Many would have loved it to happen to them - to be cast in a film or TV show at a young age and achieve a level of stardom most people don't get to in their whole lives. Being a child star is a life-changing experience for most kids, and if they come out of the other side without any negative experiences or pushy parents, they've got a good chance at a career in showbiz as an adult, and the world's their oyster. But for every Neil Patrick Harris or Josh Brolin who successfully graduated from child actor to fully-fledged movie star, there are a dozen of young performers who didn't make the transition quite so smoothly, if at all. Some suffer from being typecast in younger roles and can't find the parts that fit their new, older bodies and wither on the vine, or suffer the toll a Hollywood lifestyle can lead to by falling victim to substance abuse. Or maybe they never even wanted to be a star in the first place and simply decide to change activities to something a little less in the spotlight like, say, further education or motorsport. Whatever the reason, it's safe to say that it's all too common for child stars to drift out of the limelight once their young features have developed a few wrinkles and they've grown an inch or two. The following is a list of such performers who have had inconsistent film and television careers at best after crossing the threshold of puberty. Aren't they the cutest?
