Valerie Bertinelli is opening up about the struggles she faced in Hollywood as a young actor on One Day at a Time.
After kicking off her career in the entertainment industry as a child actor, Bertinelli found early success when she joined the cast of the CBS sitcom at the mere age of 15. However, leading her life in the spotlight wasn’t easy, and the two-time Golden Globe winner revealed she leaned on her “mom on TV,” the late Bonnie Franklin, for guidance.
“I mean, I finally went to Bonnie by the time I turned 20,” she said during a Wednesday appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. “And said, ‘I’m struggling.’”
Franklin told Bertinelli that “she could see that I was struggling,” and encouraged her to seek professional help. “[Franklin] sent me to a psychiatrist, she sent me to a therapist — my mom on TV,” she added.
On One Day at a Time, Franklin played the role of Ann Romano, a single mother to two daughters, Barbara (Bertinelli’s character) and Julie, who was played by Mackenzie Phillips. The series ran for nearly a decade and earned Franklin an Emmy nod for her portrayal of Ann in 1982.
Bertinelli’s conversation about her early days as a child actor emerged after host Drew Barrymore pointed out that Ariana Grande has been urging studios and record labels to include therapy in young talent’s contracts. The Wicked star notably grew up in the public eye, rising to acclaim after starring in Nickelodeon’s Victorious before launching into mega stardom with her 2013 track “The Way.”
Grande opened up about the idea months earlier when she told The Hollywood Reporter she hopes to see future contracts for child stars explicitly include “therapy multiple times a week and a support system.”
“I’ve sort of talked about the protective measures that I think need to be put in place,” Grande said in February. “I have dreams of a world where you’re not allowed to enter the entertainment industry without having [therapy] written in your contract, whether it’s with the record label or the production company.”
Bertinelli corroborated Grande’s sentiments. “Ariana is absolutely spot-on,” she affirmed. “I think people need that support, absolutely.”
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