Candace Cameron Bure weighed in on how to protect the next generation of child stars following the death of Hayden Panettiere.
“Everyone’s experience is so different, and I think the time in your life, the decade that you’re a child actor, has something to do with it,” the actress, 50, exclusively told Us on Tuesday, August 25, while discussing her upcoming appearance on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test season 5. “As someone who grew up on television in the ’80s and ’90s is a very different experience from what it is today.”
Bure got her start in Hollywood as a child actress starring on the sitcom Full House. Panettiere was in the next generation of child actors as she appeared on One Life to Live before her breakout role in Heroes and branching out to teen movies including Ice Princess, Bring It On: All or Nothing and more. News broke earlier this month that Panettiere died from an apparent overdose at the age of 36. An autopsy report found no signs of trauma or injuries in Panettiere but an official cause of death has not been found amid ongoing tests and investigation.
“I’ve always said for years, I’ve said it really is dependent upon your parents because they’re the ones that are making the decisions for their child,” Bure continued. “And when you have parents that are looking out for your well-being over stardom, that’s going to make all of the difference. That’s why you can be in entertainment and have a great experience.”
Bure added that her experience on Full House was a “great” one.
“That was the case for me. And I can easily say that that was the same experience for the other people or the other kids when we were all kids on Full House. We had a great experience,” she said. “We all had really good grounded parents, and they made good choices for us.”
Bure admitted that she is not aware of the current protections in place for child actors today, she believes that today’s generation should “be cautious of the people you surround yourself with.”
While Bure’s children, Natasha, Lev, and Maksim, opted not to pursue acting, she shared her advice for parents who find themselves going down that path.
“If the child is like, ‘I love this, I want to perform, I’d like to be on that,’ … give your child that opportunity and protect them while they’re getting that opportunity,” she said. “But if the parents are saying, ‘I want my child to have the career that I never’ had-that’s a red flag for me. Then it’s about you trying to help your child become a star out of a desire from your own heart, not necessarily what’s best for the child. And that’s where I think that decision-making can get really dicey.”
Bure has come a long way from her Full House days as she is one of the top leading ladies on Great American Family. She’s also getting out of her comfort zone as one of the competitors on the upcoming season of Special Forces.
“I just turned 50, and this was the year of saying yes. I really do say yes to the things that scare me in life, the things that I’m fearful about,” she told Us of accepting the opportunity. “That was like saying yes to Dancing with the Stars and even yes to The Masked Singer, those are the only two reality shows I’ve ever done before, and I’ve watched Special Forces seasons in the past, and I’ve always liked the show.”
After nearly forty years in Hollywood, Candace Cameron Bure — who turns 50 in April — is feeling more sure of herself than ever. While her conservative values have come at a cost for the actress, producer and podcast host, she’s telling Us why she refuses to compromise or keep quiet. “Every decade of my […]
Bure confessed she was unsure if she would say yes to the opportunity at first because of how “terrifying” some of the show’s challenges can be. After embarking on a “fitness and health journey,” Bure decided to say yes.
“I really wanted to prepare in this next decade of my life and turning 50 and being in perimenopause, like all the things that are changing within your body. I think all of those things added up,” she told Us. “And I was like, ‘you know what? I’m gonna say yes to this and actually see if I’ve got what it takes, and really push myself to the limits of whatever that is.’ I don’t know what my limits are, so that’s why I did the show. I just kind of wanted to see what I was capable of.”
In addition to Special Forces, Bure is going back on tour. Her Evening With Candace Cameron Bure Tour is an evening full of conversation about faith and women’s health as well as some fun games. Bure gushed she is “beyond excited” to hit the road to eight different cities starting on September 9.
“I wanted to expand the tour for this year,” she said. “It’s a fun night for ladies, and it’s very interactive with the audience. That’s really why I’m doing it. I’ve been behind the camera for so long, and even on my podcast, I’m behind a microphone. But I love relationship. I love community. I love being with people in person, and so this is an opportunity for me to share with people all the things that I’m already doing and talking about, but live in person.”
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test season 5 premieres on September 24 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.
