10 Former 2000s Movie Child Stars Who Are Still Slaying It (& 10 Not So Much)

Sometimes, the most important aspect of a film, casting the right child actor in a key role really can make all the difference in whether or not a movie succeeds or fails. For example, there have been some younger actors that were so grating in a film that they threw off the entire movie. For that reason, when a child actor does a good job in a movie, people tend to remember them even years later.

A decade that was highlighted by the release of many stellar films, the 2000s was the breeding ground of many child stars that stood out in a very competitive field. Long enough ago now that those young people have grown up significantly since then, it is interesting to see how those former child stars have progressed since then. With that in mind, it is time to look at 10 former 2000s movie child stars who are still slaying, and 10 who are not so much.

In order for someone to be considered for possible inclusion on this list, they first and foremost need to have starred in a movie that was released during the 2000s. It does not matter if the film in question was put into production during another decade as long as the wide audience first got to see it in the 2000s. Next, they need to have been under 18 years old when they shot their part for the film. On top of that, they need to have played a memorable character, which doesn't necessarily mean that they are one of the stars. Finally, their careers have to either be going strong today or sputtered out for the most part.

20 Slaying: Chloë Grace Moretz - The Amityville Horror

Extremely talented, ever since Chloë Grace Moretz starred in a 2005 remake of The Amityville Horror, she has proven herself again and again. Going on to appear in a slew of other movies during that decade, in 2010 her career took off after she blew audiences away with her performance as Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass. Ever since then, she has had the pick of the litter when it comes to the movies she appears in and more often than not, she has chosen winners to be a part of. Perhaps the best indication of how big of a deal she became, in 2014, Chloë appeared in 6 different movies. On top of that, she has also been tapped to voice Wednesday Addams in an upcoming animated movie.

19 Not So Much: AnnaSophia Robb - Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

One of the biggest disappointments for movie fans that grew up loving the work of Tim Burton, when he signed on to direct Charlie and the Chocolate Factory loads of people had high hopes. Unfortunately, fans of Gene Wilder's '70s adaptation of the same story were largely let down. That said, that movie introduced most people to AnnaSophia Robb, someone that would go on to star in Race to Witch Mountain, Soul Surfer, and The Way, Way Back.

Also tapped to play Carrie Bradshaw in The Carrie Diaries, after that anticipated show was canceled, her career has mostly faltered.

That said, she is set to star in a season of The Act, a true crime anthology series that hopefully will turn things around for her.

18 Slaying: Freddie Highmore - Finding Neverland

Born with an incredibly expressive face and eyes that draw the camera in, once the world took note of Freddie Highmore in Finding Neverland he has remained a star. Appearing in films like August Rush, The Golden Compass, and The Spiderwick Chronicles after that, there is still no doubt that he has found his greatest success on television. The star of Bates Motel, that came to an end in 2017, since then he has starred in The Good Doctor, one of television's biggest hits in recent years. While it seems likely that show will continue to air for many years, if it suddenly came to an end there is little doubt that Freddie will find another hit project to be a part of.

17 Not So Much: Daveigh Chase - The Ring

Far and away one of the best horror movies of the 2000s, The Ring was so creepy in its time that it went on to inspire a series of sequels. Focused on a little girl that comes back to wreak vengeance for what was done to her, most people foolish enough to watch her video are doomed to pay the ultimate price when she visits them. Due to the series' core concept, it was imperative that Daveigh Chase, the person that brought the little girl to life, was able to be scary in the right circumstances despite being a child. Working off and on since then, after her recurring role on the show Big Love, which ended in 2011, she hasn't worked on any notable projects.

16 Slaying: Hayden Panettiere - Remember the Titans

Cast as the passionate daughter of a football coach in Remember the Titans, in that movie Hayden Panettiere proved that she was an adorable kid that viewers could still take seriously. Co-starring with acting legend Denzel Washington in that movie, she also went on to appear with Tim Allen in Joe Somebody the following year.

Able to take her career to another level when she began starring in the show Heroes in 2006, ever since then, she has lit up the small screen.

Currently the star of TV's Nashville, which she has been a part of since 2012, when that show comes to an end we have all the confidence in the world that Hayden will anchor another series.

15 Not So Much: Miranda Cosgrove - School of Rock

A movie that almost instantly became a classic, School of Rock was so charming and pure of heart that it quickly meant a lot to millions of fans. Anchored by the comedic talents of Jack Black, that movie would have been a total failure if they had failed to find the right child actors to share the screen with him. Cast as Summer, a hyper-organized kid that challenges Dewey to actually teach only to relent to the rock band project when she thinks she will get good grades, Miranda played her character to perfection. Currently making sporadic appearances on television, the only reason she continues to be a part of high profile projects from time to time is she voices Margo from the Despicable Me franchise.

14 Slaying: Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter

Tapped to play a fictional character that millions of families had already grown to love, when Daniel Radcliffe landed the role of Harry Potter it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

That said, playing such a high-profile role would have come with a lot of pressure, which may be why he has focused on being a part of smaller movies since the Harry Potter franchise came to an end.

For instance, he is the star of indie films like Horns, Swiss Army Man, and Imperium. Clearly, focused on being a part of projects that interest him, Daniel hasn't had any gigantic hits as of late but he has become one of the most interesting actors in the business.

13 Not So Much: Daryl Sabara - Spy Kids

The kind of director that works with the same people over and over again, when Daryl Sabara was hired by Robert Rodriguez to star in Spy Kids, little did he know that movie would go on to be a franchise. Cast as Juni Cortez, one of the titular Spy Kids, he wound up playing that character in 3 movies between 2001 and 2003 and once more in 2011.

Going on to play many recurring TV roles, Daryl became a part of shows like Weeds, Wizards of Waverly Place, and Ultimate Spider-Man among others. However, these days he is best known for his engagement to singer Meghan Trainor since his only notable role of late is voicing a character from the animated series Ben 10.

12 Slaying: Emmy Rossum - Mystic River

A list about former child stars, the majority of the actors listed here first made their mark in relatively family-friendly fare. Then you have Emmy Rossum who as a youngster appeared in the Clint Eastwood movie Mystic River, which is one of the hardest to watch and most depressing major films from the 2000s.

A multifaceted performer that would go on to sing in a 2004 adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, at the time, it may have seemed like Emmy was set to focus on musicals.

Instead, she signed on to star in Shameless, a hit show about a struggling low-income family that she is set to leave after a 9 season run later this year.

11 Not So Much: Amanda Bynes - She's The Man

Absolutely on top of her game in terms of acting during the 2000s, between the years 2002 and 2005, Amanda Bynes starred in the sitcom What I Like About You.

However, she found her greatest success as a movie star due to starring in Big Fat Liar, What a Girl Wants, She's the Man, Hairspray, and Easy A. Then seemingly out of nowhere, she announced that she was retiring from the business and for a while, she became a mainstay of tabloid headlines.

Fortunately, in recent years she appears to have turned things around in her personal life, which is far more important than acting. That said, the fact remains that in terms of her previous career, she hasn't been credited in anything since 2010.

10 Slaying: Ellen Page - Hard Candy

Just like Emmy Rossum before her, Ellen Page appears on this list because she starred in an incredibly difficult to watch movie, in this case, Hard Candy, when she was still a relative youngster.

Continuing to only cement her reputation ever since then, she has starred in several independent darlings like An American Crime, Juno, Super, and Freeheld among others.

On top of that, she also was chosen to play Kitty Pryde in the X-Men movies and one of the lead characters in the mind-bending science fiction action film Inception. Showing no signs of slowing down as an actor any time soon, fans can expect Ellen to star in many challenging and compelling films in the future.

9 Not So Much: Bonnie Wright - Harry Potter

Initially a throwaway Potter character, in some film series Ginny Weasley would have been just another member of Ron's expansive family. However, as the story progressed she went on to play an increasingly important role, especially as she became romantically linked with series lead Harry Potter. Portrayed by Bonnie Wright throughout the movies, she was never the franchise's biggest star, but at the zenith of her career, people around the world enjoyed her work. Still attempting to make it as an actor, she has signed on to star in several independent movies but so far none of her smaller movies have found much of an audience. Of course, that could change at any time if she continues to plug away.

8 Slaying: Nicholas Hoult - About A Boy

One of the 2000s' most heartwarming movies, in About a Boy, Nicholas Hoult played a teenager that was so likeable that audiences couldn't help but root for him. Still an awkward0-looking youngster when he shot that film, Hoult would grow up to be handsome and have a very successful career as an adult.

Best known for playing Beast in the X-Men movies, his performances in those films have helped to lend the series a great deal of the heart that allows fans to invest in it.

Also able to join another long-lasting film franchise in the last 5 years, Hoult's turn in Mad Max: Fury Road proved he is a lot more than a one trick pony since his character was so intense.

7 Not So Much: Jonathan Lipnicki - Like Mike

Someone that initially rose to prominence in the mid-'90s, at that time Jonathan Lipnicki pulled off the impressive feat of stealing the spotlight from Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger in Jerry Maguire.

Absolutely adorable as a kid, in the early 2000s, he went on to star in Stuart Little 2 which was the sequel to one of his previous films.

That said, probably his greatest acting success from that decade was playing a supporting role in family fantasy comedy film Like Mike. Clearly still interested in finding his way back to the spotlight, in 2018 he appeared in a British reality show called Celebs Go Dating, but he needs to find another role to make himself a star again.

6 Slaying: Saoirse Ronan - Atonement

A sweeping war drama film that was nominated for a slew of Oscars, including Best Picture, despite that, the best thing to come from the movie Atonement is the career of Saoirse Ronan. That said, during the remainder of the 2000s, she did not exactly become a huge star as her best-known film, The Lovely Bones, got a mixed reception.

Thankfully, during this decade, she has been simply stunning in one fantastic film after another.

Already nominated for three Academy Awards at only 24 years old, she was in the running for the little gold man for her work in Atonement, Brooklyn, and Lady Bird. Yet to win on the big night, at this point, it only seems like a matter of time.

5 Not So Much: Lindsay Lohan - Freaky Friday

Among the most talked about celebrities in the world at various times in her life, Lindsay Lohan first showed the world some of her potential when she starred in The Parent Trap as a youngster. However, it wasn't until she starred in 2003's Freaky Friday that she really took became a huge deal.

Also a successful singer and the star of popular movies like Mean Girls in the early-2000s, her career was absolutely on fire for a time.

Unfortunately, over the last several years, her career has taken a back seat as her personal life has garnered the vast majority of the attention that the world pays her.

4 Slaying: Kristen Stewart - Panic Room

Already a movie star long before she landed her best-known role to date, when Kristen Stewart was a child she starred in movies like Panic Room and Zathura: A Space Adventure. After those films and several others, she would go on to star in one of the most polarizing film franchises of all-time, the almost equally loved and hated Twilight series.

Often mocked during her years playing Twilight's Bella Swan, even as people made fun of how muted her expressions were in those movies, she still became a massive star.

Since then, she has focused on smaller movies and attained the respect of many former haters because of her work in movies like Personal Shopper and Certain Women.

3 Not So Much: JoJo - Aquamarine

In a lot of ways, someone that paved the road for many of the young stars that have since transitioned in between acting and singing, JoJo first became a pop star then began making inroads in the movie world. The star of three hit films during the 2000s, she voiced a version of herself in the animated movie Shark Tale, on top of starring in RV and Aquamarine.If that weren't enough, she also showed up on several TV series during this era, including The Bernie Mac Show, American Dreams, and others. Still touring and performing her music in smaller clubs, it is proof positive of her commitment to her craft even though she is no longer as well-known.

2 Slaying: Emma Watson - Harry Potter

The second star of the Harry Potter series to appear on this list, of all the kids that starred in that franchise, Emma Watson has the best career going. Last seen in the role of Hermione Granger in 2011's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, at the time, it would have been reasonable to think she may never reach those heights again. However, she was tapped to star in the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, which was a huge hit. On top of that, she has also starred in smaller movies that stand out including The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Bling Ring. Of course, we'd also be remiss if we failed to bring up her hilarious This Is the End cameo.

1 Not So Much: Frankie Muniz - Agent Cody Banks

Arguably a thoroughly underrated sitcom, at its best, Malcolm in the Middle could compete with some of television's best comedies from the 2000s. Cast in the titular role, a brilliant youngster whose working-class family is hilarious at every turn, the show was a big enough hit at the time that Frankie Muniz was able to make the leap to movies. The star of Agent Cody Banks, in which he played a teenaged super spy, the movie did well enough to warrant a sequel that Frankie was also tapped to star in. Spending the last decade mostly making one of appearances in TV shows, he currently is the host of Dancing with the Stars: Juniors but he has mostly left his acting career behind.

References: IMDb.com