Here’s How These 27 Child Actors From The ’90s And ’00s Changed From Their Iconic Roles

Mara Wilson played Matilda Wormwood, a curious and talented young girl, in Matilda (1996). Wilson became well-known for this role, but in 2000, she retired from acting for a while. After she finished university, she made a slow comeback, lending her voice to variety of projects.

Georgie Henley played Lucy Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) and its two sequels. Lucy was just a young girl who was transported into a magical world with her siblings, and for a long time, Henley was known for this role alone. Lately, she re-appeared in The Spanish Princess.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt played Tommy Solomon in 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996-2001). Gordon-Levitt struck gold with the role of an extraterrestrial living on Earth, and after that, he successfully transitioned to more mature roles. He displayed leanings towards music, with several singles under his belt, and currently he owns HitRecord, an online collaborative media platform.

Christina Ricci played Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family (1991) and its sequel. The gloomy, loveable character was her breakout role and she proceeded towards more mature films, such as Sleepy Hollow (1999). She won plenty of awards for her roles as a child actress, and she's known to lend her voice to various animated projects.

Macaulay Culkin played Kevin McCallister in Home Alone (1990) and its sequel. The Christmas franchise was the big break for Culkin, after which he also appeared in the comedy-drama My Girl (1991). In 1994, Culkin retired from acting, but over the years, had small or episodic appearances in variety of projects and even tried out singing. Currently, he's a CEO of Bunny Ears, a satirical pop culture website and podcast.

Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Douglas "Doogie" Howser in Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989–1993). The role of a young doctor that earned him a nomination for a Golden Globe was Harris' road to wider fame, such as being a main cast member on How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014). He also has experience in Broadway plays and musicals. Harris wrote his first novel, which was released in 2017, and even had time to release a single-player board game named Box One in 2020.

Haley Joel Osment played Cole Sear, a boy who could see ghosts, in The Sixth Sense (1999). This role was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards, and established Osment as a credible actor. He later appeared in more well-known movies such as Pay It Forward (2000) and A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001). Osment lends his voice to the video game character Sora from Kingdom Hearts in its English dub.

Ariana Richards played Lex Murphy in Jurassic Park (1993), for which she won several awards. She had several minor and episodic appearances in various movies and shows, but nothing that gave her the same recognition. Richards put her acting career on pause and focused on other artistic endeavors. Currently, she's a recognized artist with the first place in the National Professional Oil Painting Competition under her belt.

Anna Chlumsky played Vada Sultenfus in My Girl (1991) and its sequel. She took some time off to attend university and returned with a prominent role of Amy Brookheimer in Veep (2012-2019), where she was a main cast member.

Jonathan Lipnicki played Ray Boyd in Jerry Maguire (1996). He also appeared in Stuart Little and its sequel. The actor has a few more roles under his belt, but he should be equally as known for his philanthropy. He is involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and works with various animal rights groups.