The Real Reason Why iCarly Star Jennette McCurdy 'Resents' Her Acting Career
There's a reason you haven't seen actor Janet McCurdy on TV lately. McCurdy, who played Sam Puckett for six seasons of the Nickelodeon sitcom as well as one season of the spinoff Sam & Cat, has retired from acting. During a conversation with Anna Faris on her podcast, Empty Inside, McCurdy opened up about leaving the line of work behind. "I quit a few years ago to try my hand at writing and directing — it's going great," she said (via E! News). "I quit a few years ago because I didn't want to do that initially."
McCurdy explained that as a child actor, she struggled with the pressure that went with work, as well as anxiety. “My mom joined me when I was 6, and by age, I think, 10 or 11 I was the main financial support for my family,” she told Faris (via E! News. ). "It was too much pressure from my family to not have a lot of money, and that was the path that I think really helped me achieve some degree of success." But after her mother's death in 2013, McCurdy found she was no longer interested in acting, instead working behind the camera.
McCurdy isn't that much talked about these days, but it seems she is doing what makes her happy. What else did she say about her past as an actress and why she said she "annoys" her career.
Janet McCurdy says she was 'unfinished' with her Nickelodeon roles
"My experience with acting is, I've been so embarrassed by the parts I've done in the past," Janet McCurdy said on her podcast (via E! News). "I resent my career in a lot of ways. I feel so incomplete with the roles I've played and I thought it was, at best, embarrassing. I did the show I was like from 13 to 21, and By 15, I was already embarrassed. My friends who are 15 years old aren't like, 'Oh, cool, you're on this Nickelodeon show.' It was embarrassing. And I think if you're proud of your roles, and if you feel like fulfilling them, that's got to be a very different experience with acting."
Considering the fact that he called his time on the Nickelodeon series "embarrassing," fans can assume that McCurdy will not be reprising his role as Sam for the iCarly reboot. The iCarly revival was announced in December 2020, and the show will be available for streaming through Paramount+. Miranda Cosgrove, Jerry Trainor, and Nathan Kress will all join the new series in their original iCarly roles.
Life in Hollywood was not easy for Janet McCurdy
In addition to talking about her anxiety on her podcast, Janet McCurdy has been open about her eating disorder, which she suffered from as a child star. McCurdy detailed her experience with anorexia in a March 2019 HuffPost essay, writing that her mother had battled anorexia herself and furthered McCurdy's struggle with disordered eating.
The iCarly star wrote in her essay, "As a child actress working in Hollywood, I quickly learned that being physically younger for my age meant I had a better chance of booking more roles. " "At 14, I was cast in the Nickelodeon series iCarly, and by the time I was 15, the show was starting to become popular. The stress of being 'on' all the time took its toll on me. Even more fixed. On the food and on my body."
McCurdy wrote in her essay that she has now recovered from her eating disorder. She produced a short film, Strong Independent Woman, about a character who struggles with disordered eating. And having done everything as a child actor, it's no wonder McCurdy prefers life behind the camera, rather than in front of it.