by Ashley Burroughs
Arabia Mountain High School
On March 17, 2024 the documentary series “Quiet On Set:The Dark Side of Kids TV” came out and unveiled many shocking truths of the entertainment industry. Children who grew up in the 1990s and early 2000s were hooked on Nickelodeon, watching lighthearted shows that were filmed for kids and starred kids. The documentary uncovered stories of workplace harassment that were both shocking and heartbreaking to hear.
Familiar stars like Drake Bell spoke out about the harassment that he faced when working with Nickelodeon show “Drake & Josh ” from 2004-2007. In particular, Bell discusses how his dialogue coach Brian Peck abused his power as an adult, leading to the actor having to go to court and speak out against him.
According to an article in EW, Bell’s father and manager, Joe Bell, immediately felt that something was off with Peck. “I started to see Brian just start to hang around Drake too much, and it didn’t sit well with me.Drake would be in the dressing room or something, and in would pop Brian, and just touch Drake, you know, do things that, wait a second. What are you doing? Drake can put that on himself.”
“The thing is, this is in front of people,” Bell said. “Then he’d maybe walk over to Drake and be feeding him some lines or whatever, and put his arm around his waist. Put his hand up on his shoulder, and kinda run it down his arm, and things like that. And this would happen routinely. It was just always uncomfortable.”
Another workplace stress impacting young actors is the intense demand placed on them to be in character. Heath Ledger, who played the Joker in the 2008 The Dark Knight movie, ultimately died of an overdose.dRumors immediately circulated that his drug addiction was fueled by his attempts to try to get into the character of the Joker.
Although these rumors have been refuted by his family, Ledger was open about the difficulties he had getting into character — a “psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy.” According to the UK Treatment Centre, “Ledger isolated himself for weeks to prepare for the role, delving into the character’s twisted mind. He famously kept a diary where he noted the Joker’s thoughts and feelings, helping him to embody the character’s anarchic spirit fully. This method-acting approach allowed Ledger to bring a level of detail and nuance to the unprecedented role. His Joker was not just a villain; he was a portrayal of chaos and unpredictability, a character with depth, intelligence and a disturbing sense of humor.
The movie industry pressures actors and makes actors believe that “it’s all or nothing” so the actors will do anything, even enduring abuse or adopting dangerous habits to play a role perfectly. If the industry doesn’t make changes to protect young actors at the start of their career, they will cause irreparable damage to not only the children they are supposed to support, but also the industry as a whole.
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