Cole Sprouse opens up in a candid new interview about childhood fame being a lot more than just fun and games.
“When we talk about child stars going nuts, what we’re not actually talking about is how fame is a trauma,” Sprouse told the New York Times.
READ MORE: Cole Sprouse Says The Cast Of ‘Riverdale’ Are Ready To ‘Wrap It Up With A Bow’
The 29-year-old actor, who began his career at just six months old, defended criticism of child actors spiralling “out of control,” especially when it comes to young women’s experiences being mocked.
“The young women on [Disney Channel] were so heavily sexualized from such an earlier age than my brother and I that there’s absolutely no way that we could compare our experiences,” he explained.
Sprouse and his twin brother Dylan began their acting careers as infants, rising to fame on Disney Channel’s “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody”. By age 18, the two felt burnt out.
At a young age, Cole appeared on “Friends” as Ross Geller’s son Ben. He also shared roles with Dylan on “Grace Under Fire” and Adam Sandler’s film “Big Daddy”.
“My brother and I used to get quite a bit of, ‘Oh, you made it out! Oh, you’re unscathed!’ No,” Sprouse shared with the Times.
For a moment, the “Riverdale” actor considered quitting the industry when he graduated from New York University with a degree in archaeology, but promised himself one last audition, which landed him the role of Jughead Jones in the drama series.
“I started acting when I was so young that I hadn’t actually attempted, as an adult, to think about if I really enjoyed performance,” Sprouse said.
“To be quite honest, as I have now gone through a second big round of this fame game as an adult, I’ve noticed the same psychological effects that fame yields upon a group of young adults as I did when I was a child.”
He added that people just have an easier time hiding the “psychological effects” as an adult.
In his latest role, Sprouse stars opposite Lana Condor in HBO Max’s rom-com “Moonshot”.
