Did Fame Ruin This Former Child Star’s Hollywood Career?

Published: August 13, 2025

By Mallory Mattingly

THE PARENT TRAP star Lindsay Lohan revealed while speaking with The Times that she wasn’t ready for fame that came with being a young star.

She recalled being “infamously chased and prodded by paparazzi during her teens and early 20s,” according to Fox News Digital.

So, because of her childhood experiences in Hollywood, Lohan and her husband, Bader Shammas, have decided to raise their son, Luai, in Dubai.

“I don’t ever want my family to experience being chased by the paparazzi the way I was. They were terrifying moments I had in my life — I have PTSD to the extreme from those things,” the actress told to The Times. “The most invasive situations. Really scary. And I pray stuff like that never comes back. It’s not safe. It’s not fair.”

Now, Lohan has noticed that the paparazzi isn’t as bad as it used to be.

“I feel that it doesn’t happen as badly now as it did,” the FREAKIER FRIDAY actress said. “It was way worse when I was younger, but now, because of social media, people can tell their own story in the way that you want it to be told. It has reclaimed the ownership of your life.”

“We didn’t have that and so, no, I don’t think anybody chose that life, but what I have learnt over time is how to separate my private life and public life, and that was difficult for me because nobody ever teaches you how to do that,” she added.

Lohan’s latest movie, FREAKIER FRIDAY, a sequel to 2003’s FREAKY FRIDAY where she costarred with Jamie Lee Curtis, released in theaters over the weekend.

“The story picks up years after Tess (Curtis) and Anna (Lohan) endured an identity crisis. Anna now has a daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might indeed strike twice,” a synopsis of the film reads.

Part of Movieguide®’s review reads:

FREAKIER FRIDAY is very entertaining. It has a redemptive, moral worldview and premise about family dynamics and making sacrifices. The story also tackles the complex topic of letting go while learning to forgive. However, the movie has elements of false religion as it presents the notion that souls can swap bodies, which is false. There are also occult elements where a psychic palm reader initiates the body-swapping experience. FREAKIER FRIDAY is a heartwarming, fun sequel to FREAKY FRIDAY. MOVIEGUIDE® advises serious caution for older children, teenagers and adults.
Related: FREAKIER FRIDAY

Lohan loved returning to the character.

“Filming FREAKIER FRIDAY was truly magical 💜💚so many laughs, so much love. Thank you Andrew Gunn, Anne Marie Sanderlin and Kristin Burr (our OG producers) for bringing us together again to make this movie with @disneystudios!” the actress wrote.