By Tre’vion Jackson ’26
Victorious, Sam & Cat, All That, The Amanda Bynes Show. Each of these shows is nostalgic for many children worldwide, but for most child actors, it was an experience they hope never to see or hear of again. There were multiple accounts and experiences of physical, sexual, mental, and financial abuse at the hands of most Hollywood directors. Without any parent stepping in, and the children themselves being afraid to talk, it was the source of many detriments. Throughout history, there have been multiple accounts of child abuse in the film industry. Many people either stay impartial to these issues, as the organizations responsible are too well-known, and others believe the current “solutions” are effective. The solutions include: suing, writing about your trauma and leaving it be, or simply trying to forget about your trauma and wait until another individual comes forward. None of these methods work, since events like these continue to happen daily, whether uncovered or not. It seems as though there aren’t many safeguards in place to prevent the exploitation of minors in Hollywood. To provide defense for these children, parents should have more of a presence in their child’s film time, along with collecting evidence of mistreatment and coming forward legally or publicly.
Accounts of abuse on child actors include the sexual abuse of Drake Bell, an actor on the set of Drake and Josh, who was 15 at the time, at the hands of the set director by the name of Brian Peck. The charges were as follows: “Brian Peck was charged with 11 counts against the child actor in 2003. Those of which included: of a lewd act upon a child; sodomy of a person under 16; attempted sodomy of a person under 16; sexual penetration by a foreign object; four counts of oral copulation of a person under 16; oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance; sending harmful matter; and using a minor for sex acts.” Peck was sentenced to only 16 months, a permanent sex offender registry, and got a job with Disney immediately after. This is an example of the traditional methods that many preach are the most effective. Taking the trauma of Bell to the legal level was less than effective. Instead of getting the maximum penalty for his actions (with 41 character letters begging for his leniency), on top of being proven guilty, his punishment was lenient. As well as allowing Peck to get another job with Disney, “after he was released from prison, Peck landed a job at Disney Channel for the show The Suite Life Of Zach & Cody.”(Veloso). Not to mention that most of the filming for =Bell’s shows was stationed in Florida, and according to Florida’s child labor laws, “during holidays and summer vacations, minors 15 years of age or younger shall not be employed, permitted, or suffered to work before 7 a.m or after 9. pm., for more than 8 hours in any one day, or for more than 40 hours in any one week” (U.S. Department of Labor)
Another example of why these “traditional methods” don’t fully work unless pushed to the maximum is an older film that many people who enjoy classics may recognize. In Romeo and Juliet (1968), 16-year-old Olivia Hussey underwent multiple acts of sexual abuse by the film directors and screenwriters almost every day, “along with experiencing blatant manipulations and lies regarding child nudity, as producers told Hussey and her co-star ‘they would be wearing flesh colored garments and would not be physically nude in the scene’” (and when/where she would be getting paid for her efforts). She didn’t do these traditional methods back then, such as reporting her abuse for one simple reason: it wouldn’t have worked. During the 60’s era, there was less care about any type of actor, even disdain, especially for a female child actor. Hussey was urged and implored to “suck it up,” all for the fame. Hussey and her former co-star Leonard Whiting are only now suing Paramount Pictures for the abuse almost 6 decades after due to that traditional mindset holding them back, as they were fearful of these incredibly popular names in Hollywood who had been all but impartial during these escapades.
Going even further back to the year 1939, when The Wizard of Oz was released, another significant instance of this child abuse was Judy Garland, the famed actress who played the known and loved character “Dorothy Gale.” Garland had multiple stories of sexual abuse. Recalling that she had been “constantly molested behind the scenes by older men, including Louis B. Mayer, the producer and co-founder of MGM,, she was told to wait for her own moment as well. Sadly, “Garland died at the age of 47 of an accidental barbiturate overdose. According to the Daily Mail, Garland intended to write a memoir detailing her experience as a child star with MGM, but she was never able to dedicate the time she needed to finish it. (Hampton).
To further prove the point that simply suing or hanging back isn’t going to be enough, it would be important to take a deeper look into the steps taken to make sure that justice isn’t served to those harassing these child actors. It’s common for many to take a look at producers doing everything in their power to silence all allegations. Alluding to a past case I brought up, the Brian Peck v Drake Bell case, oncePeck was convicted of his crimes, he had 41 Hollywood producers, actors, and set workers writing letters of leniency as they all cared for Peck out of the so-called “goodness of their hearts.” James Marsden, who many know from his extensive list of movies like The Notebook, 27 Dresses, or Sonic The Hedgehog, wrote a character letter stating that “I do feel compelled to shed light on the fact that he [Brian Peck] has learned his lesson” (TMZ) despite knowing that he was, in fact, guilty. This later on led to Peck’s light sentencing, and gaining an immediate job, despite knowing his past.
Another traditional method that rarely worked was getting parents involved without exerting much pressure to not “mess up the money.” A specific case was famed child actor Orlando Brown, a supporting actor in the show That’s So Raven!, who had genuine and caring parents. But up until the night that Brown was arrested for a DUI and possession of marijuana (which was illegal at the time, even more so now that it’s certain that he was a minor), his parents were nonexistent. He then later on found himself recorded on irate drug/alcohol binges, making brushes with law enforcement. News outlets followed his struggles with headlines such as “‘That’s So Raven!’ Star Orlando Brown Arrested for Domestic Violence”, “Orlando Brown Gets Jail Time For Drug, Burglary Cases”, and “‘That’s So Raven’ Star Orlando Brown Get’s Kicked Out Of A Restaurant” (TMZ).
In juxtaposition to Brown, looking into actor Tyler James Williams, an actor in the film industry most famously known for his role in Everybody Hates Chris, he had parents who genuinely applied pressure, refusing to let up and stick to the traditional methods of speaking out and keeping the kids safe instead of falling subject to the countless incidents of financial abuse. He had enough financial knowledge and vigorously caring parents to keep himself right, even now as an adult. Even as a child, Williams was worth over 4 million dollars because he managed his money correctly.
The solution to fully limit the all around abuse of the child actors wouldn’t have to be to completely disregard the common sense safeguards that people have put in place for child actors, but to evolve them. For example, Bell’s family refused to let up on shedding light on the corruption in Hollywood. Even though the outcome wasn’t nearly ideal, and it was another example of why traditional methods aren’t effective, they later took it to the 2024 media, which has worked out in all of the right cases. As we’re in different times, and the public takes to accusations and situations like this have extremely protective notions in favor of the child actors, and strong opinions against all of the staff on previous Hollywood shows and movies.
In conclusion, traditional methods of protecting children in the film industry weren’t effective from the start. This can be seen with Judy Garland going through her sexual abuse, Orlando Brown being subject to drugs and mental health deteriorations, or even outright multiple counts of abuse and hushing things up, with the Drake Bell v. Brian Peck case. Properly evolving these tactics has been proven to benefit child actors in some cases, such as Tyler James Williams, who is worth millions of dollars now since he was financially stable enough to conduct himself right in the film industry, not to mention his extremely considerate parents. In general, proper management, vigorous media attention, and a strong-knit community can fully suffocate the abuse of children in the film industry.
Works Cited
“Brian Peck Letters Of Support.” TMZ, 14 March 2024, https://www.tmz.com/photos/image_png_20240314_44167fc67f4041f3a5cc37456c3560ae/. Accessed 18 May 2024.
Brito, Christopher. “Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider responds to “Quiet on Set” accusations.” CBS News, 21 March 2024, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dan-schneider-apology-quiet-on-set-documentary-nickelodeon/. Accessed 18 May 2024.
“Child Entertainment Laws As of January 1, 2023.” U.S. Department of Labor, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/child-labor/entertainment#California. Accessed 18 May 2024.
“Hollywood’s History of Child Abuse.” Business Insider, 15 January 2023, https://www.businessinsider.com/hollywood-history-of-child-abuse-romeo-and-juliet-lawsuit-2023-1. Accessed 18 May 2024.
“Orlando Brown.” TMZ, https://www.tmz.com/people/orlando-brown/. Accessed 18 May 2024.
Veloso, Lea. “Brian Peck Charges, Court Transcripts in Drake Bell Sexual Abuse Case.” StyleCaster, 5 April 2024, https://stylecaster.com/lists/brian-peck-charges/. Accessed 18 May 2024.
The Raider Press 