11 Child Stars Who Revealed What It Was Really Like Going To Public School

For many young actors in Hollywood, their time is split between working on movie sets and catching up on coursework in the classroom. While child stars often opt to be homeschooled to accommodate their busy schedules, some choose a more typical schooling experience. When they’re not in front of the camera, these kid actors make time to attend public school so that they can learn among their peers and gain some normalcy in their lives. While balancing an acting career and time in the classroom can be tough, they often see it as an invaluable life experience. Unfortunately, many of these stars admit they have to deal with the downsides of public school too, like bullying and tough teachers -- and eventually realize it isn’t the right choice for them. Find out what it was like for these young stars at school… 1. Taylor Momsen Taylor Momsen grew up in front of the camera, appearing in How The Grinch Stole Christmas before landing her starring role on Gossip Girl. But before committing to acting full-time, she still attended a public elementary school, which she says was a pretty negative experience due to the bullying she experienced. Although she says she “got used to it” over time, it still “was alienating.” Thankfully, when she got to middle school, she was able to make real friends. “The Grinch changed my life in a multitude of ways -- one of them being I was made fun of relentlessly,” she said on the Podcrushed podcast. “Every time I would start a new school or go somewhere else, I don’t even think the kids knew my name. I was just Grinch Girl. Not even the character name, just Grinch Girl.” 2. Natalie Portman Natalie Portman was still a preteen when she began her acting career but she continued to attend public school. She tried to keep her two lives very separate, even choosing a stage name so people wouldn’t connect her two identities. While she admits she would get “upset” if people called her by her stage name in school, she says that for the most part, no one really seemed to care that she was an actress. “I went to a public high school on Long Island, Syosset High School,” she said during a commencement speech at Harvard. “Since I’m ancient and the Internet was just starting when I was in high school, people didn’t really pay that much attention to the fact that I was an actress. I was known mainly at school for having a backpack bigger than I was and always having white-out on my hands because I hated seeing anything crossed out in my notebooks. I was voted for my senior yearbook most likely to be a contestant on Jeopardy’ -- or code for nerdiest.” 3. Taylor Lautner Taylor Lautner was a star on the rise when he was still in middle school, appearing in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl as well as many TV shows and commercials. Looking back, Taylor says he was definitely bullied by some of his classmates. He ended up later taking the California High School Proficiency Examination so he could focus on acting. “Because I was act­ing, when I was in school there was a little bullying going on. Not physical bullying but people making fun of what I do ... I just had to tell myself I can’t let this get to me. This is what I love to do. And I’m going to continue doing it,” he told Rolling Stone. 4. Sarah Michelle Gellar Growing up, Sarah Michelle Gellar split her time between film sets and an elite prep school in New York City. Looking back, Sarah says she didn’t fit in because she wasn’t as wealthy as her classmates and her work as an actress made her different. “I was different and that’s the one thing you can’t be at school, because you’re ostracized. I didn’t have the money these kids had,” she told The Independent. “I can remember this kid having an engraved Tiffany money-clip when I barely had enough money for my bus pass. It was amazing to see what excessive wealth at an early age and lack of parental supervision breeds.” She later went on to attend New York’s Professional Children’s School, which ended up being a better fit for her. 5. Christina Ricci Christina Ricci may have been a child star but she says she was thankfully able to have a normal schooling experience. Despite her fame, Christina avoided talking about her career at school and managed to keep a completely separate life. “I was smart enough at the time to immediately understand that I would not be accepted by my peers if I spoke about my career when I came back to school, so I never talked about it. I made a point of ignoring it and avoiding it. I was able to be very focused and disciplined in a way I think people were surprised by because it’s not necessarily a trait children have very often. But other than that I think I was pretty normal,” she shared with Empire Magazine. 6. Mila Kunis Despite beginning her acting career when she was just nine, Mila Kunis’ parents always