Should You Take Your Child to Hollywood? An Insider's Look into Show Business for Kids

Hollywood insider, Dr. Kathy Joyce Abbott says, "Show biz kids have a special 'something' inside them that drives then to do this."

Perhaps someone has said to you 'Your child is so cute - he should be on TV or in the movies!" Or someone has stopped you in a mall and said, "Have you thought about making your child a star?" And then they offered you some classes wither free or for a fee.

How Can You Predict a Future Child Star?

We asked Dr. Kathy, who is a movie and television studio teacher and works only with show business children, how you predict who will become a future star. "You can't predict it," she says. "There is no standard formula. It is a collection of elements," she said, and listed some:

• talent (of course)
• stage savvy
• being in the right place at the right time
• having a positive attitude
• mysterious forces

What are the 'Mysterious Forces?'

Dr. Kathy explained, "We don't know what is going on in the minds of the casting agents the producers, and the directors who select the kids for a role. They may need to match a child with an adult actor, they may have a particular kind of personality in mind for a role, they may emphasize physical appearance, or even the demands of the job."

A Kid Who Couldn't

"I saw a child replaced, who was in a leading role in a major motion picture, because she got over tired and started to cry right after a scene was shot. She had not been working too hard or too long - California child labor laws prohibit that. She just did not have the stamina to handle the role."

Should You Go To Hollywood?

Should parents pack up and take their kids to Hollywood, we asked. "I won't say 'no' Sure bit's a risk, but it can be a fun one. If you child has bugged you consistently, always wants to put on shows at home, can't stop singing and dancing, they you might want to give it a try." There are scores of children who do succeed professionally. There are also thousands who don't. Still, you won't know until you try.

Things Parents Should Know

If mom and dad do decide to take an extended vacation in Hollywood and try show biz, there are some things they should consider in advance.