Trigger warning: This article contains references to suicide and substance abuse.
Demi Lovato has opened up about her struggles in her recent documentary, in which she attempts to highlight the issue of becoming famous at a very young age.
In this documentary, Child Star, partly directed by Nicola Marsh, the singer (she/they) reflects on the toxic and damaging effect of stardom on her mental state, resulting in suicidal tendencies and self-destructive behaviour.
In the documentary, Lovato revealed that her popularity also took away her peace, leading to a number of stress-related incidents, such as the incident with Alex Welch, in which she punched a dancer during the 2010 Jonas Brothers Tour.
Reflecting on the dark side of fame, she said, “Unfortunately, sometimes it’s explosive, like an incident where you punch your backup dancer on a plane or you overdose on heroin.” The incident forced Lovato into rehab. In September 2018, another scary situation occurred when she overdosed on drugs and suffered a heart attack as well as multiple strokes.
According to People, working on the documentary gave Lovato the option to reflect on her actions in the past and move on from them creatively. When the Cool for the Summer singer thought about the mistreatment of those close to her during her darkest period, she felt a great need to make amends. Filming Child Star made this possible for her. She said, “I wasn’t the best person to work with at times because I was struggling so much internally, and I was under a lot of pressure.”
When Lovato found herself in touch with fellow stars Raven-Symoné and Alyson Stoner, who were featured in the documentary, their conversations became “very healing.” She praised them for being welcoming and encouraging.
In an interview with People, Lovato also discussed what inspired her to become a child star. She has always been interested in the stories of child stars and the pressures they faced while growing up. She further stressed that despite her issues in the past, there was nothing she hid or was reluctant to talk about. She said, “I’ve realized that my experiences don’t define me.”
Demi Lovato’s Child Star, released on September 17, features the stories of several child actors, including Drew Barrymore, JoJo Siwa, Kenan Thompson, Christina Ricci, Raven-Symoné and Alyson Stoner, who got their start in the TV industry as children. They also talk about their experiences as a child actor – the good and the bad – and what it’s really like to work as a child actor in front of audiences past and present.
Disclaimer: If you know someone who is going through suicidal thoughts, anxiety, depression, or suffering from any serious mental illness, contact a nearby doctor, mental health expert, or an NGO for immediate help. There are many helplines available for this.
Also read: ‘It felt like I had imposter syndrome’: Demi Lovato reflects on the downside of being famous ahead of release of Child Star
