How Alyson Stoner Navigated Kidnapping Plots Amid Child Stardom
Is being a child star worth it? Let Alyson Stoner work it out.
More than 20 years after appearing as that young dancer in Missy Elliott's "Work It" music video and launching an acting career, the performer—who has been open about their struggles with anxiety stemming from working in a high-stress environment—said they're now "able to hold multiple truths at once" about their complex relationship with Hollywood.
Looking back at the "overnight success" they experienced during the early aughts, Alyson told E! News' Francesca Amiker in an exclusive interview that they've come to realize "this cascade of opportunities actually ended up leading to a lot of different health issues."
"We had no idea the short- and long-term consequences of being that visible, that young," the 32-year-old explained. "After that experience, I started dealing with things like kidnapping plots and managing stalkers, and all of these different health issues from workaholism and burnout."
For the Cheaper By the Dozen alum, all those issues weren't "unpacked until decades later" in therapy.
"What's become most important is to recognize that we cannot solely be measured by our productivity and our output," they noted. "We actually have to make sure that we understand we're whole humans."
That's why Alyson went through a range of emotions detailing their childhood in their new memoir Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything, out now. While the writer still "feels warm" recounting their time working with Missy, they said putting pen to paper about their experience on the set of the 2008's Camp Rock was far more difficult.
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For the Cheaper By the Dozen alum, all those issues weren't "unpacked until decades later" in therapy.
"What's become most important is to recognize that we cannot solely be measured by our productivity and our output," they noted. "We actually have to make sure that we understand we're whole humans."
That's why Alyson went through a range of emotions detailing their childhood in their new memoir Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything, out now. While the writer still "feels warm" recounting their time working with Missy, they said putting pen to paper about their experience on the set of the 2008's Camp Rock was far more difficult.
"It was challenging," Alyson shared. "I do not wish this process of mining your psyche and heart then connecting it into 90,000 words for the whole world to read. I don't necessarily recommend that process to everyone, but I do wish for the liberation that's come with it."
They continued, "I'm learning to practice acceptance that I cannot control the consequences of my honesty. What I can do is recognize that the truth is not always polite, but it still can be delivered with compassion and integrity."
So, does that mean their former costars Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas, Kevin Jonas and Demi Lovato won't like what they wrote about the Disney Channel movie? Not necessarily.
"I think the Jonases will enjoy the sections that I've included them in the book," Alyson said, adding that they had "touched base" with Demi while writing the book. "Thankfully, Demi has also been very vocal about her experiences, so I was able to build on that and share what it was like from my vantage point as all of these different events unfolded."
They added, "We've been through a lot individually and together."
Semi Well Adjusted Despite Literally Everything comes out Aug. 12.
To see where the Camp Rock cast landed these days, keep reading...
Joe JonasDemi LovatoNick JonasKevin JonasAlyson StonerMeaghan MartinRoshon FeganAnna Maria Perez de TagleJordan FrancisAaryn DoyleJasmine RichardsDaniel FathersJulie Brown
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