More than 30 years after kicking off her acting career as a child actor, Mara Wilson has pivoted away from onscreen storytelling.
The Matilda star recently explained why she has not acted in film or television as frequently in her adulthood, explaining why she has pursued audiobook narration over the years, having worked on around 70 books.
When asked if she’ll return to Hollywood, Wilson told People, “Well, look, there aren’t always roles for women of my specific age and my specific looks and demographic and everything. And I would really have to change myself a lot to be able to fit into Hollywood’s mold and I don’t really want to do that.”
“For me, audiobooks and voiceover are places where you can be anything,” noted Wilson. “I’ve played criminals, I’ve played a nun, I’ve played Tinkerbell.”
As a born “theater kid,” Wilson explained her “first love was storytelling,” which is why she enjoys narrating audiobooks. “All I ever wanted to do was tell stories, write stories and perform stories. … So I think that it makes sense to me that my job now is storytelling,” she said.
Making her onscreen debut at age 5 in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Wilson quickly found fame in films like Miracle on 34th Street (1994), Matilda (1996), A Simple Wish (1997) and Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000). After a decade hiatus, Wilson has appeared on shows like Broad City and Bojack Horseman.
Wilson has been outspoken about Hollywood’s treatment of child stars, opening up about being sexualized as a child star.
