'My Girl' Star Anna Chlumsky On Why She's Acting Again (VIDEO) | HuffPost

Former Child Star Anna Chlumsky Is Back

Former child star Anna Chlumsky returns to the spotlight this week, playing the chief of staff to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ vice president in HBO’s new political sitcom, "Veep."

Best known for her role as Vada Sultenfuss in the 1991 film "My Girl," Chlumsky found fame as a child star; but as for many young performers, transitioning to more adult roles proved difficult. The 31-year-old actress tells New York magazine that she didn't want to stop acting, but as her body matured, casting directors mistook it for fat and offers for roles dried up.

She continued to audition throughout college at the University of Chicago, but realized her career wasn't going anywhere and decided to focus on her education. At her last audition she "totally froze," she told the Chicago Tribune in 2010. "'I was like, 'You know what? I don't know how to act, I'm not good at this, I don't know what I'm doing, and it's not my calling.'"

Chlumsky took a nine-year break from Hollywood, graduated from college, moved to New York and found unfulfilling jobs in media and publishing. But unlike fellow former child star Mara Wilson, Chlumsky found that she began to miss acting.

Chlumsky credits legendary singer-songwriter Roberta Flack, whom she randomly met in a nail salon, for encouraging her to get back into the business. But it wasn't until she had a long talk with her husband that she realized she wanted to start acting professionally again.

“I can’t be the grandma with my grandkid on my knee telling them to follow their dreams and have them say, ‘Did you?’ and go, ‘No, I didn’t, but you should,'" she told the magazine.

But following her dreams wasn't so simple. She signed with a new agent, enrolled in acting classes and eventually began to land small roles on "30 Rock," "Law & Order" and "White Collar," before landing the role on "Veep."

Though she's eager to move beyond her fame as a child actor and prove herself as an adult, she tells New York she understands she'll always be tied to "My Girl."

"People look to you to replace a part in their lives that they can't get back," she explains. "You can't get the past back, you can't do it. We've all tried."

For more with Anna Chlumsky, click over to New York magazine.

Child stars all grown up:

Child Actors That Succeeded In Adulthood

Drew Barrymore(01 of25)

First big role: 'ET' (1982) Age: 7

Kristen Stewart (02 of25)

First big role: 'Panic Room' (2002) Age: 12

Jodie Foster (03 of25)

First big role: 'Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color: Menace On The Mountain,' (1970) Age: 8'Taxi Driver' (1976) Age: 14

Dakota Fanning (04 of25)

First major role: 'I Am Sam' (2001) Age: 7

Anna Paquin (05 of25)

First big role: 'The Piano' (1993) Age: 11

Christina Ricci (06 of25)

First big role: 'Mermaids' (1990) Age: 10

Fred Savage (07 of25)

First big role: 'Morningstar/Eveningstar,' (1986)Age: 10'The Wonder Years' (1988) Age: 12

Elijah Wood (08 of25)

First big role: 'Paradise' (1991)Age: 10

Sean Astin (09 of25)

'The Goonies' (1985)Age: 14

Josh Brolin (10 of25)

First big role: 'The Goonies' (1985)Age: 17

Justin Timberlake (11 of25)

First big role: 'The Mickey Mouse Club' (1989)Age: 8

Ryan Gosling (12 of25)

First big role: 'The Mickey Mouse Club' (1989)Age: 9

Christina Aguilera (13 of25)

First big role: 'The Mickey Mouse Club' (1989)Age: 9

Raven Symone (14 of25)

First big role: 'The Cosby Show' (1989)Age: 4

Natalie Portman (15 of25)

First big role: 'Leon: The Professional' (1994)Age: 14

Neil Patrick Harris (16 of25)

First big role: 'Doogie Howser, MD' (1989)Age: 16

Sarah Jessica Parker (17 of25)

First big role: 'Somewhere, Tomorrow' (1983)Age: 18

Ron Howard (18 of25)

First big role: 'The Andy Griffith Show' (1960)Age:6

Winona Ryder(19 of25)

First big role: 'Lucas' (1986)Age: 15

Reese Witherspoon (20 of25)

First big role: 'The Man In The Moon' (1991)Age: 15

Scarlett Johansson (21 of25)

First big role: 'Manny & Lo' (1996)Age: 12

Kirsten Dunst (22 of25)

First big role: 'The Bonfire of the Vanities' (1990)Age:8

Michelle Trachtenberg (23 of25)

First big role: 'All My Children' (1994)Age: 11

Jerry O'Connell (24 of25)

First big role: 'Stand By Me' (1986)Age: 12

Jason Bateman (25 of25)

First big role: 'Little House on the Prairie' (1981)Age: 12

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