Cole Sprouse Says He Was Forced Into Acting By His Mom Because The Family 'Needed Money'

Mar 13, 2023 by apost team

Most parents would often tell their kids to enjoy their youth or encourage them to do well in their studies to achieve their dreams. But in some instances, children are forced to work at an early age to help their families. Of course, it still depends on the situation as there is a minimum age for employment that does not prohibit children from working.

For one, children who enter the entertainment industry are exempted from child labor law and can work and become actors or performers under the supervision of their parents or guardian. While some kids dream of getting into the spotlight, not all of them have always wanted to make it and become famous. Some of them are just forced. Take for example actor Cole Sprouse who made a bombshell revelation about being a child actor in Hollywood.

Born on Aug. 4, 1992, Cole is an American actor who rose to fame in 2005 when he co-starred in the hit show “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” alongside his twin brother, Dylan Sprouse. The show, which ran from 2005 to 2008 became such a massive hit that it spawned a spin-off show called “The Suite Life on Deck” the same year it ended. The latter ran from 2008-2011.

During the early days of his career, Cole appeared in various projects with Dylan including the movie “Big Daddy,” and shows “That ‘70s Show” and “Friends.” It was only in 2017 that Cole made a mark of his own when he starred as Jughead Jones in the television series “Riverdale,” which is based on the characters in Archie Comics.

Cole’s personal life also became notable when he entered a relationship with his “Riverdale” co-star Lili Reinhart, who played Betty Cooper in the show. 

Cole and Reinhart dated for 2 years before calling it quits in January 2020. 

In an interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast with Alex Cooper, Cole said that they “both did a lot of damage to each other.” Cole opened up about his relationship with Reinhart, sharing what it felt like being together while on the show and what he felt after their relationship was over. He admitted that it was really hard for them to navigate their relationship while working with each other on the set of their hit show.

Cole made it clear, though, that he and Reinhart have since remained good friends and that he has nothing but gratitude for what he experienced throughout the course of their relationship. While he initially said in the interview that the split was mutual, he was quick to take it back and said that it was he who left Reinhart and that there was a lot of pressure surrounding their relationship.

In the same interview, Cole made a bombshell revelation about his mom whom he said forced him and Dylan to work at an early age.

“My brother and I were put into acting when we were 8 months old by our mother because we needed money,” he said. “I never made the decision to join the arts or acting specifically. And so it was never really my passion.”

While he described his mom as “wonderful” and “artistic,” he also called her “financially irresponsible.”

“My mother was an incredibly wonderful and artistic woman, but she was financially the most irresponsible woman ever,” he said. 

Cole explained the factors that contributed to his mom’s financial problems, which include mental health and addiction problems. His parents separated when he and his brother were just 1-year-old.

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“I think it was the consequence of some alchemy of addiction and mental instability, and it's probably the greatest wound in my life,” he said.

When he and his brother Dylan reached age 10, their father was granted full custody of them.

“When my father was given forced custody, we had pretty much lost everything from the (earliest) parts of our career,” he remarked.

But Cole admitted that Disney Channel opened doors for them, allowing them to get much-needed stability at that time. 

“By the time my brother and I got to the Disney Channel we were good. It was a huge boon to us,” he said. “It was, in many ways, a life-saving show. It provided us with an amount of stability, and consistency, and routine that really was needed for my brother and I at the time,” he added.

According to Cole, there are two types of kids who enter the entertainment scene – the ones who want it and the others who need it. He said they fell into the latter group.

“I think there’s two types of kids within the child acting business. There’s, like the ‘thespian children’ who choose to do it, and then there’s the working-class kids that, in our case at least… I mean it started, really, as a means to put bread on the table,” he said. 

Then again, Cole said he has no regrets over the decision he made and the path he took in life.

“I know there's definitely resentment. There's definitely some things I have to work through, but no. If I were given the same choice again, I'd probably do it again,” he stated.

What can you say about the decision of Cole Sprouse’s mom to force him and his brother to get into acting? Let us know what you think and pass this on to people who might relate to this story.