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  1. People.com
  2. Celebrity
  3. 9 Child Stars Who Experienced Serious Transformations

9 Child Stars Who Experienced Serious Transformations

Believe it or not, child stars grow up! And sometimes, the transformation is ... dramatic
By Maria Yagoda
June 14, 2017 03:18 PM
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BLAKE MCIVER

Credit: Universal; Source: Blake McIver Ewing/Instagram

McIver — who played rich kid Waldo in The Little Rascals and Michelle Tanner's friend on Full House — is now an impossibly toned singer-songwriter. Despite his very real adult talent, McIver told TooFab in 2014 that he still gets recognized for his childhood roles.

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SCARLETT BYRNE

Credit: Warner Bros.; Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty

The Harry Potter actress, who played Pansy Parkinson in The Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2, showed a huge transformation when she derobed for the March/April 2017 issue of Playboy. The actress also starred in a 2015 season of The Vampire Diaries, because mythical-fantasy stuff seems to still be her thing.

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MATTHEW LEWIS

Credit: Warner Bros.; PR Photos

Neville Longbottom, is that really you? Lewis proved just how much he’s grown since his Harry Potter days when he posed nearly nude for Attitude magazine ... and we were super into it. Even J.K. Rowling was surprised: "Not as bad as watching Dan [Radcliffe] in Equus, but close," she tweeted. "Warn me next time, for God's sake."

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VICTORIA JUSTICE

Credit: Jesse Grant/WireImage; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Justice, who starred on Nickelodeon's Victorious from 2010 to 2013, traded in her squeaky-clean image for a sexier role in Fox's TV adaptation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show — and killed it. "I love Janet Weiss' character arc because she starts off as very innocent and naïve and pure," she told PEOPLE of her character. "As the musical progresses, we all go through this dark and stormy night in this night of debauchery, and [Janet has] a complete sexual awakening. I'm in, like, my bra and slip for more than half of the movie," she said. "I think it's safe to say that my Nickelodeon days are over."

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SELENA GOMEZ

Credit: Eric McCandless/Disney Channel via Getty; Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

Do we even have to explain how much growing Gomez has done since her Wizards of Waverly Place days? From signing on to a bunch of daring films (like the dark Harmony Korine-directed Spring Breakers) and releasing music that investigates her complicated inner life, Gomez has grown into a full-blown artist. And looks amazing, obviously.

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ELLE FANNING

Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty; Steve Granitz/WireImage

Fanning's transformation appears so dramatic partially because we got to know her as a very small child, when she first began her acting career. Now at 18, Fanning has a number of critically acclaimed roles under her belt, most recently 20th Century Women — and she's transformed into a red carpet stunner.

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ROSS LYNCH

Nothing says "all grown up" like playing a serial killer! In a move that surprised fans of the Teen Beach Movie and Austin & Ally actor, Lynch signed on to portray serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in the movie My Friend Dahmer, inspired by the novel of the same name that details the happenings of a young Dahmer in high school. Child actor no more.

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DAN BENSON

Credit: Bruce Birmelin/ Disney Channel via Getty; Dan Benson/Instagram

The Wizards of Waverly Place actor played the geeky-yet-totally-cool Zeke Beakerman. These days, however, he makes our hearts race with smoldering selfies and an Instagram account that prominently features adorable babies.

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EMMA ROBERTS

Credit: Tommaso Boddi/WireImage

The former Unfabulous star showed off her edgy (and sexy) side by starring on American Horror Story: Coven — a departure from the typical roles she would take growing up. Roberts has clearly come a long way from her Nickelodeon days.

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1 of 9 BLAKE MCIVER
2 of 9 SCARLETT BYRNE
3 of 9 MATTHEW LEWIS
4 of 9 VICTORIA JUSTICE
5 of 9 SELENA GOMEZ
6 of 9 ELLE FANNING
7 of 9 ROSS LYNCH
8 of 9 DAN BENSON
9 of 9 EMMA ROBERTS

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9 Child Stars Who Experienced Serious Transformations
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