Publisher: Grand Central Publishing / Hachette Audio
Published: September 7, 2021
Source: Print – Finished Copy via Grand Central / Audio – ALC via Hachette Audio
Summary:
Iconic actress Hayley Mills shares personal memories from her storied childhood, growing up in a famous acting family and becoming a Disney child star, trying to grow up in a world that wanted her to stay forever young.
The daughter of acclaimed British actor Sir John Mills was still a preteen when she began her acting career and was quickly thrust into the spotlight. Under the wing of Walt Disney himself, Hayley Mills was transformed into one of the biggest child starlets of the 1960s through her iconic roles in Pollyanna, The Parent Trap, and many more. She became one of only twelve actors in history to be bestowed with the Academy Juvenile Award, presented at the Oscars by its first recipient, Shirley Temple, and went on to win a number of awards including a Golden Globe, multiple BAFTAs, and a Disney Legacy Award.
Now, in her charming and forthright memoir, she provides a unique window into when Hollywood was still ‘Tinseltown’ and the great Walt Disney was at his zenith, ruling over what was (at least in his own head) still a family business. This behind-the-scenes look at the drama of having a sky-rocketing career as a young teen in an esteemed acting family will offer both her childhood impressions of the wild and glamorous world she was swept into, and the wisdom and broader knowledge that time has given her. Hayley will delve intimately into her relationship with Walt Disney, as well as the emotional challenges of being bound to a wholesome, youthful public image as she grew into her later teen years, and how that impacted her and her choices–including marrying a producer over 30 years her senior when she was 20! With her regrets, her joys, her difficulties, and her triumphs, this is a compelling read for any fan of classic Disney films and an inside look at a piece of real Hollywood history.
My thoughts:
Hayley Mills was one of my favorite actresses when I was growing up. I loved watching Pollyanna and the original The Parent Trap – those were always movies I could watch over and over again, so it was a no-brainer for me to request her memoir. And bonus that she narrated it – of course I was going to listen to it.
This is such an endearing and engaging look into Hayley Mills’ early years as a childhood actress and how she got her start into acting. The writing is such that I felt as if I was right alongside her – she really has such a wonderful way of recanting her memories and bringing you along with her. I loved learning about her experiences on set with some of the more famous actors and actresses, especially when she was so young.
I loved how candid the actress was about her life. She came from a famous family but her parents were very protective of her. They decided what roles she could take, and there were some that she wanted but her parents decided against. I loved that while this book does celebrate her early career, it’s also about many downsides in her life. She was not able to celebrate the fact that at a young age, she won a highly coveted award because of her protective parents – she didn’t even know about winning it until way after the fact.
I do hope there is a follow-up as this only really covers her life as a young actress up to the early 1970s. I would love to know more about her life after that, but I did very much love what we did get, so I can’t say I didn’t enjoy what she put into this book. There are some movies she mentioned that I never heard of and I am going to go back and make a list of them because I would love to watch them. And of course, I do plan on re-watching both Pollyanna and The Parent Trap very soon because those are just beloved favorites.
This memoir was equal parts nostalgic and delightful and if you are a fan of Hollywood or Disney movies, or even just a good coming of age memoir, I definitely recommend picking this one up.
Audio thoughts:
I loved that Hayley Mills narrated this one…I just loved listening to her voice. She has such an optimistic way of looking back and really brought this book to life.
