Demi Lovato has seen and experienced enough to know she would never want a child of her own to follow the path she took to stardom.
Promoting her upcoming documentary, “Child Star,” which examines the effects of childhood stardom through the lense of several famed actors and actresses such as Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci and Kenan Thompson, Lovato spoke about her life in the limelight from an early age.
“When I got into the industry at a young age, I guess, there was a conscious decision of, ‘Are you okay sacrificing a normal childhood for your hopes and dreams,'” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
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Both Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, pictured center and second from the right, appeared on “Barney & Friends.” (Everett/Shutterstock )
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Appearing on “Barney & Friends” when she was 6 years old, Lovato reached international stardom as the lead in Disney Channel’s original movie, “Camp Rock,” with the Jonas Brothers. She was 15.
She does not remember much after the movie premiered. During the filming of the sequel, she was struggling with body-image issues as well as drug use. She ended up punching a back-up dancer on the “Camp Rock 2” tour, which led to one of several rehab stints.
Demi Lovato starred alongside Nick, Kevin and Joe Jonas in the “Camp Rock” franchise. (Bob D’Amico/Disney Channel via Getty Images)
“I think I’d passed the threshold of what I could withstand emotionally and physically,” she said of how she reacted at the time. “And I didn’t realize that child stardom could be traumatic — and it isn’t traumatic for everyone, but for me, it was.”
Demi Lovato was the star of her own show, “Sonny with a Chance,” for two seasons. (Adam Rose/Disney Channel via Getty Images)
“At Disney, you became this instant role model, whether you liked it or not,” Lovato explained. “And because Disney Channel was so big at the time, there was also this unspoken pressure that if you did make a mistake, you knew that there were millions of people just waiting to take your spot.”
“I didn’t realize that child stardom could be traumatic — and it isn’t traumatic for everyone, but for me, it was.”
— Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato co-directs and appears in the upcoming documentary “Child Star.” (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
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However, she insists she has no regrets.
“Sometimes I can dwell on the past, but every experience that I’ve had, including the good, the bad and the ugly – they’ve all turned me into the person that I am today. And ultimately, I’m just grateful for the experiences I’ve had in my life.”
Lovato, who is now engaged to musician Jordan “Jutes” Lutes, said her experiences have made one thing abundantly clear: she does not want this for her own child.
At 32, Lovato knows exactly what she would tell her child if they wanted to have a similar career trajectory as her.
Now engaged, Demi Lovato has thought about what she would say to her future child if they wanted to follow a similar path of child stardom. (Stefanie Keenan/VF24/WireImage for Vanity Fair)
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“I’d say, ‘Let’s study music theory and prepare you for the day you turn 18, because it’s not happening before that. Not because I don’t believe in you or love you or want you to be happy, but because I want you to have a childhood, the childhood that I didn’t have,’” she stated.
“‘And also, let’s come up with a backup plan,’ which is something I wish I’d done because sometimes I think it’s time for me to move on, but I’m in this weird position in my career because I still rely on music for my income.”
Lovato’s documentary, which she also co-directed, premieres on Hulu on Sept. 17.
Caroline Thayer is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Follow Caroline Thayer on Twitter at @carolinejthayer. Story tips can be sent to caroline.thayer@fox.com.
