...to not really want my son to be an actor for the NSPCC advert?

[FinnJett]

I'm delurking to ask this, so please bear with me. My son is 7 and is really into acting, etc.

He has been asked to put forward a video audition, through his acting school's agency. I'm not so sure that I like the idea... The children that are actors, for their adverts, always stick in my mind - I feel sorry for them (which I know is the point) but do you see where I'm coming from? If not, that's okay.

Would you let him?

...do you seriously think Radcliffe regrets taking on the role?

A child actor is going to face difficulties whatever roles they take. The OP seems to have worked out their "shall I allow my son to be a child actor" question already. It's very sensible for them to consider carefully all the roles their DS takes. But to reject a role - one where, realistically, people are very unlikely to recognise them in real life, unless they already know them - because that role has bad things happen to the character (even off-screen) means that you might want to rethink this whole acting thing through, as that's what a lot of the roles will involve, unless you are going to go exclusively for sitcoms, and adverts for petit filou or Werther's Originals. (Only choosing fluffy roles for your actor child is a perfectly valid choice! But it helps to know you are making that choice.)

(And yes, acting is acting.)

I wouldn't, because many people aree very stupid, and might well assume he is neglected or abused.

I wouldn't because 7 IMO is too young for tv

I doubt it - but it's not like for like.

He sacrificed a normal childhood to become a millionaire and have pretty much carte blanche in how he lives and what he does professionally.

An NSPCC advert is NOT the same thing, but might provoke the same reaction socially.

Nope. But then I'm biased. My ex was a former child actor from a very well known stable of child actors in London. It fecked him up for life. It's totally not a good or healthy thing - whatever the part.

As a teen, he was in an advert where he kicked a copper, etc etc - in retrospect, if I was his mum I'd have found it worrying he got cast. Ditto NSPCC ads.