Monday, September 22, 1997 Path diverges for child stars
weighing job versus college ACTORS: Education often takes back seat
to full-time acting
By Aimee Phan
Daily Bruin Staff
Why go to college if you’re already rich and famous?
The decision to attend college is a weighty issue for those in
the entertainment industry. Casting directors don’t look for
college degrees when auditioning actors for roles. Thus, some
former child performers forego traditional higher education.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who played Zack on the popular television
series "Saved By the Bell," chose to skip college and continue
acting full-time. Ironically, most of the roles he is playing today
are college students, from the NBC television movie "Dying to
Belong," which criticized the greek system, to the upcoming MTV
feature film comedy "Dead Man On Campus."
Gosselaar almost went to college after his "Saved By the Bell"
stint ended in 1992, but was called back to the small screen when
NBC picked up the pilot of "Saved By the Bell: The College Years."
After the show was cancelled, he decided to continue acting
full-time.
"The idea of having a college degree always struck me as being
really cool," Gosselaar says. "But in my career a college degree
doesn’t mean anything to what I’m doing. When I walk into a casting
office, they don’t ask if I have a college degree."
Like Gosselaar, most child actors never experience traditional
schooling during their elementary and high school years, often
getting their education through on-set tutors. Gosselaar remembered
his alternative schooling as one of the few drawbacks of growing up
on a set.
"You sort of miss out on a lot of things," Gosselaar says. "I
never went to the prom or played sports in high school or ever got
to really interact with a lot of people my age."
But Gosselaar doesn’t regret his decision to put his acting
career before formal education.
"I’m doing a lot of things that people my age wouldn’t have been
doing," Gosselaar says. "I look at kids out of college and they
don’t know what to do with their lives, and I’ve already started my
career. I’ve been pretty privileged to keep on working. I feel like
I’ve been in the industry for so long."
But some former child actors do partake in a normal college
experience. Child actors who have gone on to academia include
"Roseanne’s" Sara Gilbert (Yale), "Life Goes On’s" Kellie Martin
(Yale), "Blossom’s" Joey Lawrence (USC), "Punky Brewster’s" Soleil
Moon Frye (NYU), "My So-Called Life’s" Claire Danes (Columbia) and
"Family Matter’s" Jaleel White (UCLA).
While the jury is still out on whether these actors can
replicate their childhood accomplishments in the entertainment
industry, one of the best examples of a former child star who
obtained a college degree and returned to acting successfully is
Jodie Foster.
In 1980, Foster took a hiatus from a reputable career in such
films as "Freaky Friday" and "Taxi Driver" to attend Yale
University. After completing a degree in literature, Foster
returned to show biz to become one of the most respected actresses
in Hollywood.
UCLA student Sean Astin, who starred in arguably the most
influential kid flick of the ’80s, "Goonies," is another former
child star who took a breather from Hollywood. Astin enjoyed a
rewarding career, acting in such films as "Memphis Belle" and
"Encino Man." After starring in "Rudy," a film about a boy who
dreams of going to Notre Dame, Astin adopted his character’s
attitude and decided to go to college. He believes that a college
education was necessary for him to complete his life.
"I always knew I would get a college education," Astin says. "It
was something I knew I always needed. I had already seen a lot of
the planet, but my skills weren’t developed to my satisfaction. I
needed to broaden my education."
While many child actors fear their careers will permanently
freeze if they attend college, Astin has remained busy acting
part-time and trying his hand at directing. Last summer he appeared
in the film "Courage Under Fire" and received an Oscar nomination
in 1994 for "Kangaroo Court," a live-action short which he directed
and produced with his wife Christine.
After fall quarter, when he will graduate from UCLA with a
double major in English and history, Astin plans to return to
acting full-time. Astin admits he is a little nervous about jumping
back into the Hollywood game, even though he never completely
left.
"I’m back at the starting point again," Astin says. "It’s that
same moment that I imagine most students are at when they graduate
and they need to transition to the real world with a career."
Although Astin admits freely that his career may not reach the
level of its former glory days, he has no regrets about going to
college.
"Robert Frost wrote about the road less traveled," Astin says,
making use of his English major. "I took the road less traveled and
it made all the difference. It’s my road and I’m happy with
it."