As humans, our values and morals are tested on a daily basis.  The more you and your child work on set, the more you will find this is also the case for the parent of a child actor.  Your values and standards will be tested regularly and you must remember that you and you alone are in control of your child's moral upbringing.

Children are a very important part of storytelling.  In fact, they play roles that adults could never play.  Ironically though, because of this, they may be asked to play roles that put them in very adult situations which may make you comfortable: speaking with vulgar language, participating in a drug or rape scene, or generally behaving in a way you wouldn't normally encourage.  Know that it is okay to make your own calls, and stand your ground when your answer is no and be prepared to have conversations with your children when you decide to move forward with such scenes.

One of the most famous scenes of this nature was shot in North Carolina, in 2007, when a then 13-year-old Dakota Fanning "participated" in a controversial rape scene for the feature film Hound Dog.  As astonishing as it may seem, this scene was accomplished while remaining within the limits of the law.

"The script called upon Fanning to perform mutual masturbation with another actor, a scene which may or may not be in the final cut of the movie," explained Paul Petersen of A Minor Consideration. "Reports persist that the footage of the masturbation scene was conveniently destroyed. What we know for certain is that a professional movie crew was so outraged during filming of the rape scene that they walked off the set...." 

How will you react when your child is up for such a role? How will you react when others question your decision to move forward? CIF supports the fact that these decisions are yours to make and simply wants you to be prepared.

Many Children In Film "Power Parents" like Angela Williams, mother of Tyler James Williams, set out with a general plan for what her children would and would not do. "We have lots of rules and regulations in our house and there were certain things that we were not going to do - certain auditions, for example, [the children] could not go out for." Angela went on to explain that "My husband and I have performance backgrounds. I came from that place where I could see the contamination coming and we made a commitment that if we were compromising our values or something wasn't right, we would walk. The kids knew that from the beginning: if it changed their character, we would walk."

What Will You Do?

Know that production will push the limits with your child.  Often production does not necessarily know what is acceptable and what is not for your family, and they will look to the parent for permission.  Decide your boundaries before you work, so that you will know how to react when the time comes.  As a family, you must determine your own moral standards, but for some knowing what to allow and what not to allow can be troublesome and problematic.  To assist you, we've called upon California Labor Law, the Penal Code and professionals with knowledge in the area.

Since Hound Dog, Dakota Fanning played Cherie Currie in The Runaways with Kristen Stewart. The script contains violence, profane language, drug and alcohol content and a lot of violence.  

Find out more about Fanning's participation in this film in our article, "Morality on Set" in the "Responsible Parenting" section of ChildrenInFilm.com