MovieChat Forums > Orphan (2009) Discussion > Would You Let Your 10 Year Old Daughter ...

Would You Let Your 10 Year Old Daughter Play Esther?

posted 12 years ago by Cookiecrumb444
106 replies | jump to latest

I just saw this film last night, I enjoyed it throughly. However I felt that it was a quite shocking to see such a young girl be so muderous and provocative. My question for you all is if your daughter was offered the part of Eshter, would you let her? I know its acting but I don't think I would let my daughter do such risque and violent scenes. I feel that children these days grow up so fast being exposed to such sexual and violent matters and I would try to shield them from it as much as I could until they are able to handle it. Discuss.

[–] whitespirit26 12 years ago

Well, she's both smart and perfecty innocent in real life still; she's happy, giddy, and not allowed to see R-movies.

[–] Cookiecrumb444 12 years ago

Yes that is all well and good but my question is if your child was offered the part of Esther, would you let her?

[–] whitespirit26 12 years ago

It would depend on her.

[–] eric_m_bi 12 years ago

I don't know whether or not I'd let my daughter; I'd have to see how well adjusted she is to this genre.

[–] Cookiecrumb444 12 years ago

What would it depend on, whitespirit?

[–] whitespirit26 12 years ago

If she's mature, how much she knows of the world (and mental/psychosexual disorders), her schoolwork, her enthusiasm, etc. I WOULD say her feelings towards horror movies, but actually Isabelle's said she's scared of horror films, yet didn't find "Orphan" scary at all because she was in it, and empathized with Esther.

[–] Cookiecrumb444 12 years ago

Oh interesting!

[–] whitespirit26 12 years ago

Thanks.

[–] gallileo60 12 years ago

If she was comfortable doing so...It is always tough on child actors..

You Have a Hard Lip, Herbert..

Better Living Thru Chemistry

[–] joelle-evergreen 12 years ago

i wouldn't let my daughter play that part. i don't think it's appropriate for a child to be exposed to such script and scenes (especially the scene with the father, although nothing really happened but these things kinda get stuck into the child's head). and although i admired Isabelle's acting, i think she did a great job but the answer to the question would still be no...
i guess to make things easier, if it's a movie that i wouldn't want my children to see at an early age, i sure as hell wouldn't want them to be in it.

[–] Cookiecrumb444 12 years ago

I agree 100% with you.

[–] PimpSmackersGOM 12 years ago

If I had a child I'd raise them to be intelligent and mature so they'd have no problem dealing with a role like this.

A superhero never reveals their true identity

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] writerchick89 10 years ago

I agree with you, joelle-evergreen. I don't have children, but if I did, I wouldn't let them either. I wouldn't like my niece or nephew doing it either. I feel like even if you can say some of these child actors are mature for their age, they're still kids, and you want kids to be innocent for as long as possible, not exposed to certain things. I know it can't be helped eventually, but protecting my child (if I had one) would be my main goal as a mother. I'm not saying don't let them do anything or hover over them. I just mean protecting them from things that can harm them mentally, emotionally or physically, aside from normal childhood things like falling off your bike or whatever.

"Not all who wander are lost."--J.R.R. Tolkien

[–] vixxeneyez 9 years ago

beautifully said

[–] whitespirit26 12 years ago

Well, Isabelle knew everything.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] whitespirit26 12 years ago

What a splendid way to raise you.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] whitespirit26 12 years ago

Well thank goodness they didn't show you those things on purpose. Most kids after a certain age won't want to be naked around a cousin anyway, and I don't believe in letting movies teach children things.

[–] catlover11 12 years ago

you are part of the problem with the world today -- 5 year olds watching R rated movies -- AND THE PARENTS CONDONING IT!!!

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] loves_to_dream 12 years ago

I think it would really depend on the maturity of my daughter like someone else posted. Also it depends on how they plan on going about filming the movie. Will my child know exactly what the movie is about or will they tell her something different but that would still get the same results? I know that in the case of a horror movie that is almost impossible to do but it has been done before. Just take The Shining for example. The little boy in the movie who was cast to play Danny was never told that he was filming a horror movie. He was instead told it was a drama. He also did not find out it was a horror movie until he was 13 and was shown an extremely edited version. When he finally saw the original uncut movie he was 17, which would have been 11 years after he filmed the movie.

Land of the Living? Oh, my dear. Now, why go up there when people are dying to get down here?

[–] MarthaJonesSmith 12 years ago

No. I wouldn't let my daughter play a role such as Esther. It makes children grow up too fast and it just seems morally corrupt.

Cameron Bright's role in 'BIRTH' creeps me out too. I think he was way too young for such a role.

LIZ 10:“I’m the bloody Queen, mate. Basically, I rule.”Dr.Who

[–] whitespirit26 12 years ago

Isabelle Fuhrman hasn't; she's still as bubbly and innocent as ever.

[–] MarthaJonesSmith 12 years ago

No, she's no longer as innocent as she was, neither is Dakota Fanning. When children get a glimpss too soon of the adult world, it changes their thoughts, ways of thinking, how they relate to there friends and who they relate to in the future. Their non-showbiz friends may not be ready to understand why their friend had to do such things for a 'job' and money. People will start to perceive them in a more adult manner, there too much mental responsibility that they don't realize that they aren't prepared for and then they end up numbing themselves is various ways to distract their minds from thinking about the changes that they have gone through too soon. Geez, look was happened to Tatum O'Neal and Drew Barrymore! This is why therapist in California and New York make so much money.

LIZ 10:“I’m the bloody Queen, mate. Basically, I rule.”Dr.Who

[–] whitespirit26 12 years ago

For crying out loud, calm down. Isabelle's doing just fine, and still lives and acts like a kid. You're making a load of false assumptions.

[–] MarthaJonesSmith 12 years ago

No, actually I'm not. I didn't say that she wasn't doing 'fine'. I said that her innocence and way of thinking has changed. A child outside of the industry has a more innocent life that one who is inside the industry. No one is upset, it is just experience being conveyed. Thank you.

LIZ 10:“I’m the bloody Queen, mate. Basically, I rule.”Dr.Who

[–] whitespirit26 12 years ago

She's still as happy and bright as a young girl could be, and has been since she finished playing Esther.

[–] cloudslide 12 years ago

A child outside of the industry has a more innocent life that one who is inside the industry.

This is a false assumption. Many children lead hard lives that are considerably more overbearing than "pretending" in a movie.

On top of this it would appear from your standpoint that there should be no children actors outside of G and PG movies. Which is ridiculous.

Hands like Houdini.

[–] whitespirit26 12 years ago

Very true, Cloud. Generally kids who are in higher rated movies are very protected by the nasty parts of that very movie, including by the director themselves.

[–] cloudslide 12 years ago

This was always my understanding of it. That in the end, it's always presented as pretend play for kids, and even in the cases where the crew aren't as secretive about it, I think people underestimate the amount of work that goes into a scene. There could be anywhere up to 10 minutes to hours of breaks inbetween each time the camera changes from one angle to another. So even if in-movie a scene may seem traumatizing, the child would only have been acting out 5-10 second shots of the scene at a time. And they may not even be present for the parts of the sequence that they aren't even on film in.

Though there are some exceptions of course...

Hands like Houdini.

[–] ilykyu 12 years ago

I've seen way more risqué things kids have done...how do you feel about The Beguiled, which had Clint Eastwood flirting and making out with a 12 year old kid, or Julia Styles practically being her father's wife for much of Wicked, or how about the 5 year old making an internet date with a middle aged woman, telling her he wants to have uber disgusting scat games with her and then romantically kissing her in public in You, Me and Everyone We Know? Not to mention Pretty Baby..... Esther wouldn't be a problem for me. Besides, most kids aren't that innocent.

"what is your major malfunction, NUMBNUTS?!!"

[–] Tracey73 12 years ago

I misread your thread title and first thought you were asking if we'd allow our 10 year old daughter to play with Esther lol. Anyways, as much as I respect incredible child actresses such as Isabella Fuhrman, I would not allow my own child that age to portray such an adult-type role.

I'm reaching for the life within me. How can one man stop his ending. ~ Blue October