The curse of the child star

Hollywood can be tough on its young stars.
Whether they're in it for the art or for the adulation, there's little to prepare you for the onslaught of the media, the scrutiny of the public and the rest of the trappings that come with fame. 'Twilight' star Robert Pattinson has recently said that he has shrunk away from life in public because of the problems that come with it. "I'll be walking down the street, and people'll be like, 'F*ck you!'" he told Vanity Fair recently. "And I get a lot of people wanting to beat me up. Men in bars and stuff. I just leave." Here we look at
the young stars Hollywood has chewed up, and in some cases, spat out.

Corey Haim and Corey Feldman
'The Lost Boys' and 'The Goonies' made Corey Haim and Corey Feldman the highest paid teenage stars of the 80s. But things unravelled, both battling problems with drugs and their dwindling currency in the movie business. After starring in two series of reality show 'The Two Coreys', Haim died from an accidental overdose in March 2010. Feldman chastised organisers of the 2011 Academy Awards for failing to include Haim in their annual memorial reel.

Edward Furlong
Playing the young John Connor in 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day' aged 13 opened the door to Hollywood
for Edward Furlong. But from the late 90s onwards, he suffered repeated issues with drug use telling Wenn news: "I was a nice little kid. Hollywood f**ked me up, man!" he said. "Lots of money and lots of free coke will turn anyone into a cokehead. I was a heroin and cocaine addict. It was really scary. The first year of quitting (drugs) is the hardest thing I've ever had to do, physically and mentally."

Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore was born to an acting dynasty, her family being a part of Hollywood right back to the  silent era. She was seven when she was cast in Spielberg's 'E.T.', but by nine was smoking, and by 11,
drinking alcohol. She began smoking marijuana at 12, and then moved onto cocaine at 13, upon which she was admitted to rehab, which was followed by a suicide attempt. After being legally emancipated from her parents, she continued to pursue her film career, and by the mid-90s had launched a successful film production company which produced the 'Charlie's Angels' films, 'Donnie Darko' and 2009's cult hit 'Whip It!'

Mary-Kate Olson
With twin sister Ashley, Mary-Kate Olson shot to stardom aged nine months in hit US TV show 'Full House', both alternating in the roll of Michelle Tanner. Later projects like 'The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley' made them vastly wealthy, Forbes citing them to be worth $100 million in 2007. In 2004, however, Mary-Kate underwent treatment for anorexia, and revealed that she also suffered ADHD.

Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan has become considerably more famous for her run-ins with the law than her acting, which began aged 11 when she starred in a remake of 'The Parent Trap'. She began attending AA meetings in 2006, aged 20, and has been arrested for DUI twice, went to jail for 14 days of a three month sentence in 2010 for violating probation, and was charged with felony grand theft of a $2500 necklace in February, 2011.

Miley Cyrus
The daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus scooped worldwide fame playing the title role in Disney sitcom 'Hannah Montana'. Controversy surrounded a video posted on the TMZ website in 2010 which showed her reportedly smoking legal high salvia divinorum through a bong. Cyrus's father tweeted of his disappointment, saying: "Sorry guys. I had no idea. Just saw this stuff for the first time myself. I'm so sad. There is much beyond my control right now."

Haley Joel Osment
By the time Haley Joel Osment was 10 he'd already had parts on TV shows like 'Ally McBeal' and starred alongside Tom Hanks in 'Forrest Gump'. His breakthrough role as the psychic child in 'The Sixth Sense' sent his stock soaring. But in 2006 after crashing and rolling his car, he was found to be under the influence of alcohol and in possession of drugs. He received three years probation, had to attend 60 hours of alcohol rehab and 26 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Macauley Culkin
A classic case of the child star gone bad, Culkin became huge after roles in 'Home Alone', 'Richie Rich' and 'Uncle Buck', and became a close friend of Michael Jackson. But in 2004, he was arrested in Oklahoma City for possession of marijuana and sedatives. After pleading guilty, he received three suspended sentences, a $540 fine and was enrolled in a drug treatment program.