creeps

Mara Wilson Has Put Up With Questions About Her Love Life Since She Was 6

Mara Wilson. Photo: Ari Scott

Mara Wilson, the former child actor you likely remember from Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire, is now 29. She’s also the author of a new book of essays, Where Am I Now?: Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame, in which she reflects on the particular weirdness of being a child star. For example, putting up with creepy questions from clueless adults. She elaborated on this in an interview with A.V. Club:

I can’t even count how many times I did interviews with people and they asked me if I had a boyfriend. Keep in mind that I was, I guess, mild to moderately famous from ages 6 to 13. Of course, I didn’t have a boyfriend then. I didn’t even have a camp boyfriend then. I was such a nerd. It just wasn’t something I would have wanted. And I didn’t want to act like an adult.

You’d think by now, Wilson would be done dealing with people bent on sexualizing her childhood self — but no, apparently not. “I do have guys every now and then who say — it’s always guys by the way, it’s never women — who say, ‘You were my childhood crush, can we date?’” she said. “And I’m like, ‘There’s something kind of creepy about that. Do you hear yourself?’”

Mara Wilson Has Been Asked About Boyfriends Since Age 6