, who became a household name at 17 years old when Beetlejuice premiered, helped her handle her newfound fame. Jenna told Harper’s Bazaar, “She definitely helped me feel less alone,” when speaking about Winona giving her advice after Wednesday catapulted her career.
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Winona Ryder has also given advice to the kids on Stranger Things about navigating fame at a very young age, specifically Millie Bobby Brown. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar in 2022, Winona recalled, “I’m always telling them, ‘The work is the reward!’ Because when I was that age, it was so hard to enjoy the fruits of my labor.”
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Sean Astin got his start in movies at age 14 when he starred in The Goonies. So when he appeared in Stranger Things as Bob, he had a lot to offer to the young cast, who were also dealing with fame at a young age, just like he did. In an interview with EW, Sean said, “I think the only advice that I gave them was just to enjoy yourself.”
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In 2002, Kristen Stewart starred with Jodie Foster in Panic Room. The two have remained close since, and on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Kristen revealed the advice Jodie, who started acting at 10 years old, gave her back then. Jodie threw Kristen an 11th birthday party while they were on set and told her, “Don’t forget, you’re a kid.”
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Walker Scobell, who stars as Percy Jackson in Percy Jackson and the Olympians, received some advice from Logan Lerman, who played the role when he was 18 years old in the film adaptations. Logan told ComicBook, “I think when you’re young, at least when I was younger, you almost forget to enjoy it as you’re a part of it. I really enjoyed it while I was doing it. Just take each second in and enjoy the newness of what you’re doing and being a part of something like that.”
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In 2017, Raven-Symoné began starring in Raven’s Home, a spinoff of That’s So Raven, which features her character now being a parent. Raven said she gave advice to Isaac Ryan Brown and Navia Robinson about being a child actor. She told BUILD Series, “I tell them to say, ‘No,’ and it’s going to be hard.”
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While starring on Riverdale, Luke Perry said he often offered advice to his young costars because their rise to fame mirrored what he experienced during Beverly Hills, 90210. He told the NY Post in 2017, “I say, ‘You guys got to do the same thing we did [on 90210], just concentrate on your work. Don’t think about any of the other shit, the magazine covers, the this, the that — all that goes away if you don’t do your work.”
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Tyler James Williams, who started acting at 7 years old, says now, when he works with the children in Abbott Elementary, he offers advice “to those who are paying attention” and he wants to make their experiences on set “as conducive to a child’s experience as possible.” He also told Variety that he’s passed on the names of a few young actors to his former child agent.
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Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Holland began starring together in the MCU with Captain America: Civil War when Tom was just 20 years old. RDJ, who made his first onscreen appearance when he was 5 years old, told Tom during his audition for Spider-Man, “I remember the feeling. I’ve been through this before and it is incredibly stressful. Enjoy the process and let your body take over.”
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While working together as mother and daughter in The Idea of You, Ella Rubin said Anne Hathaway gave her advice about navigating being an actor in your early 20s. Ella told Teen Vogue, “She helped me in a way that didn’t make the work any less important. She helped me lower the stakes a bit. I was nervous, and I was really intent on doing a good job in a way that sometimes hindered me.”
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William Zabka said his goal while working with all the young actors in Cobra Kai, like Xolo Maridueña, has always been to “feed and mentor them,” especially when it comes to being young actors in this business. Although he’s offered some advice, William told Men’s Health that he’s learned a lot from Xolo and the rest of the cast, too.
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Jeff Bridges began his acting career as a baby, appearing in one of his father’s TV shows. So, when he worked with then-14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit, he offered her some advice on how to navigate the industry. She recalled Jeff, as well as Matt Damon and Josh Brolin, telling her, “Every day have fun, don’t take life too seriously.”
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And finally, Julia Roberts started acting when she was just 20 years old. So when her niece, Emma Roberts, started at a young age, Julia had a front-row seat to what it’s like being a child and teen star today. In an interview with the LA Times, Julia talked about the advice she’s given Emma, saying, “If you have a pure view of what you want to accomplish, I think you can maintain your sense of self.”