Since it came out in the United States, the series The dark side of childhood fame, It hasn’t stopped causing a stir on social networks. The documentary takes an in-depth look at the history of abuse behind the camera at the Nickelodeon television network, and now It will be released in Argentina on April 16th.
Theories about abuse at Nickelodeon have circulated on social media for years. In particular, they highlighted the alleged attacks by the creator of the series, Dan Schneider. The producer is the protagonist of several clips in which he is seen in compromising situations with children starring behind the camera. In all of them a particularly tense and uncomfortable climate is generated.
In four episodes, the docuseries attempts to reveal the truth about what was once just an Internet conspiracy. The production investigates what happened behind the scenes of the successful series created by Dan Schneider, such as The Amanda Show, Drake and Josh, iCarly and Victorious.
As many of its actors had revealed over the years, it was a work environment riddled with allegations of abuse, sexism, racism and inappropriate behavior with underage stars and staff.
The series features accounts from key figures who participated in Schneider’s shows on Nickelodeon, including former cast members of Everything AS Giovonnie Samuels, Kyle Sullivan, Bryan Hearne, Katrina Johnson and the director Virgil Fabianthe screenwriters of Amanda’s show, and actress Alexa Nikolas of Zoey 101.
Furthermore, it has the exclusive testimony of Drake Bell, which talks for the first time about the abuse suffered by one of Nickelodeon’s employees. The episodes also include testimonies from parents of cast members who tried to protect their children from the events that occurred on set, including the star’s father Drake and Josh.
From accused to accuser
Drake Bell, the protagonist of Drake and Josh, gives one of the central testimonies of the documentary, in which he confesses to having been a victim of abuse. Photo: AP. It’s been a long time since Drake Bell’s name has resonated in Hollywood. This is because he has been involved in several controversies in recent years. Some of them drive under the influence of alcohol, endangering minors and receiving a public complaint of physical and verbal abuse from their ex-partner.
However, the 37-year-old actor surprised everyone with his testimony in this documentary, in which he reveals that he was a victim of abuse when he was 15 years old. It turns out that one of Nickelodeon’s employees was convicted of this and fired from the company, after Drake filed a complaint in 2004. However, this had never come to light, until now.
The other victims
The documentary isn’t just about Drake. It also reveals the mistreatment suffered by other child protagonists and the disturbing scenes in which they were forced to act. To achieve this, they rely not only on interviews, but also on unpublished archive images, extracts from television programs and comments on social networks (which were the first to detect the anomaly).
Jannette McCurdy and Miranda Cosgrove, the protagonists of iCarly, together with producer Dan Schneider. In this way, the series manages to reframe many moments that occurred within these series, which may have seemed meaningless when they were first broadcast, but which now take on a new tone. The most viral of these is played by pop star Ariana Grande and is analyzed for the first time in this documentary.
The dark side of childhood fame It will be available in Argentina starting April 16th at Max.
Source: Clarin
