Taylor Momsen is a name that many pop culture fans think of when they conjure up images of a child star. The young actor, who now focuses primarily on music, started acting in the early 2000s after a stint of appearances in commercials. Her high-profile role in How the Grinch Stole Christmas made her a household name, and she went on to act in several other major movies and TV shows. Unlike many other young actors, Momsen never loved the spotlight — and in the years following her ascent to fame, she opened up about how she “had no choice” in becoming a child star.
Taylor Momsen was a popular child star
Momsen was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1993. As a young child, she signed with a modeling agency and began acting in TV commercials. It was her work in commercials that led to her big breakout role as Cindy Lou Who in the 2000 comedy How the Grinch Stole Christmas. According to IMDb, Momsen became a major name after her work in the Jim Carrey comedy, landing parts in movies such as Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams and Hansel and Gretel.
In 2007, Momsen started acting in the TV drama Gossip Girl, appealing to a whole new audience of fans. During her time on the show, she began focusing more on her career as a budding musician, and in the end, Momsen opted to step away from the series in 2012, she left Gossip Girl for good in order to pursue music.
What did Taylor Momsen say about having ‘no choice’ in becoming a child actor?
As Momsen branched out to explore music as the leader of the band Pretty Reckless, she started speaking out more about her career as a child star. In a highly-publicized 2010 interview with Revolver, Momsen slammed her parents’ decision to start her in the entertainment industry.
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As reported by Looper, Momsen said, “My parents signed me up with Ford (Modeling) at the age of two. No two-year-old wants to be working, but I had no choice. My whole life, I was in and out of school. I didn’t have friends. I was working constantly and I didn’t have a real life.”
Momsen went on to discuss how happy she was to be legally responsible for herself, noting that she was enjoying the independence of filming Gossip Girl in New York.
Taylor Momsen later admitted that she doesn’t regret her childhood
Much was made of Momsen’s interview with Revolver, and the comments that she made about her parents. It’s possible that Momsen decided that she had spoken too harshly about her time as a child star, for less than a year after she sat down with Revolver, she dished to Kerrang Magazine about the controversy. As reported by HuffPost, Momsen said, “I love my mom and dad. Maybe I didn’t have the childhood people think you should have, but I still went through the ages.”
She went on to note, “I was still a child. Maybe it wasn’t a conventional one, but you know… I like where I am now, so it’s OK. I think my parents have learned by this point that none of (what they read) is probably true, and words can be put in your mouth.”
These days, Momsen remains focused on her music career, regularly performing and touring with her band and even collaborating with other artists. She’s also known for her wild gothic style, and for her affinity for dramatic makeup looks. For Momsen, everything worked out all right in the end, even if the path to her chosen career was a bit rocky.
