Demi Lovato Investigates Impact of Child Stardom in Directorial Debut

Demi Lovato is going back to her roots.

For her upcoming directorial debut—a Hulu documentary tentatively titled Child Star—the singer and actress is tackling a topic she knows quite a bit about: the realities of childhood stardom. 

"The film will explore how children are propelled to superstardom at a young age," according to the streamer, "and how their rise to fame, fortune and power affects their futures."

Demi made her television debut on Barney & Friends in 2002 when she was just 10 years old. She booked her breakout role on the Disney Channel movie Camp Rock, alongside the Jonas Brothers, in 2008.

"There is no better film or topic for my directorial debut than this story, which is close to home," Demi said in a statement. "Our project sheds light on important messages about growing up in the public eye, learning to protect our boundaries and becoming active advocates of our own destinies."

The Sonny With a Chance star continued, "I'm humbled to be able to learn from the individuals who have lived the unique experience of child stardom and share their stories in our film."

In addition to Demi, the film will "chronicle a number of child stars, pulling back the curtain on both their personal struggles and triumphs while growing up in the limelight, and whether that experience drove them deeper into the world of entertainment, or to escape it entirely," according to Hulu.

At the moment, the other participating names "are being held under tight wraps."

Demi first teased the documentary during an August appearance the Call Her Daddy podcast. 

When host Alex Cooper asked Demi if she had ever discussed the "Disney machine" with other former network alums, Demi revealed, "I think over the years we've talked about it for sure, but I do have a project in the works where I want to talk to some of those people about their experiences." 

The documentary—co-directed alongside Nicola Marsh and produced by Michael D. Ratner's OBB Pictures, a division of OBB Media, Lovato's production company, DLG, and Scooter Braun's SB Projects—will hit Hulu sometime in 2024.

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