Famous '90s child actor Mara Wilson is all grown up in new footage decades after stepping away from Hollywood. Mara just six years old when she made her big screen debut alongside renowned comedian Robin Williams in the iconic 1993 film, Mrs Doubtfire. From there, she went on to act opposite Richard Attenborough in Miracle on 34th Street and landed arguably her most memorable role as the titular Matilda in the 1996 adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved book of the same name.
30 years on from playing the clever Roald Dahl protagonist with telekinetic abilities, the now 38-year-old star reminisced on a milestone moment from her star-studded childhood. Mara put her own twist on a popular trend going around amongst celebrities at the moment, where stars have been sharing old photos of themselves from the '90s in a montage set to The Goo Goo Dolls' Iris.
The '90s star is all grown up
© Instagram/ @marawilson"Guys, you already know," Mara said as the clip cut to a new video of her now sporting shoulder-length dark hair and a side-swept fringe, looking very different to her eight-year-old self in the movie. She then indulged the nostalgia with an adorable throwback photo of her from the Oscars in 1995, when she was seven years old.
After the video got thousands of comments from fans telling the star, "you are the '90s" and she was a big part of their childhood, Mara replied: "Well, this kind of broke containment. Thanks for all the sweet comments!"
She added: "I’m never quite sure what to say when people tell me I look the same! It’s not really a compliment, but it’s not really an insult. But I’m gonna choose to believe that it means I look younger than I am, which in your late 30s is definitely a compliment."
"I guess it’s partly genetic, and partly never smoking, not drinking, and wearing sunscreen religiously. Also some filters, let’s be real."
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyLeaving Hollywood behind
Just as she was on the path to fame, Mara largely stepped away from acting in the 2000s. The star was eight years old and dealing with her newfound fame around the same time her mother, Suzie, passed away in April 1995 after a battle with breast cancer - just eight months before Matilda came out in December that year.
"I don’t think you can be a child star without there being some kind of lasting damage," Mara opened up to The Guardian in 2023.
The star opened up to the publication about struggling with her appearance in Hollywood and having outlets report negatively about her looks. "It got to the point where I became much more guarded, more anxious and depressed and cynical, and when you’re like that, it’s very hard to land a role, because in an audition, you have to be open and honest. It took a toll on me," she spoke candidly.
"I was angry and stressed out, and my dad said, ‘You can always take time off acting.’ So I did," she recalled after going into how she was worrying and struggling about other things in her life. Mara has since attended the occasional red carpet and fan convention event, but has largely stepped away from acting to become a writer.
