Hollywood is endlessly interested in the phenomenon of the child star. Publicity and hype have surrounded youngsters with million dollar contracts long before the teen idol craze was even thought up.
In his second full-length feature, Childstar, Toronto-born and based triple-threat (writer/director/actor) Don McKellar has picked up on Hollywood’s fascination and created a satirical comedy about the life of a young sitcom star. In it McKellar presents the misadventures and problems associated with the lifestyle that apparently actually happened to many of those involved.
When asked about the plausibility of situations such as underage drinking, sex, and the attitudes that come with stardom at an early age, McKellar put it all into context by saying, “Corey Haim (Toronto-born former star of ’80s movies such as The Lost Boys) read the script and he said that everything that happens in it happened to him during those years.”
The story revolves around sitcom star Taylor Brandon Burns (Mark Rendall) as he comes to Toronto with his mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to film a blockbuster action movie. Director McKellar also appears in his own movie playing a sometime filmmaker down on his luck that is hired to drive/chaperone Taylor, who at the ripe old age of 12 already had his own biography.
McKellar says he didn’t necessarily have himself in mind at first when he wrote the part of Rick, though ended up becoming quite close to the character. “I always used to say that I never wrote parts for specific people-but in this case I ended up doing just that because the film and this character are so personal in many ways that it would not be fair if I gave it to someone else-and in the end I became a lot more sympathetic with him and had to change earlier drafts.”
The story takes a twist when the child star runs off, leaving the production company in the lurch and Rick stuck with having to find the child as well as deal with his mother-who he just happens to be sleeping with. She sees the loss of her son as a chance to re-negotiate his contract rather than a cause for concern.
McKellar originally had the idea of using only actual ex-child actors to play the main parts but later changed his mind. “I didn’t go through with the idea because I decided that I would rather cast the best actors for each part. I didn’t necessarily want to have people where the peak of their careers came when they were children.”
Childstar is McKellar’s second feature-length film and was one of his most ambitious projects to date. Even though it involved the use of more than 60 sets, McKellar was pleased about being able to film in Toronto and portray local landmarks that are only slightly fictionalized.
“I always wanted to shoot a film for Toronto in Toronto. You always get a reaction from local audiences when you mention something like Major Mac or have a scene shot at Yonge and Eglinton. If you’re specific about your locality you can make the film universal.”
The story of the child actor has a certain amount of universality as well. Acclaimed local singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith has a song on his 1997 CD Other Songs titled “Child Star” which looks at an aging child actor forced into transition by the cruel and tragic side of the entertainment industry. McKellar explains that the song, like his movie, is about youth who believe that those in the entertainment industry love them, but later realize that they don’t.
When asked whether there was any possibility that the film could also serve as a means of helping former child actors whose careers peaked before puberty, McKellar quipped, “it would be fun if it could be used at one of those ‘Ex-Actors Anonymous’ meetings where they cry, commiserate, and relate their experiences to one another-my hope is that it could become a regular at one of those.”
