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From his days as a child starring in films like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies , it's been a long time coming. Which got me thinking...what other child actors deserve their day in the sun? Paramount Pictures
Here are 21 child actors who deserve more respect on their names: 1. Jake Lloyd People basically ruined this man's life with online harassment, but he was a big part of my childhood with his roles in both Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and Jingle All the Way . If he ever wanted to return to Hollywood, I hope he'd be welcome back with open arms.
But, mentally and emotionally, I hope he recovers...and that should come before anything.
Lucasfilm 2. Dakota Fanning Speaking of people being jerks to child actors for their performances, I thought Fanning portrayed a very believable scared girl during *checks notes* an alien invasion.
She still acts but has yet to land that big mainstream leading role, so I say give her a chance.
Ivan Romano / Getty Images 3. Noah Wiseman Especially in today's era, people use "cringe" when describing child actors. One, that's messed up. They're children. Two, they are portraying children in real life, which is usually pretty random and has undeveloped behavior.
This brings me to Noah Grossman's performance in The Babadook . He made it easy for the audience to find him annoying and feel bad for him from beginning to end. I'd love to see the young Aussie actor take on more roles.
Umbrella Entertainment 4. Edward Furlong We should bring back John Conner while we're at it.
Furlong had roles in films like T2: Judgment Day and Pet Semetary 2 but hasn't seen much work nowadays. Let's ease him back into a supporting role and see where it goes!
Gilbert Carrasquillo / Getty Images 5. Tatyana Ali Ali has most recently starred in the Bel-Air spinoff, but it would be nice if that were a gateway into more acting opportunities.
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images 6. Jeremy Sumpter Most recognized for playing the lead role in Peter Pan , he hasn't really had a big role like that again. He's clearly very capable, and I'm sure Pan fans wouldn't hate seeing him get another run.
Steven Simione / Getty Images 7. Malcolm David Kelley After playing Walt Lloyd in Lost , he has appeared in limited TV roles. He has focused more on his music career, but seeing him move up the ladder in movie roles would be nice.
David Livingston / Getty Images 8. Rupert Grint Grint might finally be shaking off the Ronald Weasley name after starring in Knock at the Cabin . The other two Potter child actors have had lead roles in mainstream movies, so I think it's time to give Grint his due.
Cindy Ord / Getty Images 9. Aly Michalka Growing up, I had a big crush on her when she starred in Phil of the Future , but she never really received acting roles beyond TV.
Like all of the actors on this list, with age comes experience, so it'd be nice to give her the reins in a leading or supporting role for a film.
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images 10. Macaulay Culkin I was never a Home Alone guy, but Culkin's performance in The Good Son messed me up as a kid.
You're telling me Culkin wouldn't knock a horror role out of the park again? He could...if he wanted to.
Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images 11. Hillary Duff Duff has stayed busy with shows like Younger and How I Met Your Father, but she has never shaken off that Lizzie McGuire role.
It'd be nice to see her land a role that could ignite a new run for a movie acting career.
Daniele Venturelli / Getty Images 12. Haley Joel Osment Besides The Boys , What We Do in the Shadows, and Tusk , I can't recall seeing the beloved Sixth Sense star. Perhaps it's time he gets a Joaquin Phoenix-like in something to showcase his character acting ability.
Amy Sussman / Getty Images 13. Thora Birch Name all her movies you want, but Birch will always be Dani from Hocus Pocus to me. That said, she has gotten the short end of the stick as time has passed, and I'd love to see her in more prominent roles.
Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images 14. Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Lohan announced recently that she is having a baby , but that shouldn't stop her from pursuing a return to leading roles (if she wants).
Off-screen incidents have distracted the masses from the fact that she is honestly a solid actor. Like many on this list, personal health over stardom is the most important factor, but if she was down, I say give her a shot.
Hippolyte Petit / Getty Images 15. Mason Thames Thames is only 15, but after seeing his performance in The Black Phone, he should be in much more going forward.
Momodu Mansaray / Getty Images 16. Kyliegh Curran Curran was phenomenal in Doctor Sleep, and although she is still young, it'd be nice to see her in more leading roles wherever necessary.
I'm very excited to see her a part of a loaded cast for Mike Flanagan's take on The Fall of the House of Usher .
Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images 17. Maisie Williams The Game of Thrones star has had limited movie roles since the end of the beloved HBO show. Her next TV series is The New Look , a show about Dior/Chanel.
Hopefully, we will see Williams, who brought Arya Stark to life, receive more opportunities on the big screen.
Taylor Hill / Getty Images Are there any child actors you loved growing up that you believe deserve better? Comment below! View comments