Former Child Stars Who Suddenly Pivoted To Adult Roles

Her "Before" Persona: Initially trained as a dancer, Elizabeth Berkley first stepped in front of the camera as a teenage model in the '80s. At 17, she was cast in the high school sitcom Saved by the Bell. Playing the studious feminist Jessie Spano, she stole hearts with her dazzling smile and blonde curly hair from 1989 to 1992. The show was a smash hit, and Berkley reprised her beloved role in both TV movies and a 2020 reboot. 

The Pivot: In 1995, Berkley stripped off her sitcom persona by starring in Showgirls. The controversial NC-17 film centered on Berkley's character, Nomi Malone, an aspiring Vegas showgirl who dances into the world of stripping. Infamously, the over-the-top erotic drama flopped at the box office, gaining a sour reputation as one of the worst movies of the 20th century. 

Having received personal backlash for the film, Berkley said in a 2020 interview, “It wasn't easy to be the person that was personally ridiculed. I still feel protective of that 21-year-old girl."

Decades later, the Showgirls storm has settled, inspiring a renaissance of cult fans in its wake. Embracing the film's delayed warm reception, Berkley commented, “For some, it's so over-the-top fun, and for other people it’s an emotional anthem. I could never have foreseen the impact that it has continued to have and how it’s been embraced. Of course, that makes me happy.”

Her "Before" Persona: Drew Barrymore was just seven years old when she landed her breakthrough role in Steven Spielberg's extraterrestrial classic, E.T., stealing hearts as Elliot's pigtailed little sister, Gertie. Her skyrocket to fame forced her to grow up quickly: by age nine, she was partying at Studio 54, and by 13 she was in rehab for drugs and alcohol. Though her personal life was spinning out of control during this time - the details of which she would later reveal in two harrowing memoirs, Little Girl Lost and Wildflower - she starred in a handful of thrillers and comedies throughout the latter half of the '80s. 

The Pivot: In 1992, a decade after her debut in E.T., 16-year-old Barrymore rebranded herself as a teenage seductress in the erotic thriller, Poison Ivy. With a storyline teetering between Lolita and Fatal Attraction, her performance raised eyebrows, particularly her torrid love scenes with her middle-aged costar, Tom Skerritt. Leaning heavily into her promiscuous persona, Barrymore continued to drop jaws by flashing David Letterman on the Tonight Show, posing nude for Playboy, and taking on the role of Amy Fisher - AKA The Long Island Lolita - in The Amy Fisher Story.

The next turning point in Barrymore's career came in 1996 with a short-lived appearance in the revolutionary teen slasher Scream. Afterwards, through the late '90s and into the 2000s, she pivoted from wild-child to girl-next-door, starring in romantic comedies like The Wedding Singer and Never Been Kissed. 

Now the host of her own talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, the infectiously sunny actress is enjoying her latest career renaissance.

His "Before" Persona: At just 13, future Batman star Christian Bale landed a role in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun. Playing a boy separated from his family during World War II who ended up in an internment camp, the film showcased his acting chops and streamlined his success at a young age. Throughout the '90s, he starred in a number of family friendly films, including Disney's Newsies, a film adaptation of Little Women, and the animated hit Pocahontas. 

The Pivot: Bale came into the 2000s swinging by starring in American Psycho and effectively killing off his wholesome persona. The satirical horror thriller followed the life and times of Patrick Bateman (Bale), a Wall Street broker by day, and a literal lady killer by night, and it sparked controversy and incited protests even before its release for its gratuitous violence against women. Bale wasn't safe, either: the young heartthrob was critiqued for taking on the role of a bloodthirsty misogynist whose horrific treatment of women is deadly. A-list stars like Leonardo DiCaprio were considered for the role, but implored to avoid it due to the message it might send female fans. 

Regardless of the controversy, American Psycho has endured as a cult classic, and is regarded as one of Bale's greatest and definitive performances. 

Commenting on the dark reactions to the film in a 2022 interview, Bale said, "Clearly, look, it's a satire on capitalism in the '80s and as such is so bloody far fetched and ridiculous that you know, to me, I can't help but think it's hilarious.”

His "Before" Persona: At just 10 years old, Macaulay Culkin starred in Home Alone, playing a crafty kid left behind on a family vacation to single-handedly outsmart two bumbling burglars. Though he acted alongside John Candy in Uncle Buck the year before, it was the enduring Christmas classic that catapulted him to top-tier fame in 1990. Fame was hard on the young icon, who famously turned to drugs and alcohol, and took a hiatus from acting at the tender age of 14 after filming Richie Rich.

The Pivot: After almost a decade out of the limelight, Culkin returned to the screen in the cult classic crime drama, Party Monster. Based on a true story, he played Michael Alig, a drug-addicted, gay party organizer in New York City during the ‘80s and ’90s. A far cry from his angel-faced roles as a child star, Culkin's performance tapped into a darker side of his persona, making it clear that little Kevin from Home Alone was all grown up. 

In 2023, after a small handful of film roles in his adult career - and a lead in the tenth season of American Horror Story - Culkin received long-awaited recognition for his contributions as a pop culture icon with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

His "Before" Persona: At the age of 12, Daniel Radcliffe magically captured audiences with his portrayal of the titular young wizard in the Harry Potter franchise. Based on the bestselling book series by J. K. Rowling, the eight-part film collection spanned a decade - concluding in 2011 - as the world watched Radcliffe grow from a bespectacled young boy into full-on heartthrob. 

The Pivot: In 2007, at age 17, Radcliffe took a sharp turn away from films and into stage acting; he was cast as the lead in Peter Shaffer's dark psychological play, Equus. The role, which required him to get fully nude and simulate sex with a horse, was lightyears away from his Harry Potter persona.

Despite the sudden shift, his performance received rave reviews from critics, and helped separate him from his famous film character. The Daily Telegraph said, "Brilliant Radcliffe throws off Harry Potter's cloak… he is a thrilling stage actor of unexpected range and depth."

Continuing to take on diverse roles since then, Radcliffe has tackled everything from horror films, like The Woman In Black, to biopics like Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Turns out he's more than just a wizard.

His "Before" Persona: Before his swoon-worthy breakthrough performance in the classic chick flick The Notebook, Ryan Gosling was a bright-eyed rising child star on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club in 1993. Dancing alongside future pop icons like Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, the 13-year-old followed up his Mouseketeer days with appearances on kid horror shows Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, plus a small role in Disney's Remember the Titans.

The Pivot: In 2001, the former Disney star did a 180 by landing his first lead role in the dark indie film The Believer, playing a Jew turned neo-Nazi in the 1960s. Hailed as his most disturbing role, Gosling's performance paved the way for leads in other indie flicks like Blue Valentine and Lars and the Real Girl. 

In the 2020s, Gosling has continued to lead films including Hollywood blockbusters like Barbie and The Fall Guy, showing that the leap from child star to serious actor worked out well for him.