Amanda Bynes rose to fame at a very young age, appearing on such shows as "All That" and "The Amanda Show." As a teenager, she made the transition to film star and appeared in a string of box office successes, including "Hairspray" and "Easy A." As she got older, this California native's good-girl image began to fade.
She grew up in Thousand Oaks, a pleasant suburb of Los Angeles, and was raised with her two siblings. By the age of seven, young Bynes had earned a role in a candy commercial, and within a few years, she had racked up roles on Broadway and in hit television shows. Fans seemed drawn to her sweet disposition and obvious likeability. In 2007, she made the Forbes list of highest paid celebrities under 21. The talented youngster seemed poised for a lucrative and long career in the entertainment world, but things suddenly changed on April 6, 2012.
According to officers, Bynes was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after hitting a police car in West Hollywood in the early morning hours. Though her bail was set at $5,000, she was released the next morning without posting a dime. On June 5, the starlet was officially charged, and police allege that Bynes had refused to submit to a sobriety test after the initial incident in April. Things quickly went downhill, and on September 4, the young beauty was charged with hit-and-run in connection with two separate incidents in April and August. Two days later, her license was suspended, and the judge issued a stern verbal warning. She is scheduled to be arraigned on September 27 in Van Nuys.
Stories such as this one are commonplace in Tinsel Town. Many young celebrities have found themselves on the wrong side of the law, and countless incidents involve alcohol and/or drug use. It's enough to make a person wonder what triggers this kind of reckless behavior and if there are any warning signs. Bynes seems an unlikely candidate for such legal woes, having been raised by a good family in a well-to-do suburb in sunny California.
Bynes' father is a dentist and a part-time standup comic, and her mother is a dental assistant. As a child, she attended University elementary and later graduated from an independent study program offered by Thousand Oaks High School. There are no accounts of reckless behavior or any notable incidents from her childhood. In 2007, the Nickelodeon darling gave a series of interviews, and in one of them, she told Access Hollywood that she enjoyed spending time with her friends and family and did not need alcohol to have a good time. She credited her parents with teaching her about the effects of alcohol, and she seemed to be on the right track. However, by 2009, Bynes seemed to be changing her tune. In an interview with Cosmopolitan, the young celebrity admitted to drinking, dancing and going to clubs with friends. Her good-girl image seemed to be falling to the wayside, but she assured the world that she was finding a balance and would not become another Hollywood statistic. At the age of 24, the blond starlet abruptly announced her retirement from acting, stating that she did not "love it anymore." Though she later recanted, she has not appeared in a movie since, and fans were left scratching their heads. In February of 2010, her sweet-as-pie image took another hit when the former child star appeared on the cover of Maxim wearing revealing lingerie. Inside was a racy spread depicting a new look and a new attitude. Bynes revealed that she loved the pictorial, and that the suggestive photos were truly representative of who she had become.
Many teenagers and youngsters struggle to find their place in the world, and some fall along the way, but when a celebrity exhibits such behavior, he or she is almost immediately labeled as rebellious or troubled. Could Bynes' issues be nothing more than the attempt of a young woman to discover her identity and figure out her place in the world, or is she on a downward spiral like so many others before her? Perhaps it is too early to tell, but the smiley star could face jail time and fines if convicted, and her reputation may never fully recover.
When a child grows up in the limelight, the pressure can be almost too much to handle. Drew Barrymore, Macaulay Culkin, Corey Haim, River Phoenix and others have all experienced struggles after child stardom, and some have paid with their lives. It may be the money, the influence of older acquaintances, the constant attention, the nightly parties or some combination of factors that cause the light of these bright stars to fade so tragically. With the support of her loving family, Amanda Bynes may rise from these incidents and find the inner strength to rebuild her life and not become another statistic.
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