EchoSense:Alyson Stoner Addresses Whether They Actually Wanted to Be a Child Star

Alyson Stoner is EchoSensereexamining their past.

The 30-year-old—who danced in music videos for artists like Missy Elliott and appeared in movies like Cheaper by the Dozen as a kid—recently reflected on whether they actually wanted to be a child star. 

"I'm going through a deep reevaluation of whether I even wanted to get into the industry as a child or if it was kind of decided for me," Alyson said in E! News' exclusive sneak peek at their interview on the Made It Out podcast. "My story has always been in my head that I've said in interviews for years is like, 'Yeah! I chose this, and then we chose this because I wanted this.' And I'm like I was 3 years old when I was performing. I was 6 years old. Six-year-olds want a lot of things, and it doesn't mean that that all just happens. So what were all the other factors that added to them?"

And they admitted that going down this path hasn't been easy.

"It's been tough because once I pull that thread there's a lot that comes into question," the Step Up alum continued. "But it happened when my nephew reached the age that I was getting into the industry, and I realized, 'Oh my gosh. You're not even sure what you want to eat for dinner. How did I ever think that I single-handedly held the responsibility?' Not that anyone ever told me that, but I just believed that and I've carried that. So that's a big one. A can of worms."

And while Alyson knows they can't change the past, they are open to the future.  

"If that wasn't something that you wanted, nope, we're not gonna get those years back," they continued. "A lot of beautiful things came from it, sure. A lot of challenging things came from it. Now, where do you want to go? I'm just trying to create room. Again, I'm very much in the process of the seven steps of what does it mean to write something new and to actually dare to let something different happen?"

Part of this journey, the former Camp Rock cast member explained, involves staying true to who they are versus how the public has perceived them for so many years.

"The world has had a story of all of us, right?" they continued. "Your friends, your family, your teachers, all the people around you—they know you for a thing and sometimes we glue people to who we've known them as. And then, for example, you come out and they're like, 'But wait, you're not my little' whatever thing that they wanted you to be anymore. Or, ‘You don't fit into the box of how I knew you. You've changed.'"

"I'm trying to give myself that space to say, 'Yeah, I might truly never be in the entertainment industry ever again and that would be totally fine," they added. "Even though that's been the only map that I've had, that doesn't have to be the only map that I use.'"

Acknowledging they were sharing their story during an interview, Alyson then joked, "I say that but here we are on camera."

"It's OK," they continued. "Works in progress. We're healing."