Cole Sprouse Speaks Out on Being a Forced Child Actor
On the podcast Call Her Daddy, Cole Sprouse revealed that his parent’s financial instability forced him and his brother Dylan Sprouse into child acting on Disney.
According to an article by Rolling Stone Magazine, Sprouse’s parents divorced at a young age. This, combined with her mother’s struggles with mental health and fiscal irresponsibility, caused their financial demise. On the Call Her Daddy podcast, Cole Sprouse referred to his experience of acting as a “golden ticket” to save their family financially.
“My brother and I were put into acting when we were 8 months old by our mother because we needed money,” he explained, according to an article from Insider. “I never made the decision to join the arts or acting specifically. And so it was never really my passion.”
Cole called his mom the most financially “irresponsible” person ever and revealed that she spent all the money he and Dylan made early in their careers before losing custody of them entirely. https://t.co/kutXDQatF4
— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) March 9, 2023
As Sprouse stated, their mother had spent much of the twins’ earnings. Eventually, the twins’ mom lost custody when they turned 10 years old. Custody was turned to their father, who viewed their acting career as a financial savior.
As a child actor, Sprouse recounts instances where fame wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. From sexual encounters as a 14-year-old to the tumultuous family relationships he endured, Sprouse’s experiences were sometimes intense. However, he ultimately views his childhood career as a positive one. According to a Buzzfeed article, he claimed to not “regret” his childhood.
As a 30-year-old, Sprouse is now trying to distinguish the line between his private and personal life. This is especially true as his fame has only increased due to his presence on Riverdale. He thinks that “it’s a total natural consequence of my upbringing to feel a little nervous about vulnerability and connection when it came to romantic partnerships.”
Regarding romantic partnerships, Sprouse opened up about his relationship with fellow Riverdale co-star Lili Reinhart. Though their relationship was public, the couple kept many details private. On the podcast, though, he opened up further.
He described the relationship as “really hard,” and claimed that the two caused each other “damage” over the years. He also stated that their relationship was largely due to their proximity on set. Still, like his experiences in child acting, he claims that the two are still amicable and remain friends.
Although Sprouse may have had some poor experiences, he is quick to mention that he has no regrets. Fortunately, the actor is proud of his career.
Fans can listen to the Call Her Daddy podcast, which dives into more topics involving feminism and sexuality, on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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