In the early 1990s, the world fell in love with the adorable Mara Wilson, the child actor known for playing the precocious little girl in family classics like Mrs. Doubtfire and Miracle on 34th Street.
The young star, who turned 37 on July 24, seemed poised for success but as she grew older, she stopped being “cute” and disappeared from the big screen.
“Hollywood was burned out on me,” she says, adding that “if you’re not cute anymore, if you’re not beautiful, then you are worthless.
In 1993, five-year-old Mara Wilson stole the hearts of millions of fans when she starred as Robin Williams’ youngest child in Mrs. Doubtfire.
The California-born star had previously appeared in commercials when she received the invitation to star in one of the biggest-grossing comedies in Hollywood history.
“My parents were proud, but they kept me grounded. If I ever said something like, ‘I’m the greatest!’ my mother would remind me, ‘You’re just an actor. You’re just a kid,’” Wilson, now 37, said.
After her big screen debut, she won the role of Susan Walker – the same role played by Natalie Wood in 1947 – in 1994’s Miracle on 34th Street.
In an essay for the Guardian, Wilson writes of her audition, “I read my lines for the production team and told them I didn’t believe in Santa Claus.” Referencing the Oscar-winning actor who played her mom in Mrs. Doubtfire, she continues, “but I did believe in the tooth fairy and had named mine after Sally Field.”
‘Most unhappy’
Next, Wilson played the magical girl in 1996’s Matilda, starring alongside Danny DeVito and his real-life wife Rhea Perlman.
It was also the same year her mother, Suzie, lost her battle with breast cancer.
“I didn’t really know who I was…There was who I was before that, and who I was after that. She was like this omnipresent thing in my life,” Wilson says of the deep grief she experienced after losing her mother. She adds, “I found it kind of overwhelming. Most of the time, I just wanted to be a normal kid, especially after my mother died.”
The young girl was exhausted and when she was “very famous,” she says she “was the most unhappy.”
When she was 11, she begrudgingly played her last major role in the 2000 fantasy adventure film Thomas and the Magic Railroad. “The characters were too young. At 11, I had a visceral reaction to [the] script…Ugh, I thought. How cute,” she tells the Guardian.
‘Burned out’
But her exit from Hollywood wasn’t only her decision.
As a young teenager, the roles weren’t coming in for Wilson, who was going through puberty and outgrowing the “cute.”
She was “just another weird, nerdy, loud girl with bad teeth and bad hair, whose bra strap was always showing.”
“At 13, no one had called me cute or mentioned the way I looked in years, at least not in a positive way,” she says.
Wilson was forced to deal with the pressures of fame and the challenges of transitioning to adulthood in the public eye. Her changing image had a profound effect on her.
“I had this Hollywood idea that if you’re not cute anymore, if you’re not beautiful, then you are worthless. Because I directly tied that to the demise of my career. Even though I was sort of burned out on it, and Hollywood was burned out on me, it still doesn’t feel good to be rejected.”
Mara as the writer
Wilson, now a writer, authored her first book “Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame,” in 2016.
The book discusses “everything from what she learned about sex on the set of Melrose Place, to discovering in adolescence that she was no longer ‘cute’ enough for Hollywood, these essays chart her journey from accidental fame to relative (but happy) obscurity.”
She also wrote “Good Girls Don’t” a memoir that examines her life as a child actor living up to expectations.
“Being cute just made me miserable,” she writes in her essay for the Guardian. “I had always thought it would be me giving up acting, not the other way around.”
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The Importance of Praying at 3 AM and Midnight
Prayer as a Means of Communication with God
A cornerstone of the Christian faith has always been the practice of regular prayer. Although praying at three in the morning is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, it does contain examples of committed worshippers who made this choice.
One of the most famous tales is perhaps the one about Paul and Silas, who dedicated their lives to prayer and worshiping God even when they were imprisoned. Their steadfast faith is a lovely example of the importance of prayer in building a solid relationship with God.
The Importance of Self-Control and Commitment
The Bible exhorts its readers to pray at appointed times in order to demonstrate the virtues of discipline and dedication. It’s a common belief that prayer during particular hours facilitates a closer relationship with God and increases one’s capacity to receive His benefits. In addition, the silence of the early morning and midnight hours creates a distraction-free atmosphere that is ideal for meditation and focus.
A Moment to Resist Malevolent Spirits
It is best to pray in the late hours of the night, when darkness is heavy and most people are asleep. It is thought that these hours, from 12:00 AM to 2:00 AM, are when spiritual activity is at its peak and when evil forces are concentrated. One can successfully ward off bad spirits and defend themselves against the powers of darkness by praying during this period.
Taking in the Calm of the Early Morning
Prayer is a great way to ask God for forgiveness and mercy because of the quiet and peacefulness of the early morning hours. It is acceptable to freely and respectfully admit one’s flaws and failings in this calm setting. People who pray at this time can benefit in a number of ways, including as better physical health, sound sleep, and the knowledge that God is keeping an eye on them all day.
An increased sense of fulfillment and purpose
People who begin their days with a reviving and stimulating prayer session can confront life’s obstacles with a revitalized feeling of fulfillment and purpose. The benefits of this spiritual practice are not limited to the morning hours; they are felt throughout the day. By praying, one can develop a more personal and intimate relationship with God and become aware of God’s loving presence in their day-to-day life.
In conclusion, the Bible exhorts believers to pray as a way of developing a relationship with God, even though it does not expressly command praying at three in the morning. It is believed that worshiping during specific hours, such as early morning and midnight, yields better spiritual blessings and a more meaningful encounter with the divine. However, prayer is considered disciplined and devotional at any time of the day.
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