Her mother was an aspiring actress who seemed unprepared for motherhood, and her father, an actor struggling with alcoholism, was rarely present.
She followed in her parents’ footsteps and started her career in show business at a young age, appearing in Ken Russell’s “Altered States” at the age of five. But when she played Gertie in Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” at the age of seven, she made her big break. Her parents’ divorce caused turmoil in her home life even if she was successful professionally. “I had the impression that I was looking after them. It was all extremely surreal,” she said.
From an early age, the actress identified herself as a “party girl” and struggled with substance misuse. She began blending Baileys with her ice cream at the age of seven, which led to frequent outings with her mother by the age of eight, and a drinking addiction by the age of eleven.
She struggled with heroin addiction by the age of 12, and at 13 she attempted suicide. Despite its challenges, her mother’s choice to check her into a mental health facility when she was 13 was a turning point in her life. She formally separated from her parents at the age of 14.
She acknowledged the experience’s transforming power even if it was intimidating. “It was the best thing I could have done for myself.” I learned boundaries from it,” she said.
In addition to her parents, she was godfathered by Steven Spielberg, the director of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.” But when things got rough, she tended to deal with things on her own rather than asking for his advice.
She found independent living difficult at the age of 14, struggling with problems including dangerous living circumstances and unemployment by the time she was fifteen. Her parents had legally separated by then.
She explored the dating environment while keeping her attention on her girls, even though she had a turbulent upbringing. She wants to be a better mom to her kids by using her personal experiences as a guide.
