Gilbert calls for action after Panettiere death and child star losses

Actress Melissa Gilbert is urging for significant changes within Hollywood following the recent deaths of three prominent former child stars: Hayden Panettiere, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Daveigh Chase. Gilbert, herself a former child actor, reflected on the tragic losses in a Substack essay, questioning the reasons behind their premature deaths at such young ages.

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Michelle Trachtenberg, Daveigh Chase and Hayden Panettiere have died. DIED! Three former female child actors of the same generation are gone. Tragically, heartbreakingly, agonizingly too soon.

"They are gone and the question I have been turning over and over in my head is, ‘WHY?.’ Why are these three sweet, wildly talented, vibrant, vital young women gone?" Gilbert wrote. She expressed a deep personal connection to these actresses, stating, "It feels personal because I was them." Gilbert believes that the shared experience of being a child performer in a system that often failed to protect them creates a strong bond, describing former child actresses as a "tribe" where each loss is felt profoundly.

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They are gone and the question I have been turning over and over in my head is, ‘WHY?.’ Why are these three sweet, wildly talented, vibrant, vital young women gone?

Gilbert pointed to the proliferation of smartphone cameras as a significant factor contributing to the loss of privacy and increased exploitation. She explained that the constant presence of cameras, turning everyone into a potential paparazzo, has eroded the safe spaces that once existed. This lack of privacy, she argued, allows for the exploitation of personal moments, often with profits going to those closest to the victim.

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It feels personal because I was them. We are all members of the same tribe; Female Former Child Performers, and when one of us dies, it runs through all of us like an electrical current. When three of us die so close together, something is very, very wrong.

Furthermore, Gilbert criticized Hollywood's high expectations for young performers, who are often labeled as "soldiers," "Machines," or "Pros" and discouraged from saying "no" for fear of being seen as difficult. She stressed that child actors are not miniature adults and must be allowed to be children, to refuse demanding work, and not be forced to support entire families. Gilbert proposed that former child stars unite to advocate for better protections for future generations, potentially by forming their own group to lobby for support and engage with studio heads.

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Once a VIP area, lounge or anything meant privacy. We could travel to restaurants, events, clubs, etc. and go through the paparazzi into a safe zone. The invention of the mobile phone with camera obliterated that.