Disney Child-Star, Hayley Mills, Admires This 'Harry Potter' Star

Hayley Mills was one of the biggest child stars of her generation. She was well-known for her early 1990s work in Disney teen flicks.

Her charming and cheery demeanor made her a Disney favorite for many years. But stardom came with some psychological issues that the actress has fought to overcome.

The 75-year-old spoke of her battle with anorexia as a teenager because she wanted to remain child-like. This yearning arose because of the tremendous success of films like "Pollyanna" and Disney's 1961 picture "The Parent Trap." Which she starred in as a child and became a success.

When it was all said and done, she struggled to find a job as an adult. In contrast, Mills spoke about her admiration for "Harry Potter" actor Daniel Radcliffe. Keep reading to find out more details.

Mills took up the character of Pollyanna when she was 14 years old. Similarly, Radcliffe, the star of the famous "Harry Potter" film series, debuted as the lead character when he was just 12 years old.

According to the Los Angeles Times, while Mills was unhappy with her fate, she admired Radcliffe's transformation into something mature.

Mills told the news outlet, "It seemed to impede my evolution into an adult." "Today's actors are much more brave. Consider Radcliffe from Harry Potter, for example, and how daring he has been with his career. He's truly taken a risk, and I appreciate him for that." she added.

She then admitted that it was a struggle to break out of her childhood image, as she suffered from body anorexia. For this, she admired Radcliffe's ability to break out from JK Rowling's Harry Potter, to Daniel Radcliffe of Hollywood, to a large extent.

Mills, who rose to prominence in the 1960s, described her life growing up in Hollywood and under Walt Disney's careful eye.

She starred in "Pollyanna," which earned her a coveted Juvenile Academy Award for depicting the endlessly happy youngster. Mills had the opportunity to star in various additional parts during her adolescence, even though the award is no longer in existence.

Another of her biggest wins was her role In the 1961 movie. Mills took on the challenging role of playing a twin character in "The Parent Trap."

This was a funny Teen comedy about identical daughters plotting to reunite their divorced parents. She played the role of both Susan and Sharon at only 14 years old.

Due to the film's popularity with Mills' generation, Disney published a sequel and created a millennial version in 1998.

She appeared in films like "The Moon-Spinners (1964)," "That Darn Cat (1965)," and "The Trouble With Angels (1966)." She also appeared in "Whistle Down the Wind (1961)," "In Search of the Castaways (1962)," and "Summer Magic (1963)."

Mills made an impact on the 1960s generation of live-action Disney films in a variety of ways. They dealt with certain challenges but did so in a way that appealed to the younger audience. Mills' inherently healthy personality aided Disney's overall wholesome image.

However, Mills expressed dissatisfaction with the tendency to typecast her as Pollyanna-like characters in a September 2021 interview with The Los Angeles Times.

When Mills became 21, she received access to a fund that contained her childhood salary. Still, she discovered that her savings had been taxed 91 percent by the United Kingdom government to help rebuild the country following World War II. She lost $17 million.

"I never saw it," she admitted to the news outlet. "I knew it was there and that one day I'd have it, but it was all a dream, and then the dream was gone. I occasionally think to myself, "It would have been lovely if I could have said no."

However, in a bid to heal old wounds, Mills has tried to move on from her past. She was able to write a memoir of her life titled "Forever Young," with the help of her son, Crispian, a screenwriter.

In the book, she recounted her life, childhood, and struggles, including her memories of Walt Disney.