
It’s going to be mixed and messy.ĪP: Your book is also a reminder of how you never really know what’s going on with someone because people would watch you on these shows and maybe think, ‘Oh, she’s got it all.' I’d cry because I missed her and I’d be angry that I was crying that I missed her and feel she doesn’t deserve these tears. And so I could feel compassion and sympathy and then just anger and rage. With my mother's death, I’d go from being so, so deeply angry to then feeling just so sorry for her. McCurdy: My grandfather passed away a few years ago, and I got to really experience what I consider a more conventional grieving process of a really close family member. I needed to do so much of that excavating work on my own.ĪP: When you think back now about your childhood and your mom, what do you think? Processing the events that happened in my childhood took so long in therapy. There’s certainly many stages of processing. McCurdy: I think finding shape is very important. What made you want to put it out there, first in a one-woman show (also called “I'm Glad My Mom Died”) and now in a book? McCurdy, who hosts a podcast called “ Empty Inside, ” spoke with The Associated Press about looking back, therapy and how she may return to work in front of the camera.Īnswers have been edited for clarity and length.ĪP: It's one thing to come to realizations about your childhood through therapy but another to share those discoveries with the world. My mom's way of speaking was humorous and very distinct and writing that out was a very dynamic, emotional experience.” "I'd be crying while writing it and then I’d be laughing, remembering something. Writing the book, she says, was an emotional rollercoaster. Now after years of work on herself, she's sharing her story with the world. Before therapy, McCurdy, was drinking excessively and had unhealthy romantic relationships.


It wasn't until seeking therapy after her mother's death from complications of cancer in 2013 that McCurdy began to fully deal with the trauma she was put through. Her mother insisted on giving her daughter showers through her late teens, claiming she didn't wash her hair correctly, McCurdy says. She pushed McCurdy into an acting career as a child and encouraged her to have an eating disorder, McCurdy says. All Rights Reserved.The 30-year-old writes in her book that her mother Debra "was a narcissist" who “emotionally, mentally and physically abused” her. On second thought, make that a Dirty Shirley.Ĭopyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. The original child star turned out to be a smart, successful, well-rounded adult.
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The fact that Shirley Temple left the movie industry unscathed and went on to expand and develop her person behind closed doors is a testament to a true American hero. Just trust me… she did a lot of cool things. She studied abroad, was successful in business, dabbled in politics.okay, I don't want to sound like her Wikipedia page. Although spit out of entertainment and gone from the headlines at 22, Miss Temple went on to lead an accomplished life we all would be so very proud of. Well, to her and anyone else with a similar mind-set, I'll tell you what's exciting about Shirley Temple. I told my friend I was writing this article and she asked what was exciting about the "death of a movie star who hasn't been relevant for almost a hundred years?" America chewed her up and, as soon as her hair couldn't hold a curl, spit her out. Her rise and fall is an early example of the fickleness present in entertaining our nation. Shirley Temple peaked in entertainment before the age of 10. That transition is easier said than done – and considering how tough it is to say, that's really saying something. And as if developing an unknown body, facing new-found mental challenges, and saying goodbye to the only phase of life they have known isn't enough, child stars are forced to be interesting, sociable, lovable, precocious, and strategic as they navigate their no-doubt family-dependent careers. Before they can blink an eye, adolescence strikes and the decision is made for them – change, change, change. The unfortunate thing about child stars is that they do not have this choice.

Once a star's career explodes to a certain degree, they are struck with two options: continue doing exactly what they do until people get sick of it, or change and hope society changes with them. But once she started growing up, the nation decided to look elsewhere rather than watch saccharine Shirley blossom. Shirley fit a collective place inside our nation as we struggled and needed to see the innocence and beauty of youth. Her innocence and youthful sparkle kept the nation wrapped around her finger… until she hit puberty.Įverything has a specific purpose in our lives. America needed relief, and her Depression-era films provided just that.
