It's what she says about how she never would have become an actor if she hadn't started young that's full of truth and wisdom. The one true dream killer is puberty.
Before those terrifyingly formidable middle school years, you are told you can be anything you want to be and you dream big. Then after one glorious Summer at the top of your young game, all the praise and validation is cut-off. You begin to hear how you don't measure up. How you won't ever measure up.
In 5th grade, I pictured my life as a Saved by the Bell episode. I would be a nice cheerleader, with an awesome, diverse friend group. I'd then go on to the Ivy League and probably become an astronaut or anthropologist. I clung to this dream in middle school, but abandoned it all together in high school.
Each year as you have to face yourself while getting a glimpse of reality, it's hard to keep faith in yourself. Kristen Stewart nails this on the head with her comments. As a kid, bravery is second nature because the entire world is a new discovery. You're used to trying new things. As a teenager, you are experiencing failure, discouragement, acne, and newfound freedom all at once. It becomes harder to believe in your own talent. Awkwardness becomes your air and suffocates your confidence.
This is the natural course of things. It's good and bad, and that's okay. You learn a lot during these years and even after, when looking back. We're not all meant to live out our childhood dreams, but it definitely would have helped me if I had jumped into a career path when I thought I was a beautiful genius at 10. How do I get back that confidence? I guess by just jumping in. But into what is the bigger question.
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