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There was a time when we’d watch a movie or a sitcom and see these child actors living out the kind of lives we wished were ours. Be Charlie Bucket and get invited to a chocolate factory? Yes, please. They played these roles so well that they became a part of our childhood, and then, slowly, we stopped seeing them. You know that feeling when you try to remember their name but can only describe the character? And if someone asks where they are now, you’ve got nothing. Well, not anymore, because I went ahead and looked them up—for you, for me, for all of us.

Here are 20 child actors you haven’t thought about in YEARS and where they are now.

Atticus Shaffer was just 10 when he landed the role of Brick Heck on The Middle, and for a while, it felt like he was everywhere. But once the show wrapped, he kind of slipped off the radar.

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Turns out, he didn’t disappear—he just switched gears. Shaffer leaned into voice acting, working on a bunch of animated shows behind the scenes. These days, he’s also a content creator, streaming on Twitch, posting about video games, and sharing stories with his audience.

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Here’s Shaffer—then and now.

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We all knew Paul Butcher as Dustin Brooks from Zoey 101.

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But he didn’t step away from the spotlight entirely. After Zoey 101, he went on to study film and music at UCLA, and has since been building a career as a singer and songwriter. He’s still very much in the entertainment world, just doing his own thing now.

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Here’s Butcher—then and now.

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Frankie Muniz was just 14 when Malcolm in the Middle premiered in 2000, basically becoming one of the most recognizable teen stars overnight.

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But at the height of his acting career, he took a sharp turn, stepping away from Hollywood in 2004 to focus on racing. That wasn’t just a phase, either. Muniz has fully leaned into it and is now a professional race car driver, competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Reaume Brothers Racing. And yes, he’s officially back on screen too, returning for the Malcolm in the Middle revival, Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

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Here’s Muniz—then and now.

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Alyson Stoner was just 10 when they appeared in Cheaper by the Dozen.

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Now 32, Stoner has taken a very different path. They’re a mental health practitioner, author, and advocate, focusing on mental health support for artists. They also founded Movement Genius, a platform that provides therapist-led wellness programs, combining their background in performance with a more purpose-driven approach today.

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Here’s Stoner—then and now.

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Taylor Momsen, aka our very own Cindy Lou Who, was just seven when she starred in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

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She later went on to become a familiar face on Gossip Girl, but then quietly stepped away from acting altogether. Instead, Momsen fully leaned into music. Now 32, she’s the frontwoman of her rock band, The Pretty Reckless, and has been consistently putting out music and touring, yes, including in 2026.

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Here’s Momsen—then and now.

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Hayden Panettiere was just 16 when she starred in Heroes, though she had already been acting for years before that, including a role on One Life to Live.

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She continued working, later taking on a major role in Nashville, but then stepped away for about four years to focus on her health and sobriety. Since then, Panettiere has made her way back to the screen, returning with Scream VI in 2023 and, more recently, appearing in the thriller Sleepwalker, released in January 2026.

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Here’s Panettiere—then and now.

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Mara Wilson was just eight when she starred in Matilda, quickly becoming one of the most recognizable child actors of the ’90s.

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But not long after, Wilson stepped away from acting altogether. She chose to leave Hollywood and focus on her education, and has since built

20 Child Stars You Forgot About & Where Are They Now