'Harry Potter' and the Curse of Child Stardom

July 18, 2007 — -- So there's a new "Harry Potter" movie raking in millions of dollars. And there's a new "Harry Potter" book bound to sell out across the world.

But for the faces of the multibillon dollar fantasy franchise, there's a new reality that may trump them both: call it "Harry Potter" and the curse of child stardom.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint were not yet teenagers in 2001 when they starred in the first "Potter" film. As "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" hits theaters, they're on the verge of their 18th and 19th birthdays -- prime time to shed their child star status and seek lasting success as adults.

But can audiences see them as anyone other than Harry, Hermione and Ron?

Maybe not. The controversy that ensued in February after Radcliffe starred nude in the London play "Equus" suggested that "Potter" fans can't stomach the star of a children's movie in an adult role.

But that doesn't mean going buff was a bad decision on Radcliffe's part. For young actors playing high-profile roles, stepping away from the norm to do something daring might be an act of pure survival.

"Being in 'Equus' demonstrated the fact that he is something other than Harry Potter," said Bob Thompson, Syracuse University professor of popular culture. "Even while he's still orbiting the 'Harry Potter' universe, he's already taking a practice run at escaping that gravitational pull."

For child stars, doing something entirely different from whatever it is that made them famous is crucial to staying in the business, according to celebrity publicist Michael Levine. Baring all can accomplish that.

"They have to separate themselves from their youthful persona," Levine said. "That's the mission, and I think that's what [Radcliffe] was attempting to do."

For every child star that grows into an adult icon, there's a slew of others that fade into the ether.

Drew Barrymore parlayed her part as the cute kid in Steven Spielberg's "E.T." into a lifetime of covetable roles, despite a highly publicized bout of drug abuse in her teens. But what of her "E.T." co-star, Henry Thomas, the movie's nonalien lead? Though still in the business, his career has consisted of mostly obscure parts in low-profile movies.