Sometimes a child’s perspective in film is profound, and a film rises in credibility. Looking at an adult world through the eyes of a child brings a lucidity into the realm of chaos. When a child actor nails a performance, it stays in my mind twice as long as an adult actor. It’s the irony, the role-reversal when the child is tougher than the adult which I find alluring. Here are several of my favorite roles portrayed by children, and I would be interested in knowing yours.
Empire of the Sun, 1987
Based on J. G. Ballard’s autobiographical novel, Spielberg’s WWII film adaptation about an aristocratic English boy during Japanese occupation starred Christian Bale whose ability to shift from a state of privilege to POW black-market prince impressive.
The Piano, 1993
Flora McGrath was a jealous, mischievous daughter and translator for her mute mother, Ada. Anna Paquin won an Oscar for her role in this 19th century period piece filmed in New Zealand and written/directed by Jane Campion.
Ponette
In 1996, four-year-old French actress, Victoire Thivisol, amazed audiences with her multi-layered performance as the girl whose mother has died and she has to come to terms with the tragedy. I wonder how director Jacques Doillon managed to coax such a precocious performance. I can’t watch this without crying.
Addams Family
Eleven year old Christina Ricci’s performance in 1991 took a silly film and raised it by giving the best performance of the entire cast. Dead-pan delivery, those haunting eyes, and disturbed demeanor was down-right scary. Did Tim Burton have a daughter? It could have been Wednesday.
Sixth Sense, 1999
M. Night Shyamalan leaped on to the scene like a lion as director of Sixth Sense. The character Cole, who saw dead people gave such a believable performance, he outshined and outsmart Bruce Willis. What a hot run as a child actor Haley Joel Osment had playing sensitive, smart characters. Whatever happened to him?
The Book Thief, 2014
Sophie Nelisse was charming and convincing as the illiterate orphan who breathed life into words and saved a Jew hidden in the basement of her German, adoptive parents house. I hope you had a chance to see this remarkable film. Sophie could be the new Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman, and I hope Sophie will be impressing me with her acting for decades to come. Have you read the 2007 YA book by Markus Zusak? It’s wonderful.
These are just a few of special performances that stole my heart. What are some of yours?
Cindy Bruchman 
Certainly, Christian Bale and Haley Joel Osment are on my list, for sure. Jodie Foster for Taxi Driver, Tatum O’neal (Paper Moon), and Natalie Portman for The Professional are the others.
LikeLike
Thanks, Michael, and I would have been disappointed if no one mentioned Jodie Foster or Tatum O’Neal. Nice call with Natalie as Mathilda. Reno and Oldman were great as usual, but it was the precocious Natalie who brought a strange and powerful dynamic to the story. Awesome!
LikeLike
I second Jodie Foster and Tatum O’Neal. Both great performances in great movies.
LikeLike
Thanks to smart ones who pick from the 70s 😉
LikeLike
Well argued. I was thinking of doing a Gr8at post for this myself. Stand by Me, Mud and Taxi Driver are probably my favourites.
LikeLike
Glad I beat you to it, Alex ;). Yes, all the boys in Stand by Me were gr8eat– Joaquin is one of the best actors out there today, and his little brother River had the same sensitivity and maturation beyond his years. I wish he were alive today–what a powerhouse it would have been to see those two on the screen together!
LikeLike
I know, think what he could have achieved. I haven’t even got the eight yet so you really are ahead ha. Always great to read your stuff 🙂
LikeLike
Likewise, I’m sure!
LikeLike
Brilliant picks Alex! And really great post Cindy. It’s so true that an excellent performance from a child is more likely to stick around in the viewer’s mind. The reward often outweighs the risk. (A not so great performance can be exceedingly grating, but tough to meaningfully critique).
Adam.
LikeLike
Thanks, Adam. There are many fine performances to choose from. I had hoped someone would mention another great one ( forgot to add her) Hailee Steinfeld from True Grit. It makes me appreciate them all the more when I think about the staged dialogue/acting or unrealistic performances that are too many. That would go for anything Disney puts out on TV or whatever. My least favorite performances are from Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone or Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
LikeLike
Another excellent pick, she’s wonderful in True Grit. Especially given the depth and complexity on show – it’s a Coen film after all!
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
Thanks. I’m trying to think of the worst one I’ve seen. There was a kid One Fine Day who was a bit of a brat.
LikeLike
LOL. Yes–Little Sammy Parker was a tyrant. Nothing redeemable about his character and a flaw of the film.
LikeLike
Everything that Jonathon Lipnicki in Jerry Maguire wasn’t/
LikeLike
I didn’t feel warm and fuzzy with Jonathon’s performance either. Sorry. He seemed pathetic and there was no chemistry between he and Cruise–it loooked very awkward.
LikeLike
No worries. I wouldn’t say he acted well, I just found him super cute in the role.
LikeLike
Ah, well, if you are going for super-cute, then Drew Barrymore in E.T. would win or Heather O’ Rourke in Poltergeist.
LikeLike
I haven’t seen all of these, but those I have (Paguin, Osment and Nelisse) are all special.
My favorite child performance? Elle Fanning, a thirteen year old, at the time, American playing a seventeen year old Brit during the Cold War, in last year’s Ginger and Rosa. After that, Quvenshane Wallis’ work in Beasts of the Southern Wild might come close. Haley Joel Osment in the Sixth Sense, as you said, is also remarkable.
LikeLike
I almost listed Quvenshane Wallis’ work in Beasts of the Southern Wild so I’m glad you brought her into the discussion. She was amazing. I missed Ginger and Rosa! Ouch! Elle and Dakota are like the female versions of the Phoenix brothers. Super actors.
LikeLike
You can still catch it. 🙂 It is an upsetting movie, to be sure, but also one I think you’d like-ish. A great sense of setting, fabulous period details, terrific acting, and equally good character development. Ginger and Rosa was one of my ten favorites from 2013.
Agreed on the sibling comparison. Like the Phoenix’s, they both have loads of talent.
LikeLike
Thanks for the warning. I’ll be brave 😉
LikeLike
Great choices Cindy. Haley Joel Osment is also amazing in A.I. My list would include Ivana Baquero in Pans Labyrinth.
I think you should do a worst child actors post!
LikeLike
🙂 If I did, Macaulay Culkin would win the Raz award for Home Alone.
Your inclusion of Ivana is a great choice. I loved A.I. and Haley was fine there, too. Couldn’t agree with you more, Mikey.
LikeLike
Interesting article Cindy. Although it’s a shame I haven’t seen many of your selections, Cristina Ricci stands out for me.
Favourite child performances I recalled while reading your post were Leonardo Di Caprio in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Mary Badham, who had a very short acting career but memorably played Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird.
LikeLike
YES! Thanks, Paul. I refrained from listing Leo but I thought his performance in WEGG was stellar. He was 19 when he did that role alongside of Johnny Depp. That to me, makes it even more impressive. His baby face paid off. Yes, to Mary in To Kill a Mockingbird. Two great additions to the discussion. Thanks, Paul.
LikeLike
Great idea for a list Cindy! Bale definitely impressed me in Empire of the Sun, talk about an actor destined for greatness. Nelisse was good as well in The Book Thief and of course Osment was quite a revelation in Sixth Sense. One of the child actor who impressed me was the boy in Dear Frankie, too bad I haven’t seen him in anything else since. Oh also the little girl in The Fall is simply adorable!
LikeLike
The Fall? TV series or the film? I don’t know about either.
Jack McElhone was a cutie and grew up a cutie, too. I’m not surprised you don’t like him since he’s Scottish. Did you like him as John Lennon in ‘Nowhere Boy’?
LikeLike
Oh sorry I forgot there’s a TV show called that too. I’m referring to the movie from a few years ago, here’s the trailer: http://youtu.be/EeAyIQ_OT_I
Did I say I didn’t like McElhone? It’s the opposite, I LOVE him in Dear Frankie, yes definitely a cutie! WOW I totally forgot he’s in Nowhere Boy! I guess I was transfixed by Aaron Johnson who played the 20-something Lennon. He’s such a beautiful young man 😉
LikeLike
I’m struck how fast the kids grow up. It seems 75 percent don’t transition into adult stars for a variety of reasons and only 5 percent become super stars like Bale, Johannson, Portman, and I’m still waiting to see about Dakota Fanning and Emma Watson–Daniel Radcliffe, for that matter, too.
LikeLike
Have you ever seen The 400 Blows? Jean-Pierre Léaud—I think he was a young teenager in the film, amazing, but so was the direction 😉 .
LikeLike
YES! Thanks for mentioning Jean-Pierre. It’s a great film.
LikeLike
There is one that sticks in my mind, but they weren’t actually children, but teenagers in a Peter Sellers movie, “The World of Henry Orient.”
LikeLike
These girls? Which one, the brunette? What did you like about it?
LikeLike
Their acting is what struck me. They totally took the spotlight away from Sellers.
LikeLike
That’s hard to do, no? Sellers is quite the scene chewer. I haven’t watched this. Thanks for the head’s up GP 🙂
LikeLike
I haven’t seen some of these but I totally agree on Bale. My list would include Natalie Portman in Léon, Tatum O’Neal in Paper Moon, Pierce Gagnon in Looper and Saoirse Ronan in Atonement. Also a special mention to all the child cast in The Impossible.
LikeLike
Hi! Wow, YES to Saoirse Ronan in Atonement. Excellent call. I agree with Tom Holland in The Impossible. I wonder if we will see more of them?
LikeLike
Well, Saoirse’s been veryactive as of late. Recently saw her in Grand Budapest Hotel. Tom Holland was superb in The Impossible but haven’t watched him in anything since, His younger siblings (in the film) were very solid as well.
LikeLike
I ♥ Meryl most my life. As far as the list goes, Sophie’s Choice is my favorite. The languages, the sensitivity, her relationship with Kline’s character–she was so beautiful. I thought she was supurb in Doubt, and her Karen Blixen in Out of Africa. 🙂
LikeLike
I think you meant to post this in my Meryl appreciation post but thanks for the comment nonetheless, Cindy! Great choices there. Oh, and thanks a lot for following!
LikeLike
Yes. What happened? I don’t know. As long as you got it. 😉
LikeLike
😉
LikeLike
Mara Wilson in Matilda and Quevenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild.
LikeLike
Cool picks!
LikeLike
Thanks, Abbi. She should have been on the list; I’m glad you mentioned her. Only six–what a lot of heart and chutzpah. Have you seen her in anything else? I thought Mara Wilson was completely convincing. She was cute in Mrs. Doubtfire and Miracle on 34th Street. Now she’s 25, and I wish she’d transition over into the adult world. She had a lot of talent.
LikeLike
I was blown away that someone so young could give such a powerful performance. I haven’t seen her in anything else though. Apparently Mara Wilson decided acting wasn’t for her and retired before her teens. She was great though.
LikeLike
Well, I’ll be. I didn’t know that about Mara.
LikeLike
Another great topic.
I really need to reeatch empire of the sin, it’s been so long I hardly remember anything.
Just like you, I also wonder where is Halley Joel now.
I also like Freddie Highmore in Finding Neverland and August Rush, Nicholas Hoult in About A Boy.
LikeLike
I loved August Rush even though many thought it cheesy. I feel that way about music, so the message meant something to me. Ice call with Nicholas Hoult in About A Boy.
LikeLike
I feel the same as you…I love August Rush no matter how cheesy it is.
LikeLike
Nice quick write -up on child stars. I couldn’t recognize Christian Bale. I haven’t seen that movie. Love ‘The Piano’ and ‘The Sixth Sense’. Love the touching trailer of ‘Ponette’. I’d love to chk it out. I too felt teary just watching the trailer.
There are so many great performances by children, Elijah Wood in ‘Child in the Night’ (1990), both Wood and Macaulay Culkin in ‘The Good Son’ (93′), Then kids of ‘Dead Poets Society’ (1989), ‘The Children’s Hour’ (1961), ‘The Innocents’ (1961) etc etc … so many more.
LikeLike
Hi Nuwansen, thanks for your input. I bet you would really appreciate Bale’s performance in Empire of the Sun. A great film, all around.The Children’s Hour — yes, what a peformance by the witchy, manipulative Karen Balkin as Mary.
LikeLike
Excellent picks here Cindy!
LikeLike
Hi Zoe! Thank you. What are your favorites? I thought for sure someone would mention Billy Elliot or more Dakota Fanning….
LikeLike
I enjoyed Haley Joel Osment, as well. I’m not usually bowled over by kids on screen, but every now and then someone rolls around who is really good. I will have to come back after thinking of this for a bit.
LikeLike
Great list but you are missing two of my personal favourites Natalie Portman The Professional and Kirsten Dunst Interview with the Vampire
LikeLike
The definitive list — was waiting for your input 😉
Yes, yes, Natalie in The Professional-boy, it sure notified the world that a star was born. Interesting choice with Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire. I forgot all about her in that–that hair! She was great.
LikeLike
Great list! Shout out to Joe Swanberg’s son (I think) in Happy Christmas – he might be a baby, but he’s hilarious! Not sure it qualifies as great acting, but it’s certainly the most engaging I’ve seen a child that young…
LikeLike
LOL Why not a shout out for smart babies–he was adorable. What kid at that age can sing their a-b-c ‘s?
LikeLike
Great choices, one of mine has to be Natalie Portman in Leon.
LikeLike
Absolutely. She had so many dimensions and carried off an adult role for one so young, beautifully. 🙂
LikeLike
Wonderful post Cindy. Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver is just incredible and I loved Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit. My favourite though is Quvenzahne Wallis in Beasts Of The Southern Wild. It’s such a wonderful film and the performances are so beautiful.
LikeLike
Hi! Sorry for the delayed response, I was traveling and just returned. Glad for your comments and hope you stop by again soon! 🙂
Yes, I agree with you totally regarding Jody Foster and Quvenzahne Wallis. I hope we see her in a film again soon. It was a magical film so bittersweet.
LikeLike