Kidz Bop

No, this article isn’t about Kidz Bop. That’d be weird. What this article will be about, however, are the child actors that have “bopped” to the top – top of their own lives, that is. 

Some of these people have managed to get away from the acting scene and have decided to pursue all sorts of things that we may have never imagined a previous child actor would do. There are a few of them that have totally slipped my mind until I looked them up again, and there a few that I have thought about a few times since they fled from the biz.

So, where are they now? What did they decide to do AFTER acting?

Let’s find out!

1. Charlie Korsmo 

Now this guy was the cute son of Robin Williams in the movie Hook. Surprisingly, he left acting for another popular profession – lawyering (yes, that is not a word…but it should be). Now that he’s done with acting, he’s teaching at Cave Western Reserve University of Law. 


2. Mara Wilson

photo by Ari Scott

She doesn’t look all that different from when she was a little girl but if your brain can’t seem to place who she is, she’s the ever-beloved Matilda! Probably being inspired by her previous role, she’s now an aspiring young-adult novelist. Check out her blog, Mara Wilson Writes Stuff! Pretty cool, right? 

3. Liesel Matthews (real name: Liesel Pritzker)

Not a lot of people may even remember what movie this lady came from but I sure do. A Little Princess, anyone? That’s right. That’s her. In 2008, she co-founded the IDP Foundation, a non-profit institution which aims to create equal educational opportunities with a combination of smart philanthropy and investment. 

4. Danny Tambarelli

Okay, sing it with me. All that! All that! All thaaat! No? Okay. But in all seriousness, Danny Tambarelli hasn’t really changed much either – looks-wise, anyway. After acting in shows like Pete & Pete and All That, he decided to go to school at Hampshire College. He then became a comedian, which seems fit since he was a pretty funny kid.

5. Jeff Cohen

“Who’s he?” you may ask. TRUFFLE SHUFFLE! Ring any bells? Yup. That guy right there is Chunk from (one of my personal favorites) The Goonies. After truffle-shuffling in said movie, Jeff has become an entertainment lawyer. Interesting. (Also, he has slimmed down. Obviously. Good job, Jeff.)

6. Cheska Garcia

Moving on to the local scene, we’ve got Cheska Garcia. She used to be in Ang TV which was a show aimed towards the youth here in the Philippines. She’s now got kids with her husband Doug Kramer!

7. Toff de Venecia

Toff de Venecia used to be Billy Bilyonaryo, the Philippines’ Richie Rich. Where is he now, you ask? Ever heard of the musical Dani Girl? He directed it! He’s doing a lot of that now (producing musicals and plays included). He’s also an assistant editor at The Philippine Star's youth section, Young Star!

8. Anna Larrucea

Ang TV, Gimik, Mula sa Puso. This woman’s been in all three of these shows. Batang X, Magic Temple, Ang TV: The Movie. She’s been in all three of these, well, movies – and much more! Now, Anna Larrucea’s married! What a beautiful bride she is.

9.  Camille Prats

I remember watching G-mik with my ate and kuya when I was really small. And yes, Camille Prats was the lead, if I remember correctly. And she’s been in tons of other shows and movies after that. However, she stopped all that and went to the United States to finish her studies. She then came back and now, she’s one of the hosts in GMA News TV's MARS.

Isn’t all this just neat-o? Didn’t it just bring you back some good ol’ memories? How fun is it to see what your former favorite stars are up to now, after the whole acting gig, right?

Who are the other kid stars that you suddenly remembered? Where are they? Tell us in the comments section below!

After everything that they’ve done as kids, they’ve managed to still somehow be successful and happy people, and that’s really awesome. Ah, before and after stories are always so fun, don’t you think? (Say yes. Please.)


Article by Meg with additional reporting by Gaby
Art by Marga
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Meg  is a lover of black clothing, milk, and almost all genres of music (she’s not big on country). The only things she watches on TV are Game of Thrones, Korean channels, MTV, and FashionTV. Pastel hair colors and ear cuffs are a few of the things she wishes to have someday. She has a lost pet turtle named Picasso and a ukulele named Chikito.

Gaby is used to working quietly in the background. The Thing is her first big attempt at taking the lead. She isn't sure how it is going to go, considering that most of her time is spent trying to get her dog to listen to her. On most days, you would find her at her computer, excessively bookmarking links to DIY projects and articles about teenage wunderkind. 



Along with her friends, Marga is always looking for that movie-worthy coming-of-age experience. Marga is a 16-year high school student who often spends her time watching teen movies, hugging her parents, painting, trading music, acting in school plays, hosting online radio broadcasts with her friend, and hanging out at Burger Bar- all the while she is recovering from her extreme emo-girl phase from 4 years ago. Lastly, she is really good in memorising twitter names, kbye. (You can listen to her playlists here: http://8tracks.com/produst)