I thought the series was going to end in 2013. I was convinced that it would be no more in 2015. Yet, when I was caught off-guard, it went off air in 2020. I was convinced that I’d never be able to change, but when the star of the show went missing in action for three years, things moved around.
They always thought they’d be a child actor, smiling alongside their costars while having some hidden animosity towards them, some sick competitive nature while feigning innocence. They weren’t prepared; they expected to be able to pull their moody antics for the entirety of their career.
Reality hits, and suddenly, they fade out of relevance.
They got lost, not wanting to jump back into things. They didn’t know how to make an appearance among their adult coworkers, embarrassed of how they were still wearing Nickelodeon outfits on MTV. They ended their contracts and pulled out of the spotlight.
And when 2023 arrived, they were ready to return for the reboot. They rolled up to the photoshoots with short hair that was blonde. They laughed loudly and made small talk with their costars. They smiled for the paparazzi instead of pulling their hood over their eyes—the flashes brighten their eyes with a newfound enthusiasm.
Diving headfirst into the flowing channel of the red carpet, the star shows up in outfits that will be on the covers of magazines and the face of Instagram. Since the reboot, they’ve returned full force. The first thing they do is rush to their costars—their partners in crime, their coworkers, their ride-or-die social circle. Whether they are acting out a scene or making a public appearance, the group of friends sticks together since the return of the star.
They don’t need an agency anymore to guide them. They don’t want a set personality curated by the media and their networking team—they form an image of their own in order to be their most authentic, truest self—an honest actress, despite the oxymoron. The duality keeps them grounded, so their persona is accurate to their soul while their career dominates a playful falsehood.
They no longer try and shy away from being a solo star without a set show and cast to identify with. Their staple and most iconic work is still the original, and now, the reboot, but now, they bounce between solo work and working with agencies. They finally have the spotlight shining on them like the sun, warm instead of scorching.
