Amanda Bynes was once one of the most famous child stars in the United States. But about 10 years ago, things started to take a turn, resulting in her abruptly retiring from acting. But what caused this teenage sensation’s quick drop from stardom?
Today, Amanda Bynes believes she is back and stronger than ever. | Paper Magazine via Instagram
Bynes got her start when she was just seven years old
Bynes began acting at a very young age. By the time she was seven years old, she already had a talent agent. She began auditioning and getting roles for various commercials, but according to Paper, it wasn’t until she attended a comedy camp and someone from Nickelodeon noticed her and kick started her career. Bynes was offered a role on All That, a sketch comedy show for teens and tweens. The role ended up setting off a decades-long career that saw Bynes in some other iconic roles. She got her own show, The Amanda Show, on Nickelodeon, followed by a starring role in What a Girl Wants. She then got cast alongside Jennie Garth on What I Like About You. But perhaps her most famous roles were her leads in She’s the Man and the movie adaptation of Broadway’s Hairspray.
Several years after her breakout role, she began to experiment with Adderall
But just as quickly as Bynes’ career took off, she began to feel the added pressures of being a child star. She said in her interview with Paper that she began experimenting with marijuana at 16, and although she enjoyed it, it led to other drugs, such as ecstasy and molly. She noted that she had tried cocaine but didn’t get high from it. But she began to harshly abuse Adderall, which sent her career into danger. She faked symptoms of ADD to get her hands on a prescription and noted she could hardly focus when she was filming Hall Pass. The Adderall abuse had gotten out of hand.
She was constantly seeing herself in a negative light and eventually retired from acting
Bynes said that when she saw herself on screen, she hated the way she looked. She said she was ‘literally tripping out’ over how horrible she thought she looked, and those thoughts didn’t go away. The Adderall addiction had altered her own perception of herself. She felt convinced that she should retire from acting so that she never had to be on camera again. And she took to Twitter and announced her retirement. She said that looking back on it, she should have released a statement and retired the right way; she wishes she hadn’t made the announcement over Twitter.
She would ‘literally be stoned all day long’
Bynes said that she lost herself once she retired from acting. She felt that she had no purpose and got lost in marijuana because she had so much time on her hands. She became isolated and started hanging out with people who weren’t the best influences. Although she said she is thankful she never did harder drugs, such as heroin and meth, she admits she did spend far too much time smoking marijuana.
She credits her parents with helping her clean up her act
Eventually, Bynes woke up, and she credits her parents for helping her get back on track. She admitted she did and said things she shouldn’t have while she was high and wishes she could take back all of the misbehaviors and inappropriate tweets that only further sabotaged her career. However, she notes that she isn’t that person anymore and has been sober for four years.
Today, Bynes is pursuing a degree at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles and is happy with where her life is today. “I have no fear for the future,” she said. “I’ve been through the worst and came out the other end.” Bynes hopes to soon return to acting, but she is pursuing a life in fashion for now.
Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!
Source: Read Full Article