Matilda’s Mara Wilson Is An Adult Now, And She Looks Like A Totally Different Person
Mara Wilson was one of the most recognizable child stars of the 1990s. At one point, it felt like the young woman was barely off our screens thanks to roles in Matilda, Miracle on 34th Street, and, of course, Mrs. Doubtfire. But following her appearance in Thomas and the Magic Railroad at the turn of the century, she appeared to disappear off the planet entirely. But with the release of Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical in 2022, people are wondering what happened to Wilson along the way.
Losing her mother
Things actually started to change for the young Wilson during the filming of Matilda. Wilson’s mother, Suzie, tragically passed away in April 1996 — a little over 13 months after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis. Understandably, this devastating loss had a profound impact on the young girl. Aside from the personal trauma she suffered, Wilson later admitted that her interest in acting suffered as a result of her loss.
A helping hand
"I was eight years old," Wilson recalled in 2013. "It was very hard... and [Danny DeVito and wife Rhea Perlman] were very nice. While my mom was sick and in the hospital, they would invite me over and take care of me and get my mind off things. I felt very familial." But her acting career did noticeably slow down afterward.
What happened
And for all those wondering what became of the cute little girl from Matilda, Wilson published her memoir, Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame, in 2016. As its title suggests, the book saw Wilson ruminate on her early child-star career and how she coped with being in the spotlight at such a young age.
Personal struggles
And it turns out that Wilson had a number of struggles as a kid. In fact, she was officially diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) at the age of just 12. And she later found out she also had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This would have been at the time when Wilson’s career was starting to veer away from acting, too.
