{"id":95109,"date":"2024-10-24T15:28:37","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T15:28:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=95109"},"modified":"2024-10-24T15:27:55","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T15:27:55","slug":"demi-lovato-grazia-usa-fall-2024-cover-story","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/demi-lovato-grazia-usa-fall-2024-cover-story\/","title":{"rendered":"GRAZIA USA Fall Cover Star: Demi Lovato"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Demi
Louis Vuitton shirt and pants, 866-VUITTON; Earrings from Paum\u00e9 Los Angeles, paumelosangeles.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Words by Emilia Petrarca<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Before Demetria Devonne Lovato became Demi Lovato<\/a>\u2014or before she began her acting career on Barney & Friends<\/i> at the ripe age of eight\u2014she would sit with her great-grandparents in their living room in Irving, Texas, and watch television. \u201cI just have this memory of Shirley Temple appearing on their TV, and I thought: I\u2019m going to be the next Shirley Temple<\/i>,\u201d she recalls at the beginning of her latest documentary, Child Star<\/i>, which was released on Hulu September 17. \u201cIf she can do it, I can do it. And I did.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sounds like a fairy tale, right? A young girl dreams a big dream, chases it, and ultimately achieves it with flying colors. It\u2019s a path so many have sought\u2014and continue to seek. Well, she wants you to know that it didn\u2019t come without a price. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize that it would have such a negative impact on my mental health,\u201d Lovato adds of her nonstop, triple-threat career, which includes dozens of TV and movie credits and eight Billboard-charting albums. \u201cAnd unfortunately, sometimes that looks explosive, like an incident where you punch your backup dancer on an airplane or you overdose from heroin.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not even at the film\u2019s five-minute mark, and she\u2019s already laying it all on the table. Both incidents\u2014the first occurred in 2010 and the second in 2018\u2014have been covered extensively. Lovato was the most-Googled person on the planet the year of her near-fatal overdose, and at 32, she\u2019s already starred in three documentaries that touch upon her struggles with addiction, mental health, and an eating disorder: Demi Lovato: Stay Strong<\/i> (2012), Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated<\/i> (2017), and Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil<\/i> (2021). So there\u2019s no need to rehash it all here, but Lovato isn\u2019t shying away from her past, either. Child Star<\/i> arguably marks the beginning of a new chapter for her\u2014one where she can look back at her life and career thus far with some critical distance. As co-director, she was able to go behind the camera and focus on listening and learning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of Dancing With the Devil<\/i>, I turned to my producer, Michael Ratner, and I said, \u2018I have a new idea,\u2019\u201d Lovato recalls over Zoom one morning from her home in Los Angeles. She hadn\u2019t seen a documentary about child stardom before\u2014one that takes a more macro approach, tracing the history of children singers and actors, from Shirley Temple to Drew Barrymore to those of the present day, with firsthand interviews that unpack the complex, often harmful side effects of the experience. \u201cI said, \u2018I want to do this.\u2019 And he said, \u2018Let\u2019s go.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Demi
Stella McCartney blazer, trousers, stellamccartney.com; Paum\u00e9 Los Angeles ring, paumelosangeles.com; Lovato\u2019s own hoop earrings, worn throughout; Christian Louboutin shoes, christianlouboutin.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lovato reached out to director Nicola Marsh, whose documentary, Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story<\/i> (2022), about a professional skater who is transgender and nonbinary, caught her attention. (Lovato came out as nonbinary in 2021, although she now uses both she\/her and they\/them pronouns after embracing her femininity once more.)<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m grateful that I was able to have those conversations because it made me feel less alone.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI\u2019d always seen Demi, but I didn\u2019t know that much about her,\u201d says Marsh, who eventually came on board as co-director alongside Lovato. \u201cAnd this woman comes down the stairs dressed in black with a Korn T-shirt on and a bunch of piercings, no makeup, glasses. \u2026 She doesn\u2019t smile easily. I mean, she does professionally, but she\u2019s quite serious. And I was like, I love this person<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Together, they made a list of current and former child stars that they\u2019d like to interview. In the end, they got Drew Barrymore, whose career began when she was 11 months old; Christina Ricci, who starred in her first film, Mermaids<\/i> (1990), with Cher when she was nine; Kenan Thompson of Nickelodeon\u2019s All That<\/i> and Kenan & Kel<\/i>; fellow Disney Channel stars Alyson Stoner and Raven-Symon\u00e9; and the Gen Z sensation JoJo Siwa. Lovato\u2019s in-depth conversations on camera with each of them are compassionate and shockingly candid, as they relive uncomfortable moments and reveal struggles similar to her own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“I think we have to hold people accountable so that the future generation of child stars don’t struggle as much as we did.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI was tired of being on camera,\u201d Lovato tells me of her decision to direct. She\u2019s staring at her computer camera, wearing minimal makeup; thick-rimmed, black cat-eye glasses; and a black T-shirt. It occurs to me that the disassociation I often feel on Zoom, where I am trying to be present in my mind and body while staring at a small, talking head version of myself, is perhaps some very, very light version of how Lovato has felt her entire life in the spotlight. With Child Star<\/i>, although she is the one conducting the interviews and her career serves as the organizing principle, she is, for once, not the main subject of the film. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Demi
Marc Jacobs coat and skirt, marcjacobs.com; Seymoure gloves, seymouregloves.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI think she\u2019d be quite happy for it to be even less about her, to be honest,\u201d says Marsh. \u201cShe would say to me all the time, \u2018Lord knows the world doesn\u2019t need another documentary about me.\u2019 But I\u2019d tell her: \u2018You\u2019re the thing that gives this a voice.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Remarkably, Lovato was able to take her ego out of the equation\u2014a rarity for a documentary where one of the subjects\u2019 names is in the credits\u2014and focus on getting the best material she could from others. (She\u2019s so good at interviewing that I tell her she could pivot to a career in journalism, although I wouldn\u2019t recommend it.) \u201cShe\u2019s basically being critiqued on camera by friends and colleagues, and she\u2019s owning it and leaning into it,\u201d says Marsh. \u201cShe\u2019s also the director, so she could have easily said, \u2018Take those pieces out. I don\u2019t think they make me look very good.\u2019 But never once was there even a whisper about toning it down.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, you weren\u2019t the nicest<\/i> person,\u201d says a very understanding Raven-Symon\u00e9, who guest-starred in a 2010 episode of Sonny With a Chance<\/i>, the Disney Channel show on which Lovato played Sonny.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lovato also has a frank conversation on-camera with Stoner, with whom she filmed Camp Rock<\/i> (2008) and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam<\/i> (2010). \u201cThe last few years of working together felt really challenging,\u201d says Stoner, who now uses they\/them pronouns. \u201cThe treatment did feel drastically different.\u201d They sigh and take a deep breath on camera. \u201cMy heart is racing,\u201d they admit. \u201cI do remember a sense of walking on eggshells. There was definitely a lot of fear of a blowup.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Donna Karan New York dress, belt, earrings, shoes, donnakaran.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lovato apologizes and acknowledges that Stoner\u2019s feelings were valid. \u201cIt felt good to clear the air,\u201d she says in retrospect. \u201cTalking to people who knew me at a different time in my life was challenging because I wanted to apologize for my behavior. I wasn\u2019t the nicest person to work with at times because I was struggling so much internally, and I was under a lot of pressure. But having those conversations with Alyson and Raven was really cathartic. They were so lovely, so incredible, and so receptive, and I was so grateful for that.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“It felt good to clear the air.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lovato\u2019s interviews with fellow child stars reveal that, unfortunately, her experience was not unique. Many of them struggled with addiction, body image issues, and general feelings of exhaustion and isolation. At least two of them were extorted by the adults in their lives. But thankfully, they can laugh about some of it now. At one point, Lovato and Ricci, for example, compare notes about how they snuck alcohol on set. They also help each other put back the pieces and fill in the blanks, as a number of them can\u2019t recall swaths of their childhoods, perhaps as a trauma response. Before reaching out to Raven-Symon\u00e9 for an interview, Lovato didn\u2019t even remember that they\u2019d acted alongside each other on her Disney Channel show. \u201cHearing that from some of the participants in the film was so relieving to me because I thought I was the only one who didn\u2019t remember a lot of my past,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m grateful that I was able to have those conversations because it made me feel less alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this way, the film is not about any one child star but the machine that creates them\u2014and, in some cases,\u00a0 <\/span>breaks them. Networks like Disney help to fuel the dream of child stardom with shows like Hannah Montana<\/i> and Sonny With a Chance<\/i>, which are about becoming famous, and profit massively off of the merchandise, albums, tours, etc.. But what we don\u2019t often see is how the real-life stars pay the mental and emotional price. Child Star<\/i> shows the good, the bad, and the ugly, which is notable considering that Hulu is owned by Disney, but it doesn\u2019t point any fingers, either. \u201cMy personal decisions led to where I am today, and the accountability is really on myself,\u201d Lovato says.<\/p>\n

If she\u2019d known the high price of fame, though, she may not have wanted it so badly growing up, and the film aims to lay out the facts. Stoner cites a statistic that people who experience fame have an average lifespan that is younger than non-famous people. (After her overdose, Lovato experienced three strokes, organ failure, and a heart attack.) They also say fame has addictive properties similar to those of drugs and alcohol. \u201cSo if that\u2019s the case, why are we hooking a child to a drug that\u2019s fundamentally altering their brain chemistry and future development?\u201d they ask.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Michael Kors Collection top, skirt, briefs, belt, michaelkors.com; Paum\u00e9 Los Angeles earrings, paumelosangeles.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The film is a cautionary tale but also a hopeful one. JoJo Siwa, who is now 21, represents what the next generation of child stardom looks like, which is to say, extremely online<\/i>. She tells Lovato that she posts anywhere from 250 to 300 times a day on social media\u2014a statistic that shocks even Lovato, who has 266 million followers. \u201cMy whole day is filmed,\u201d Siwa says. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing left for me at the end of [it].\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Siwa and her generation are more aware of mental health, though, and comfortable sharing their personal identity with the world. In 2021, without meaning to, Siwa came out publicly as gay and held her ground when the president of Nickelodeon called. \u201cDoing that\u2014speaking out and just saying, \u2018This is who I am,\u2019 without telling anybody first\u2014I think that was so brave,\u201d says Lovato, who came out as bisexual in 2020. \u201cI didn\u2019t come out until I was 25, so anytime I see someone of a younger age than 25 coming out, I just think it\u2019s so incredibly courageous.\u201d<\/p>\n

“That’s why I set out to make this film\u2014to get more answers.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lovato doesn\u2019t want to discourage young people from following their dreams, she just wants to protect them as best she can. When she was growing up, the California Child Actor\u2019s Bill, also known as the Coogan Law, safeguarded a portion of her earnings from exploitation and abuse until she turned 18. Social media stars do not yet have these same protections, however, and Lovato has become an advocate alongside Chris McCarty, a Gen Z activist and founder of Quit Clicking Kids, as well as Washington State Rep. Kristine Reeves to put more regulations in place for the next generation. She\u2019s even offered to testify.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have to hold people accountable so that the future generation of child stars don\u2019t struggle as much as we did,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t know if that\u2019s even possible\u2014if child stardom just has that effect on people, or if it\u2019s the conglomerates that play a role. I don\u2019t know. That\u2019s why I set out to make this film\u2014to get more answers.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Issey Miyake dress, us-store.isseymiyake.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Considering that so much of her childhood escapes her memory, it makes sense that she\u2019d want to retrace her steps in order to move forward. The film ends on an optimistic note with a song she says she wrote as a letter to her younger self and inner child. \u201cCan\u2019t stop you. \/ Don\u2019t want to. \/ Here\u2019s what I wish I knew,\u201d she sings. \u201cThe sharks in the water will teach you to swim. \/ The thorns on the roses will thicken your skin. \/ People might hurt you and break promises. \/ But darling, I promise you this: you\u2019ll be okay, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the moment, Lovato, who used to do something like 70 shows in 90 days with almost no time off, is enjoying spending quality time at home with her fianc\u00e9, singer-songwriter Jordan \u201cJutes\u201d Lutes, and her dogs, Batman, Ella, and Pickle, as well as her family and friends. She\u2019s in the studio working on a new album, but she\u2019s not rushing it. \u201cI don\u2019t know what it sounds like yet, but we\u2019re moving along,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the subject of cooking, a renewed passion of hers, a huge smile crosses her face. \u201cIt\u2019s very therapeutic\u2014and a big fuck you to my eating disorder that I used to have,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m working on building my confidence in the kitchen and also finding freedom with food. I\u2019ll find a recipe online or elsewhere, and I\u2019ll make it and give it to my fianc\u00e9, and he loves it every time. I think he might be biased, but we have a great time in the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, she\u2019s still a high achiever with high standards. One time, a cake took her four hours to make and \u201csmelled like a fart.\u201d So she started over. The next one took her seven hours. But she\u2019s not giving up and is also being kinder to herself. \u201cI recently made spinach bow tie pasta from scratch, and it was really, really good,\u201d she says, beaming. \u201cI was really proud of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Versace jacket, skirt, stirrup pants, versace.com; Paum\u00e9 Los Angeles earrings, paumelosangeles.com; Giuseppe Zanotti shoes, giuseppezanotti.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Words by Emilia Petrarca, Photography by Thomas Whiteside, Styling by J. Errico<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Hair by Casar Ramirez, Make-Up by Etienne Ortega, Nails by Natalie Minerva, Tailoring by Irina Tshartaryan<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Styling Assistance by Chardonnay Taylor & Darryl Anderson, On Set Production by APGNYC<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Read GRAZIA USA’<\/em>s Fall Issue featuring cover star Demi Lovato<\/a>:<\/strong><\/h4>\n