When Nickelodeon’s “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” was released, it sent shockwaves worldwide. Shockwaves to the 2000s era witnessed every piece of media being produced on Nickelodeon. Our era was so clueless due to the number of shows we were blessed to see whenever the chance was given. Nickelodeon produced numerous shows that tackled the attention span of children.
From “All That” to “The Amanda Show” To “Drake and Josh” to many more successful shows, we watched those great pieces of media as children were lucky to get excellent television exposure back then. However, while our generation was enjoying these shows, the actors reacted differently.
Child actors have been wary. Kids in the performing industry give their all for the rest of the world to enjoy. Giving them all get them respect. It brings them fame and money. What makes kid actors renowned is their ability at such a young age. Most kid performers have a natural talent for it; in exchange, they are placed in the industry for all to see. They gain early exposure and remain in the sector for an extended period. They are exposed to more significant things, such as more parts, money for families, and a rise in renown.
Eventually, you will be a household name.
Any child in the industry would enjoy the fame and what is behind it. Nevertheless, the world never knows what they are going through.
“Quiet On Set” effectively conveyed to the world the difficulties young actors face and the risks associated with child acting. Nickelodeon was at its peak with “All That,” which defined the aim of children’s comedy shows and established Dan Schneider as the series’ creator. Schneider was the mastermind behind all of the shows produced around the world. However, after the episodes were released, many fans were taken aback.
You had famous actor Drake Bell revealing the accusation of the abuse he had experienced from acting dialogue coach Brian Peck. Abusing him from his days on “The Amanda Show” to his early production on “Drake and Josh.”
The abuse had been going on for months until Drake had told his mother about the abuse. Peck was accused of the crime he committed. Celebrities Peck worked with wrote letters protecting the dialogue coach and with everything happening in court. Peck pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 16 months.
He worked on “Suite Life of Zach and Cody” right after the situation. He only worked for three episodes before he was fired.
Amanda Bynes spent the 2000s in a chokehold before suddenly disappearing from the spotlight. The documentary during the first episode talks highly of her. Yet when you see Bynes now, you sense something has happened behind the scenes.
“The Amanda Show” costar for the first season, Raquel Lee Bolleau, felt she was always pushed aside throughout the first season, with Drake Bell and Amanda Bynes getting the spotlight—also, an incident where Bynes spit in Bolleau’s face during a segment.
Raquel Lee Bolleu, Giovonnie Samuels, and Bryan Hearne were three black child actors who were not taken seriously throughout their tenure on Nickelodeon. Bryan and Giovonnie explained that they felt overlooked. Keenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell were black actors who succeeded on Nickelodeon, with Dan praising them, while both Bryan and Giovonnie felt Schneider never respected them. Even Bolleu expected her name to be written throughout the second season of “The Amanda Show” but was cut from the series instead.
The show revealed JasonvHandy and Peck as two known figures in Nickelodeon who turned out to show a different side of themselves as Handy, in the documentary, emailed explicit images of a background child actor named Brandi.
The documentary has also explained the abuse writers have gone through, writers who were women. Making them do uncomfortable things for Schneider for jobs; examples are rubbing his back and many more disturbing things.
“Zoey 101” character Nicole Bristow, played by Alexa Nikolas, did not enjoy her time on the show. She felt her character was created simply for “eye candy” and to gain a male audience. Revealing she was billed on set for the series’ two seasons by Jamie Lynn Spears and most of the female cast members. She also revealed that Britney Spears and Schneider confronted her before getting fired off the show. Also, revealing a sexual joke during Zoey 101’s tenth episode titled “Backpack” of the first season made her uncomfortable.
“ICarly” character Sam Puckett, played by Jennette McCurdy, had authored a book “I’m Glad My Mom Died” about her sour experiences as a child actor, and details involve Schneider and her experience on Nickelodeon.
The entire cast of “Victorious” from McCurdy’s book revealed they would be drunk on set during series episodes. There were also disturbing scenes with Ariana Grande during the show and inappropriate jokes in the show.
Various sexual jokes were being seen on Nickelodeon shows, yet, of course, the jokes were something we did not pay attention to at the time.
Have child actors gone through a lot for our entertainment? Yes! The sad case for these child actors is that they have the gift. They have the gift that actors in the prime of their careers work hard for. However, you worry about innocence. The documentary revealed every former child actor who had lost their innocence in diverse ways that, sadly, they cannot earn back. It is a sad situation with that genre of acting because the more people think about it, the more people can sit down and watch a film or television show and see a child actor standing out as the best performer. It is impressive to see an actor so young with many talents.
Nevertheless, it becomes a risk for people behind the scenes to take advantage of you. Many stars on Nickelodeon’s platform have been taken advantage of or treated very sourly when all these young actors wanted to do was perform. The support system behind them is lacking. The parents worry so much about fame and fortune rather than their actual kids. Drake Bell’s mother was to blame for allowing Peck to be more involved with Drake, while Joe Bell, Drake’s father, knew there was something off with Beck. After all, Peck was pen pals with convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
All these child actors want to do is perform and enjoy the craft of acting. Many child actors only do it because the support system behind them puts them into that world for those to take advantage of. Regardless, it is a lost situation that becomes hard to digest when learning what these stars have been dealing with. Seeing child stars with great people around them is fine, but that may be rare. “Quiet On Set” became a viral sensation that is still discussed because the fans realize what is happening while we consume the media. It is a haunting experience watching the series for the first time since you watched it and thinking, “Woah, did that happen?” The part that becomes eerie is the decline Nickelodeon has gone through since the firing of Schneider.
Schneider being fired was the move Nickelodeon made and needed to. We appreciate the documentary for letting their voices be heard and understanding what was happening. Every victim in the series needed justice, and for the first time, they were finally heard.
