What Does Matilda Look Like Now
The actress who played Matilda, Mara Wilson, is now a 36-year-old writer and author. She didn’t just vanish into a black hole of child-star fame—she escaped it, which is basically a superpower in Hollywood.
She traded the pigtails for a chic bob and the school uniform for cozy sweaters. These days, she looks like the cool, slightly nerdy aunt who brings you a stack of banned books for your birthday and knows the best pizza place in town.
And here’s the kicker: she’s done with acting. She quit after “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Matilda” because she realized she’d rather tell her own stories than read someone else’s lines. That’s some serious Crunchem Hall-level rebellion, and I’m here for it.
The Surprising “Glow-Up” That Isn’t What You Think
You might expect a “glow-up” story to involve a dramatic makeover, a new haircut, and a montage set to upbeat pop music. But Mara’s glow-up is way better than that: she stopped caring about looking like a movie star.
She’s openly talked about her anxiety, her struggles with OCD, and the pressure of being a child actor. In her memoir, “Good Girls Don’t,” she writes that she spent years trying to be “cute and agreeable” before realizing that Matilda wouldn’t have put up with that nonsense. So she didn’t either.
Now she looks like a woman who has purposefully chosen comfort over glamour. She often posts photos on Twitter (I refuse to call it X) wearing glasses, a messy bun, and a smile that says, “I know how to move a chalkboard with my mind, but I’d rather eat a cookie.”