Yahoo Finance Drake Bell, “All That” stars defend parents of child actors amid “Quiet on Set” allegations: 'They’re just learning along with us'
"It’s important that there are people on set...who are tasked to give care and caretake to the emotions of the children on set," said Bryan Hearne.
Drake Bell, Giovonnie Samuels, and Bryan Hearne know what it's like to feel neglected as child stars on a TV set — but they don't blame their parents.
At a panel event following a screening of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV in Los Angeles on Tuesday, the former Drake & Josh star and former All That performers discussed parents' responsibilities in the entertainment industry, and how Hollywood can improve for young actors.
"I don’t think it’s on the parents," Hearne said. "I think that it’s important that there are people on set...who are tasked to give care and caretake to the emotions of the children on set. That’s the most important thing. The parents can only do so much."
Courtesy of Investigation Discovery
Bryan HearneSamuels added, "It needs to be somebody that’s not just production. You need a liaison between production and parent and child." She also shared about a program that helps keep young actors safe: "There is a program called Looking Ahead and it’s with the Entertainment [Community] Fund. It’s a program that you have to opt into. It’s not advertised. I just found out about this and they just literally had their 20th anniversary gala for helping do the very thing that we said needed to be done on set."
Bell noted that parents are often just as inexperienced as their kids when it comes to show business standards. “We hear a lot ‘Where were their parents? If I was there — where were their parents?’" he said. "And you have to understand — we’re kids. Some of these were our first jobs. Some of these were our parents’ first time on a set, and they’re just learning along with us. So to say ‘Oh, the parents should have stepped in with this and that’ — no, there should be somebody who’s experienced that can see, oh you know what, this child seems uncomfortable, I’m gonna be able to take him or her with their parent and bring them over here, ‘Do you feel comfortable doing this?’… To say ‘Oh it’s the parents’ responsibility’ — they’re just learning along with us and don’t have the experience on these movie sets to be able to push and pull their weight."
Hearne also clarified his relationship with his own mother whose protectiveness of him on the All That set may have contributed to his dismissal from the show, as discussed in the docuseries. "I kinda wanna clear something up about the narrative about whether or not I’ve been in touch with my mom since then," he said. "I didn’t leave All That and my mom. We have had a tumultuous relationship, we’re on again, off again, on again, off again. Right now we’re on again, and it feels permanent, and that’s really good."
Slaven Vlasic/Getty
Drake BellIn Quiet on Set, Bell detailed the repeated sexual abuse he survived as a teenager from Amanda Show dialogue coach Brian Peck, who was later convicted, while Samuels and Hearne alleged experiencing racism as two of the only Black cast members on later seasons of All That.
In the five-part Investigation Discovery series, numerous former Nickelodeon stars and crewmembers shared allegations of racism, sexism, sexual harassment, and verbal abuse that they experienced on sets headed by Dan Schneider, the producer who oversaw hit shows like All That, The Amanda Show, and Drake & Josh.
Schneider reacted to the series in a response video addressing some of the allegations made against him in the documentary's first four episodes. "Watching over the past two nights was very difficult," the producer, who left the network in 2018, said in a 19-minute conversation with iCarly’s BooG!e. "Me facing my past behaviors — some of which are embarrassing and that I regret and I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology."
Amy Graves/WireImage
Giovonnie SamuelsID aired a bonus fifth episode of the series on Sunday, with new interviews with Bell, Samuels, Hearne, and Hearne's mother, Tracey Brown, as well as a first-time appearance from former All That costar Shane Lyons, who told an uncomfortable story about a bizarre encounter he had with Peck.
More than 16 million viewers watched the first four episodes of Quiet on Set across ID and Max/discovery+, marking the largest audience of an unscripted series since the launch of Max, according to a release from the network.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is now streaming on Max.
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