Matilda actress Mara Wilson wrote an essay expressing her support for Britney Spears and the dangers of being a child star.

Wilson, who played the child prodigy in 1996, wrote a piece for the New York Times in which he responded to the new documentary Framing Britney Spears and empathized with the singer.

Wilson commented on scenes from the film asking Spears about her personal relationships and sexual activities and recognized the level of sexualization.

“I’ve never appeared in anything more revealing than a knee-length summer dress,” said Wilson of the beginning of her acting career. “It was all intentional: my parents thought I would be safer that way. But it did not work.

“People had asked me, ‘Do you have a boyfriend? ‘In interviews since I was 6 years old, reporters asked me who I think was the sexiest actor and how Hugh Grant was arrested for asking for a prostitute. “

Danny DeVito and Mara Wilson in Matilda (1996) Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

She continued, “It was cute when 10-year-olds sent me letters saying they were in love with me. It wasn’t when 50-year-old men did. Even before I turned 12, there were pictures of me on foot fetish websites and photoshops in child pornography.

“I was ashamed every time. Hollywood decided to tackle the harassment in the industry, but I was never sexually molested on a movie set. My sexual harassment always came from the media and the public. “

After considering the Britney Spears story, Wilson continued, “The way people talked about Britney Spears was terrifying to me then and it is now. Her story is a striking example of a phenomenon I’ve been observing for years: our culture builds these girls up just to destroy them.

Fortunately, people become aware of what we did to Ms. Spears and start apologizing to her. But we still live with the scars. “

In a four-star rating from Framing Britney Spears, NME wrote: “It does not offer a satisfactory conclusion as Spears’ legal battle over the revision of the terms of their conservatory continues. But it is impossible not to get away with hoping that the singer’s wishes – whatever they may be – will be heard in the near future. “