10 Former Child Stars Who Will Always Be Associated With Their Breakout Role (& Where They Are Now)

Amazon recently announced that Macaulay Culkin will join Fallout season 2’s cast in an undisclosed role. Hopefully, Culkin will seamlessly integrate into Fallout’s ensemble cast and post-apocalyptic world, because it can be hard to see him and not think of Home Alone’s Kevin McCallister. Culkin is part of a small tier of actors that will always have the acclaim of being a former beloved child star, but many find it hard to break the association with their breakout role.

Former child stars each take a different path after achieving stardom at a young age. Demi Lovato’s Hulu documentary Child Star explores the vastly different experiences child actors go through. Some embrace the movies that made them famous, returning to the roles even decades later. Others use their financial security to chase passion projects or take obscure roles. Many child stars use their early success to launch huge Hollywood careers. Checking in to see where these former child stars are now can shed interesting light on their original breakout roles.

Macaulay Culkin

Kevin McCallister in Home Alone (1990)

Macaulay Culkin became famous at age 10 for his role as Kevin McCallister in Home Alone. Culkin’s clever, mischievous Kevin is one of the most iconic child performances ever. Home Alone was a massive box office success and is considered a Christmas classic today. He reprised his role in the 1992 sequel, although Culkin did not star in Home Alone 3. Culkin followed his success with several major projects, including My Girl (1991) and Richie Rich (1994.)

By the mid-90s, Culkin stepped back from acting to focus on his personal life. When he returned a decade later, Culkin took more adult roles. Culkin did not pursue superstardom, instead exploring creative outlets like his satirical pop culture website, Bunny Ears. Culkin embraces Home Alone, even reprising the role for a commercial in 2018, but uses his financial security to pursue roles that interest him, like his upcoming role in season 2 of Fallout.

Mara Wilson

Matilda Wormwood in Matilda (1996)

Mara Wilson rose to prominence playing Natalie Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire, but her celebrity reached new heights when she starred as the titular character in Matilda. Wilson embodied the precocious character’s strength and vulnerability so well, especially for someone who was only nine years old. She made the movie feel grounded even with Matilda’s magic powers and the heightened behavior of the many adult bullies in Matilda’s life.

Wilson continued to have steady work after Matilda, but as she reached adolescence, the roles began to dry up. Wilson decided to step away from acting, especially as she was coping with the death of her mother. Wilson shifted her energy from acting to writing and other creative pursuits. Her memoir, Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame, details the challenges of growing up in the spotlight, which has been praised as relatable and important.

Abigail Breslin

Olive Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Abigail Breslin gained acclaim for starring as Olive Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine. At just 10 years old, Breslin was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars. Audiences were moved by the warmth and humor she brought to Olive, and Breslin’s ability to hold her own against veteran actors like Steve Carell and Toni Collette. Breslin used the momentum from Little Miss Sunshine to build quite the varied acting portfolio.

Breslin, who is only 28, continues to focus primarily on acting. Breslin has explored many genres – from family drama in Nick Cassavetes’ My Sisters Keeper to action-comedy in Zombieland to horror satire in Scream Queens, while avoiding major franchises. While she has not yet reached the award heights of her Little Miss Sunshine acting days, Breslin’s willingness to dabble in different genres and work with different directors suggests that more interesting work is surely to come.

Peter Billingsley

Ralphie Parker in A Christmas Story (1983)

Peter Billingsley is best known for playing Ralphie Parker in A Christmas Story at age 12. The movie follows Ralphie’s misadventures during a Christmas season in the 1940s. A Christmas Story was a modest success, but Billingsley’s wide-eyed wonder captured the hearts of audiences. His delivery of lines such as “You’ll shoot your eye out!” was instantly quotable. A Christmas Story’s popularity grew over time due to television reruns and is considered a holiday classic today. Billingsley continued to act, but never outgrew his association with the role of Ralph.

Billingsley never found the same success as an actor again, and eventually, he pivoted into producing and writing. He had a small cameo as a scientist in Iron Man, which he also executive-produced. Billingsley has good cheer about the role that made him famous. Billingsley has a small cameo in Elf as an Ming Ming, one of the elves. In 2022, Billingsley reprized his role as an adult Ralphie in A Christmas Story Christmas for HBO Max, which he also produced and helped write.

Linda Blair

Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist (1973)

Linda Blair was 13 years old when she starred in The Exorcist as Regan MacNeil, the possessed child. Blair’s physicality is one of the most enduring images from the movie. Blair’s performance was controversial but did earn her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Blair became synonymous with Regan. However, Blair had such a difficult time making The Exorcist that haunted her even after the premiere.

Blair was a sought-after actress following The Exorcist, but she was typecast in horror films. She frequently appeared in lower-budget horror films in the ’70s and ’80, including Hell Night (1981) and Chained Heat (1983.) Blair was never able to branch out of her association with the horror genre, even reprising her role as Regan in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and again in The Exorcist: Believer (2023.)

Chloë Grace Moretz

Mindy Macready aka Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass (2010)

Chloë Grace Moretz gained widespread fame for her role as Hit-Girl in the superhero black comedy Kick-Ass. At age 13, Moretz brought a vulnerability and grounding to a character that also swore and kicked ass. Kick-Ass got a sequel three years later, with Moretz reprising her role.

Today, Moretz is 27 and continues to act in a variety of projects. Moretz played the classic villain Carrie in Stephen King’s 2013 horror movie Carrie, teenaged sex worker Alina in The Equalizer (2014,) and car accident victim Mia in teen drama If I Stay (2014.) Moretz is respected as an actress but has yet to have her breakout role in her transition from child star to adult star. Maybe Matthew Vaugh’s plans for a Kick-Ass reboot will have Moretz reprise her role of Hit-Girl.

Jaleel White

Steve Urkel in Family Matters (1989-1997)

Steve Urkel was only supposed to be in one episode of Family Matters, but the audience loved Jaleel White’s character so much, he was given a starring role and stayed for over 200 episodes. Urkel’s unapologetic nerdiness, catchphrases including “Did I do that?”, and physical comedy made him a fan-favorite character. White even got the opportunity to write two episodes of Family Matters.

Family Matters’ success was a double-edged sword for White. He owes his career to Urkel, but his career never quite got beyond Urkel, either. White was 12 when the show began and 21 when it ended, so people conflated White with the character he played. He has carved out a career in voice acting, television guest roles, and his podcast, World’s Most Dangerous, but to most people, White will always be Urkel first.

Matthew Broderick

Ferries Bueller in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off made Matthew Broderick an overnight star. John Hughes knew Broderick from afar through his work on Broadway and his role in WarGames (1983) and sensed Broderick had the irreverence but good-natured charm to bring Ferris to life. Although other actors almost played Ferris Bueller, Matthew Broderick became synonymous with the character. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off became one of the definitive teen comedies of the 80s. Broderick built quite an eclectic career after the success of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Broderick bounced between theater and movies. The success of his Broadway musical, The Producers, even led to a Hollywood adaptation starring him and Nathan Lane. Broderick’s movie choices are interesting and varied: historical war drama Glory (1989,) voicing Simba in Disney’s The Lion King (1994), and the black comedy Election (1999.) Lately, Broderick has cameoed as himself, showing his sense of humor, in Only Murders in the Building season 3 and Trainwreck (2015.) Broderick parlayed early success in a long career where he can cherry-pick projects that interest him.

Haley Joel Osment

Cole Sear in The Sixth Sense (1999)

11-year-old Haley Joel Osment became a household name after his role as Cole Sear in M. Night Shyamalan’s psychological thriller The Sixth Sense. Osment embodied Cole’s fear and loneliness, bringing a sophistication to the role. His famous line “I see dead people” has become one of the most iconic and chilling lines in movie history. Osment even received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Immediately following The Sixth Sense, Osment starred in more high-profile movies, notably Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Since 2002, Osment has voiced Sora in the popular video game franchise Kingdom Hearts. As Osment aged, his career slowed and he pivoted away from mainstream blockbusters to independent movies. Eventually, Osment found his niche in independent films and television. Osment seems to be drawn to off-beat comedies, having guest-starred in Silicon Valley, Future Man, The Boys, and What We Do In The Shadows. Osment has transitioned gracefully from child star to versatile adult actor, finding his own way to shine.

Daniel Radcliffe / Rupert Grint / Emma Watson

Harry Potter / Ron Weasley / Hermione Granger in The Harry Potter Franchise (2001-2011)

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson will forever be synonymous with their characters from the Harry Potter movies: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Radcliffe and Grint were 11 when filming began, while Watson was only 9. Because eight movies were shot over 10 years, the three did not have much opportunity to pursue other projects at the time. The actors were chosen because they embodied the characters to a certain degree, making the association even harder to shake.

Post-Potter, Radcliffe is drawn to strange movies that allow him to show off his range. He played a nonverbal corpse in Swiss Army Man and comedic villains in Now You See Me 2 and The Lost City. He has also done four seasons Miracle Workers and Broadway theater. Grint has acted in some television, most recently as Julian Pearce in Servant. Watson got an education at Brown University. Since then, Watson has been selective in her acting roles, tackling the role of Belle in Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast and Meg March in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women.