9 Former Child Stars Who Have Regular Jobs Now

When you live life as a child actor, it seems the odds are stacked against you to find stability in life. There are so many cautionary tales, we never get to hear the success stories of most individuals who go on to enjoy happy, healthy, productive lives in adulthood. Heck, we all played make believe as children, these former kids just made money doing it. Considering a laundry list of former child stars who are no longer living in the spotlight, here is a list of nine–featuring 9–and what they’re all up to these days.

9. Dylan and Cole Sprouse

They are the twins who shared time on several jobs, and enjoyed a hit Disney channel series together, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Yes, Dylan and Cole shared time on Big Daddy, “I can wipe my own a**!” …but their popularity certainly peaked on Disney. As the show came to an end, both fellas expressed an interest in continuing education, so it was off to college they went. As it stands, they both graduated from New York University following the spring semester of 2015, and are doing what most 23 year old graduates do: figuring out what is next. Yes, Dylan is famous for having a Twitter handle that reads, “Child actor who didn’t do meth…” and he worked his way through college, delivering food and functioning as a restaurant host. Dylan is now pursuing life in video game design, while Cole remains interested in antiquities and archaeology.

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8. Nikki Blonsky

“Good morning, Baltimore!” It was the song from the musical movie, Hairspray, that was supposed to make Nikki Blonsky a great, big, shining star in the world of entertainment. It did help score a sitcom from the young actress, alas, Nikki was also a New York state board certified cosmetologist, and if there’s one thing we all know about money, it runs out when you spend it. So, Nikki, who played Tracy Turnblad in 2007, currently works as a stylist and makeup artist for a high end salon in New York City. The awesome thing about Nikki: her head is on straight. She makes no bones about wanting to get back in front of the camera, but also knows that bills keep-a-comin’, and something has to pay for the luxuries of this life. She is proud of the work she does in any walk of life.

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7. Danny Lloyd

It was just easier for Stanley Kubrick if Danny Torrance was a Danny in real life. Somehow, the child actor we all grew to love, who possessed that special “shine,” had no clue that he was making a horror film during production. That is quite impressive. In several interviews with Danny later in life, he most remembers riding that big wheel trike endlessly through the halls and rooms of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Yes, film buffs, the exterior shots of the hotel were taken near Mt. Hood in Oregon, at the Timberline Lodge. Back to task: Danny Lloyd enjoyed his time working with Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and Scatman Crothers, but had no real interest in pursuing the craft as a career. Danny now teaches sciences at the collegiate level, and was last placed at a college in eastern Kentucky.

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6. Charlie Korsmo

Charlie Korsmo is one of the finest actors who decided he didn’t want to act anymore. He got his start as a child, and appeared in huge movies such as Dick Tracy, What About Bob?, Hook and that wonderful, coming of age guilty pleasure from the late 1990s, Can’t Hardly Wait. This guy possesses and inherent, comedic timing, an easy charm and what better place to flaunt these attributes than a courtroom? Like a few others on this list, Charlie decided to leave the pursuit of acting in order to pursue a career in law–but not before he fulfilled his degree requirements at M.I.T., majoring in Physics. He has worked for governmental agencies, and passed the New York State Bar in 2007, then returned to his Midwestern roots to serve as a law professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Ohio.

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5. Peter Ostrum

When you see the name Peter Ostrum, it probably doesn’t ring a bell. Long before the Johnny Depp version of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, there was a little gem of a feature entitled, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder as the eccentric Willy Wonka, and Peter as Charlie Bucket. The film didn’t hold as tight to the novel as the remake, but it had a charm that certainly was not duplicated by Tim Burton, and his gang of zany characters. The one thing the films shared were expert casting of their Charlies. Peter Ostrum and Freddie Highmore are two very lovable individuals in the role. For Peter, life after Willy Wonka included no more acting. He was offered a three film deal with the studio, but turned it down. Instead, he turned his attention to animals, specifically horses, and became a Doctor of veterinary Medicine.

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4. Jake Lloyd

Jake Lloyd needs a second chance to be a human being. Thrust into the spotlight alongside Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and Darth Maul…Jake was the living in the world spotlight after completing Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. There’s no need to rehash, other than to state the film was not good. Some pretty nasty fans were harsh in their criticism of a kid who was 8 years old when he played the role. He was even nominated for a Golden Raspberry for Worst Performance in a Supporting Role. He was teased and bullied into adulthood, and has always remained wary of the interviewer who is destined to ask some offensive question. Still, he loved the creative aspect of film and television, and went into work as an editor. In the summer of 2015, he was arrested following a high speed chase.

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3. Jonathan Bennett

Jonathan Bennett? Remember him? Oh, we bet you do. He was the object of affection in Mean Girls. He was the one Lindsay Lohan desperately wanted, and the one Rachel McAdams used in order to dig at Lindsay. Tine Fey outdid herself with this script; it was such a pleasant surprise. We all expected Jonathan to go on to super stardom following his role of Aaron Samuels, but it has been touch and go in the realm of acting. While waiting for his next opportunities, Jonathan grabbed a certification to lead Spin classes, and it’s something he’s really passionate about. If you don’t know what Spin is, and you’re a fan of Jonathan, perhaps a trip to Los Angeles to take one of his classes would cure anything that ails ya. He’s presently hosting Cake Wars, but continues to lead and motivate others toward healthier lifestyles and fitness through Spin.

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2. Josh Saviano

Paul Pfeiffer. Was there a cooler “nerd” on television? The Big Bang Theory would be nothing without the archetype provided by the fictional Pfeiffer in the late 1980s and early 1990s on The Wonder Years. Josh Saviano will always be remembered as Paul Pfeiffer in television history, but in the real world, he now works as a lawyer in New York. After serving as a partner for a prestigious NYC law firm, Josh left to cut a new path, starting two business ventures in the spring of 2015: his own firm, JDS Legal, and a celebrity consultant firm, Act 3. It’s a trip to find Josh on social media (LinkedIn over Facebook), and see that he very much looks like an adult Paul Pfeiffer, but has lost the “nerd,” and opted for the tall, dark and handsome thing. He remains candid about his time as an actor: he enjoyed it.

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1. Jeff Cohen

It is always so refreshing to hear someone like Jeff Cohen talk about the wonderful experience he had making The Goonies. If you haven’t seen The Goonies, you may soon have your human card revoked–get on it. Jeff played the token fat kid, Lawrence “Chunk” Cohen, in The Goonies, and his separation from the group–providing supreme introduction to Sloth–is the icing on this classic adventure flick’s cake. So, what’s Jeff up to these days? He continued acting for a few years after the success of The Goonies, but he never stopped living life, and enjoying a traditional childhood. He traversed the high school and college platforms with success, and went on to become a lawyer. No, Jeff is no longer “chunk,” and with his cropped top and five o’clock shadow, one would struggle to recognize him. His LinkedIn profile even states his participation in the 1980s cult classic.