‘Matilda’ Star Quit Acting Because She ‘Didn’t Have That Hollywood Beauty’ and Took On Jobs Like Being a Nanny — What Happened to Mara Wilson?

Wilson found herself struggling with the industry’s harsh beauty standards, leading her to leave acting behind and transition into a more private life. Here’s what happened to the stunning actress after she left the limelight.

Mara Wilson’s career began when she was just five years old. She was inspired by her eldest brother, Daniel Ben Wilson, who had started acting in television commercials. Eager to follow in his footsteps, young Wilson was determined to give acting a try.

Initially, her parents were hesitant and refused to let her pursue this path. However, her unwavering persistence eventually won them over, and they reluctantly agreed to let her explore the world of acting.

Soon after, Wilson began appearing in a series of commercials, including those for Texaco and Bank of America, marking the beginning of her journey in show business.

Aside from “Matilda” and “Mrs. Doubtfire,” she starred in other films such as “Miracle on The 34th,” “Thomas and the Magic Railroad,” and “A Time to Heal.”

Wilson was only nine when she starred in “Matilda” in 1996. Years later, she shared that she deeply admired Matilda and felt honored to play her. She portrayed the character so well that many people saw her and Matilda as one and the same.

She added that people didn’t know her name but knew her character’s name. “It was hard too because it felt like everybody liked her more than they liked me,” she added.

Nevertheless, the actress said the movie showed how girls can be strong, and also, study and work hard. It also presented the value of teachers and encouraged those who came from difficult families to create their ideal kinhood.

While shooting “Matilda,” Wilson’s mother, Suzie Wilson, was ill. The actress revealed that Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, her co-stars, let her stay with them as her mom underwent cancer surgeries in the hospital.

She noted that the two were like an uncle and aunt to her. Wilson described them as very considerate and constantly empathetic. “They felt familial to the end,” she said.

Sadly, the actress eventually lost her mom to breast cancer at the age of nine. Despite this devastating blow, she showed remarkable resilience by pushing ahead with the film. Her strength during such a difficult time left a deep impression on her adult co-stars.

However, Wilson went through a hard time after they wrapped shooting as she started having panic attacks. She noted that while filming, she managed to ignore how sick her mom was and the fact that she wasn’t getting better.

Wilson had to deal with this sadness and grief after the filming ended. She would have panic attacks and develop habits such as washing her hands repeatedly. The actress would also check on her pets to make sure they didn’t escape.

Wilson noted that it was from those moments that she started having vivid signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Being in the public eye intensified her anxiety, as she felt her struggles needed to be kept a secret.

At the time, the conversation around mental illness was more subdued, which made it difficult for her to understand and address what she was going through.

Moreover, the years “Matilda” came out were a blur to Wilson as she went through intense grief. She noted that this was sad to her as she should have been happy and proud of the work she did on the film.

“I’ve looked at, you know, press interviews of myself around that time and it’s just like the light in my eyes is gone. I’m just exhausted and I’m so sad,” she divulged.

The movie star felt completely lost and unmoored when she lost her mother. “I didn’t really know who I was,” she admitted. Wilson added, “There was who I was before that, and who I was after that. She was like this omnipresent thing in my life.”

Losing her mother felt like an incredible upheaval, as Wilson had always believed she would never lose her. As she grew older, her mother took on an almost mythical quality in her mind, making the loss even more profound.

Wilson described her mom as a tiny but tough woman, who worked hard and tirelessly. “She had like this steely gaze and people were intimidated by her. You know, grown men would be intimidated,” she shared.

She was also very committed and very passionate and would encourage Wilson to be strong and smart. Wilson revealed that her mother loved Matilda as she represented values she resonated with, such as the courage to question author

The actress’s mom loved helping people and worked a lot with charities. She once took in a homeless woman and her daughter until they could find a job and a place to stay. Wilson joked that as much as she was a homemaker, she was never at home as she was out doing charity work.

However, Wilson acknowledged that her mother “was also, in her way, a people-pleaser.” She explained that her mother had to care for her family, including her severely mentally ill parents, who also struggled with physical problems.

This responsibility extended to looking after her younger siblings. In her own form of rebellion, her mother moved away and tried to distance herself from the life she had known.

Just like her mother, Wilson has had struggles in life, especially those that came with her being a child star. She revealed that as much as she was popular as a child, she mostly felt profoundly lonely.

Furthermore, when she was going through puberty, she didn’t want fame at all and sometimes she just wanted to run away and hide from the publicity.

The actress had people commenting on how she looked, including her weight and facial appearance, something she found disturbing. According to Wilson, people would say she was “ugly,” and “useless now,” and that she was no longer cute. “Just saying cruel things and sexualized things about my body too,” she added.

People started commenting on Wilson’s body when she was a child star, not just as a teenager. Her protective parents thought she would be safe working on children’s movies but she was still sexualized.

“I had people sending me inappropriate letters and posting things about me online. I made the mistake of Googling myself when I was 12 and saw things that I couldn’t unsee,” she explained.

The sexualization Wilson faced came not from her co-workers but from people outside of work. It was so severe that her head was superimposed onto other girls’ bodies on porn sites.

Wilson also reflected on the immense pressure of constantly engaging with the press as a child, noting how it weighed heavily on her.

At just seven years old, she faced invasive questions from journalists about topics like French kissing and which actor she found sexiest. Additionally, as much as she appreciated having a fanbase, she felt that the constant scrutiny made it difficult to be herself in public.

She explained that there were times she struggled to keep it together, due to the emotional challenges of being a teenager and the loss of her mother.

Wilson’s career began slowing down as she hit puberty, and Hollywood seemed to lose interest. When she was 12, a director asked her to wear a sports bra to flatten her developing breasts, as she was no longer considered cute.

“It affected me for a very long time because I had this Hollywood idea that if you’re not cute anymore, if you’re not beautiful, then you are worthless,” she admitted.

The actress linked the decline in her career to her changing appearance. She began comparing herself to peers like Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley and felt that she wouldn’t measure up.

“You have to look a certain way and I was starting to notice that at that point in my life, I didn’t. I didn’t have that Hollywood beauty,” she acknowledged.

At 29, she felt upset when people seemed disappointed that she didn’t look the way they expected. She felt rejected even though she was burnt out and Hollywood had moved on. This led to a long period of body dysmorphia and excessive obsession with her looks.

“You think, ‘I’m ugly, I’m fat’ – and there were actual websites and newspapers and movie reviewers saying that about me,” said Wilson.