Demi Lovato wants to talk to former Disney Channel and child stars about their experiences for a new project. After appearing on the children's series Barney & Friends as a young child, Lovato rose to fame for her role as Mitchie Torres in the Disney Channel film Camp Rock and its sequel Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. In addition to these films, they also starred as the titular character on the Disney Channel sitcom Sonny with a Chance. Their success as an actress, notably in musical films, led to a deal with Hollywood records and a debut album, Don't Forget. Since this debut, Lovato has largely focused on their singing and songwriting career, releasing seven more albums.
During Lovato's heyday on Disney Channel, other stars, like Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers, etc. were also rising. Cyrus was starring as the titular character in Hannah Montana, Gomez was starring in Wizards of Waverly Place, and the Jonas Brothers' music career was propelled along with their roles in the Camp Rock films and their series Jonas. These five, along with Lovato, became friends and were often grouped together by the channel, perhaps becoming most well known for their work together for Disney's Friends for Change, a pro-social "green" initiative that started in the summer of 2009, which led to the release of a soon-to-be popular charity song and accompanying music video performed by the ensemble called "Send It On."
Now, in a recent interview with the podcast Call Her Daddy, Lovato has opened up about the negative effects of growing up in the spotlight, particularly sharing the strict expectations and restrictions that were placed upon them as a Disney Channel star, being overworked, and constantly feeling the pressure to be perfect. Upon sharing these recollections, Lovato was asked if they've discussed these challenges with other stars, like Cyrus, Gomez, and the Jonas Brothers, to which Lovato answered,
“I think over the years we've talked about it for sure, but I do have a project in the works where I want to talk to some of those people about their experiences.”
Lovato's project comes in light of others recently speaking out about the abuse they suffered through as child stars. Former Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy, who rose to fame for her role as Sam in the series iCarly, recently opened up via her memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died about the abuse she went through as a child star, conflicted on her by her own mother, along with a man she refers to as "The Creator," widely understood by fans and critics as Nickelodeon showrunner Dan Schneider. Additionally, Alexa Nikolas, most known for her role in Nickelodeon's Zoey 101, has continuously been vocal about her negative experiences with the network and was recently seen protesting outside of Nickelodeon's headquarters.
Lovato is no stranger to getting candid about the hardships she was forced through either. In addition to the few acting roles Lovato has taken on since their Disney Channel days, Lovato has had three documentaries made about them, where they get candid about their experiences as a young star and the challenges that have come with it. In these films, Lovato reflects on her upbringing and child star career, along with struggles that coincided with them, such as eating disorders, self-harm, substance abuse, and other personal struggles. This all said, the project that Lovato will put together will assuredly be an honest, proper, and insightful one, sure to expose networks, executives, and the like of their wrongdoings.
Source: Call Her Daddy