Showbiz Kids

Showbiz Kids is a documentary about what happens to children who work in the entertainment industry, following both young performers currently navigating the business and adults who entered it as kids. Through interviews, former child actors describe the pressures of professional life at an early age and the lasting effects of success or failure on their lives. Among those sharing their experiences are Diana Serra Cary, known from the silent era as Baby Peggy, along with Henry Thomas, Milla Jovovich, Todd Bridges, Mara Wilson and Cameron Boyce. The film examines the rewards and risks of a career that begins in childhood, and how those who lived it look back on the choices and sacrifices involved.

Alex Winter directed and wrote the documentary, which came roughly three decades after his first feature, Freaked, and followed earlier nonfiction work such as Deep Web. Released in July 2020, it runs 95 minutes and was produced by HBO Documentary Films with Zipper Bros Films, The Ringer Films and Trouper Productions; Bill Simmons, Winter and Glen Zipper served as producers. The credited cast numbers 46.

Reception has been moderately positive. On IMDb, the film holds a rating of 7 out of 10 from around 2,200 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.8 out of 10 from a much smaller pool of 57 votes. The higher vote count on IMDb suggests a broader audience has weighed in there, and the two scores are close enough to indicate generally favorable viewer response.