Former Disney performer’s conversations with other former kid entertainers make for a fascinating, if limited, collective processing of fame

Child Star, a new documentary directed by Demi Lovato, smartly does not open with the former Disney star, nor any of the former child performers who appear in the film – Kenan Thompson, Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci and Jojo Siwa, among others. Instead, a group of anonymous children are asked simple questions by an off-camera adult: what do you want to do when you grow up? What does it mean to be famous? “It’s kinda like being popular at school, but times a thousand,” says one. “What’s very bad about it is that you can get very egotistical,” says another, stumbling over the last word. How do you feel about being on camera? “I’m a little nervous but also happy,” says one girl.

The implication is succinct and obvious: a child’s brain is fundamentally not developed enough to comprehend fame, nor how the present moment will shape one’s future. How could they know? And yet, as the film notes through several examples (including Lovato’s own), some kids are naturally inclined toward performance, even preternaturally talented. Some want to be on camera. Child stardom is big business, and also hugely influential on child viewers. “I still think about what’s ‘on-brand,’” says Lovato. “Those words should never be put together – teenage role model.” And yet. As long as young humans crave seeing themselves reflected on screen, and as long as that makes money, there will be. What to make of it?