Celebrity deaths have a way of upsetting the public, especially when fans had grown up with certain famous people. Case in point: actress Michelle Trachtenberg's death is still being felt by her generations of fans. Information about the Buffy cast member are still trickling out, and Matilda actress Mara Wilson recently shared what their friendship was like, and how the late actress was bullied as a kid due to her fame.
In the weeks since her passing, tributes have been rolling in for Trachtenberg, who touched many lives thanks to her work in projects like Harriet The Spy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which is streaming with a Hulu subscription) and Gossip Girl. Former child actress Mara Wilson penned a lovely tribute to her late friend for Vulture, and revealed the pain that came with being a famous kid. She recalled one incident where Trachtenberg opened up about being bullied, offering:
‘Because they are to me,’ she said, tearing up. ‘They call me Harriet the Slut, Harriet the Bitch, Harriet the Bitchy Spy … and so much worse. They never stop.’ I had never seen Michelle cry before. I’d never seen her anything other than perfectly composed and confident. That’s what it was, I realized. That’s why they said she was ‘mean.’ Because they were mean to her first, then when she went on the defense, they called her a bitch.
Middle and High School is a difficult time for most of us, but I can't imagine all the negative attention that would come a child actor's way. Kids are already cruel, and Trachtenberg's notability seemingly only made her a target for more harassment. And per Wilson's assessment, she was called a "bitch" when sticking up for herself.
In her op-ed, Wilson went on to explain why child actors being targeted by their peers was so "cruelly ironic." In her words:
It wasn’t just that she was being bullied; it was that there wasn’t any way she could get them not to hate her. So much of being a child actor is about making everyone happy. It felt cruelly ironic to be so hated when our raison d’être was getting people to like us.
She's not wrong. One has to assume that the behavior she saw from others while being a child star is part of the reason why Mara Wilson ultimately decided to stop acting (although she did have a Broad City cameo in an episode inspired by Mrs. Doubtfire).
After Gossip Girl cast mates paid tribute to Trachtenberg, information about the late actress' health issues started being released to the public. Foul play was ultimately not suspected in her tragic passing, but that doesn't make her passing at just 39 years old any less tragic. The late actress was loved, including by fellow child stars like Wilson.
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