Demi Lovato’s Directorial Debut Investigates Impact of Being a Child Star
Demi Lovato is making her directorial debut about something she lived through herself: the realities of being a child star. The singer, who made her television debut in 2002 when she was just ten years old, starred in Barney & Friends. Six years later, she booked her breakout role on Disney’s movie Camp Rock, alongside the Jonas Brothers.
For her upcoming Hulu documentary, tentatively titled Child Star, Demi, 30, said that “There is no better film or topic for my directorial debut than this story, which is close to home.” She told Deadline. “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.”
According to Hulu, “The film will deconstruct the highs and lows of growing up in the spotlight through the lens of some of the world’s most famous former child stars, including Lovato.” Child Star will explore “how children are propelled to superstardom at a young age, and how their rise to fame, fortune and power affects their futures.”
The “Dancing With The Devil” singer added, “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.”
As we’ve previously reported, Lovato revealed she lost her virginity to rape when she was 15 years old. To cope, the actress, who had to see the person “all the time,” would cut herself and throw up. She said, “My bulimia got so bad that I started throwing up blood for the first time.”
On the night of Demi’s famed 2018 overdose, she was sexually assaulted by her drug dealer. She says he laced the heroin with fentanyl. “When they found me, I was naked and I was blue. I was literally left for dead after he took advantage of me. When I woke up in the hospital, they asked me if I’d had consensual sex. There was one flash I had of him on top of me. I saw that flash and said, ‘Yes.’”
She adds, “It wasn’t until a month after my overdose until I realized, ‘You weren’t in any state of mind to make a consensual decision.’”
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The other participants in the film have yet to be revealed. Their experience growing up in the spotlight will be chronicled through intimate conversations led by Lovato, verité footage and archival material. The documentary will be released on Hulu sometime in 2024.
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