Ariana Grande, one of Nickelodeon's breakout stars, reflected on her time at the network after allegations of abuse by her network colleagues surfaced in the docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.”
The student of “Victorious” and “Sam & Cat”, who worked in those series with the controversial producer of Nickelodeon Dan Schneider, seemed to process her feelings on work in real time, empathizing with the “devastating” accusations made by survivors and ex-mates. She stars in the explosive documentary Investigation Discovery. (Schneider recently sued to the creators of “Quiet on Set” for defamation, calling the series a “hit job” and saying it falsely implied he was involved in child sexual abuse).
The Grammy winner and “Wicked” star said her personal experience was “beautiful.” However, she insisted that when it comes to child acting, the environment “just needs to be made safer all around.” She also took issue with some of the racer jokes and innuendos that her series called for.
“A lot of people don't have the support they need to perform at that level at such a young age,” Grande said this week on Penn Badgley's “Podcrushed” podcast, “but they also face some of the things that survivors have faced; There is no word to explain how devastating it is to hear that.”
Her relationship with child acting “has and is currently” changing as her experience progresses, and she is just the latest Nickelodeon alum to speak out since the fallout from “Quiet on Set,” although she did not address the series by his name. at the interview.
The 30-year-old artist, who has become more introspective on her latest album and other projects, suggested that therapists be made available to child actors, that parents “be allowed to be wherever they want to be” and that contracts They should facilitate therapy. mandatory two or three times a week to compensate for the “level of exposure” that young stars are expected to face from the beginning.
He also called for mental health professions to be available “to unpack what this life-changing experience does to you so drastically at a young age, at any age.”
“Gossip Girl” and “You” star Badgley said “exploitation” is a real problem for anyone who works, not just in Hollywood or certain settings. Grande agreed that issues of power dynamics and harassment can exist “in any work environment.”
“I'm glad this conversation is happening here and also in the world because it's also kind of a cultural shift that's happening,” he said. “It's not just about actors and singers and whatever. If you ask anyone who has ever worked (ever) if they have ever dealt with a boss who had a really bad ego or temper or who sexually harassed them or even assaulted them. It is everywhere… It is frequent.”
The “Thank U, Next” and “7 Rings” singer lamented that inappropriate behavior has been normalized, but believes things are changing. “I think it's a really nice place to see the world in unison, to be in a place where we think, 'That's changing, that's unacceptable.'”
The superstar began singing professionally at age 8 and began acting at age 13, working in community theater and on Broadway before landing her role in “Victorious” at age 14 alongside her real-life co-star and best friend Elizabeth Gillies. She said she always “had support and friendship around me” and she doesn't believe that at 13 she started “too young.” She also gave credit to her “strict” and “very protective” of her for protecting her and always supporting her in her career “in a healthy way.”
“He chose us and it was the best news we could hear. I mean, we were young artists who just wanted to do this with our lives more than anything, and we did it, and that was so beautiful,” Grande said. “I think we had very special memories and we feel privileged to have been able to create those roles and be a part of something that was so special to a lot of young children. “I think we're re-processing our relationship to it now.”
Touching on the darker side of children's television (the premise of “Quiet on Set”), Grande addressed disturbing aspects of her shows that have “upset” her in retrospect, particularly how, as a young actress, she and her cohort They were exposed to content or performing in ways for which they were not developmentally prepared.
Grande pointed out a “strange pattern” involving a positive feedback loop for young artists when they laugh. He explained that adults working around him may take advantage of the actor if he does something funny, thinking “I'm doing something cool” or “good,” when what's actually causing laughter is something inappropriate for his age.
“Talking specifically about our program, we were convinced that that was something that was the best thing about us,” he said. “We have pushed the limits with our humor. The insinuations, we were convinced [that] It was the brilliant differentiation. …Now, looking back at some of the clips, it's like, 'Damn, really?' Oh shit-'”.
Grande said she wouldn't want to have a daughter who was in similar situations. The adults approved that kind of humor, she explained and that of hers of podcast panelists, which means that there was no spirit of responsibility for children but only a spirit of responsibility for “the final result.”
“And then things that weren't approved for the network got on our website, or whatever, that's another discovery. To start off, yeah, I guess I’m upset,” she said.
In the five-part series “Quiet on Set,” former child star Drake Bell revealed that he had been sexually abused by Nickelodeon speech coach Brian Peck when he was younger, acknowledging that he was the “John Doe” he was accused of. referenced in a criminal case against Picotear. Schneider, whose alleged inappropriate behavior with young actors is central to the docu-series, recalled in a March YouTube video the support he said he provided to Bell and his mother when Peck was convicted.
“Now that Drake Bell has revealed his identity as a plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are shocked and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength needed to move forward,” Nickelodeon said in a statement when the series began. to air in March.
