10 Film Performances By Kids That Didn't Actually Suck
Good child actors are something of a rare commodity, with good reason: it's a lot to expect from a kid. They have to have the intelligence to read, understand, and memorize dialogue. They need the maturity to show up on set and actually put in a day's work, while other kids their age are playing video games with their friends. And most importantly, they need to be able to convincingly pretend to be someone else. There's a perfect storm of temperament, talent, and luck that results in a particularly good child actor. Most of the time, you see kids basically playing a version of themselves. They're hams and they love attention, so it's not exactly a huge stretch for them to get in front of the camera and be their big, boisterous selves. But then there are some that can really play with the big boys, so to speak. They hold their own with the adult actors and sometimes even steal the spotlight with their raw talent. So every time you sit through a film with a kid who has a serious case of child actor-itis, think of the people on this list and remember that sometimes, when the stars align, kids actually can turn in tour-de-force performances.