Dylan Sprouse looked back on his childhood in Hollywood and admitted the experience came with lasting emotional baggage. The Suite Life of Zack & Cody star said starting work as an infant created “some mental hurdles” he was still unpacking as an adult.
Sprouse, 34, discussed the realities of growing up as a Disney face. Alongside his identical twin brother, Cole Sprouse, he entered show business before he was old enough to understand what working actually meant.
Dylan Sprouse opened up about the lasting toll of entering show business at an extremely young age
Speaking on the Wildmen podcast, Sprouse connected with guest Mark Indelicato over their shared childhood careers. Indelicato began acting as a pre-teen on Ugly Betty, giving the pair plenty to compare.
“We’re beating around the bush, but it’s child labor,” Sprouse said. He added, “It’s still child labor!” while comparing their childhood entertainment work with traditional forms of youth labor.
The actor explained that working between ages eight and 17 felt remarkably similar to holding a regular job. “It’s a full office job,” he said, describing television production as a routine of clocking in, working, and clocking out. That structure apparently shaped how Sprouse viewed himself. He admitted his self-esteem became closely connected to his ability to work and remain on set.
“It feels like my self-esteem, for a long time, was tied integrally into my ability to work and be on set,” Sprouse explained. He also questioned whether that connection came directly from their upbringing.
The problem became especially noticeable when productions ended. Sprouse described feeling “this void” after work wrapped, suggesting that performing had become deeply intertwined with his identity.
Indelicato said he still experienced anxiety when he lacked an outlet for creative work. Sprouse understood that feeling and credited Cole with helping him navigate their unusual childhood.
“I was lucky enough to have an identical twin who experienced the same exact thing,” he said. Still, Sprouse acknowledged that growing up together came with “its own full set of bulls—.”
The twins began acting as infants and sometimes shared roles because of child labor laws. Their early credits included Grace Under Fire, Big Daddy, and The Astronaut’s Wife.
At 12, they became Disney stars through The Suite Life of Zack & Cody in 2005. The show later spawned The Suite Life on Deck.
For Sprouse, the career clearly delivered fame and opportunity. However, his reflections showed that childhood success also left emotional hurdles behind.
