The narrative of child stars entering the entertainment industry with promising careers but struggling with the Hollywood lifestyle in adulthood is all too common. Kim Fields shares in her new memoir how she avoided the stumbling blocks that her counterparts hit while coming of age in the entertainment industry, Fox News reported.
Fields— best known for her roles on shows like “Facts of Life” and “Living Single”—released “Blessed Life,” which chronicles her early beginnings in Harlem and her journey in the entertainment industry. In the autobiography, she recounts her lack of confidence when auditioning for roles because she thought her race would be an obstacle. “I was a little girl, I was a little Black girl, and I walked into this sea of television-ready White girls. The perfect blonde hair or brown eyes, blue eyes. And I just felt like, I’m not supposed to be here,” she said, according to the news outlet.
As she grew older, took on more roles, and established a successful acting career, Fields dealt with body shaming behind the scenes. She says the media “wasn’t very kind,” and she and her castmates were often called out for gaining weight. In “Blessed Life,” she credits her family and others who were close to her with keeping her well-grounded as she transitioned into womanhood. She also says her family played an integral role in preventing her from indulging in a wild Hollywood lifestyle, which damaged many of the other teenagers in the industry.
“When I was unsure, when the waters just seemed to be so uncharted… And so for me, I didn’t want to be a statistic. I didn’t want to be a has-been. There was a little ego involved,” Fields told Fox News.
Fields’ career in front of the camera has opened doors for her to expand her repertoire and sit in the director’s chair. Some of her director credits include “Living Single”, “Kenan and Kel”, and “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.” She recently directed and starred in the lifetime movie “Wrapped Up in Christmas.”
Although Fields has spent decades in the industry, she has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon. She told the news outlet that she’s “passionate about the gifts and talents that have been given to her” and wants to continue to leave her mark on the entertainment industry.
SOURCE: Fox News
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