Quiet On Set Has Hallmark's Alison Sweeney Reflecting On Her Own Childhood Stardom
Investigation Discovery took on Nickelodeon, and the noxious work environment its child actors were allegedly subjected to, in the shocking exposé "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids' TV." The initial four episodes of the docuseries premiered in March 2024 and grabbed the attention of 20 million viewers, with a follow-up airing in April. "Quiet on Set" focused on the late 1990s and early 2000s, when super producer Dan Schneider cranked out hits on the kid-centric network like "All That," "The Amanda Show," "Zoey 101," and "Drake & Josh."
In a series of interviews, child actors, as well as other employees, reminisced about the extremely long work days under Schneider's reign, toxic situations, power imbalances, racism, sexual harassment, and even sexual abuse. Before even watching "Quiet on Set," when she'd seen only the previews for the show, Hallmark's "Love and Jane" star Alison Sweeney had flashbacks to her own time as a child star. The actor was only five when she appeared in a Kodak commercial, and by the time Sweeney was eight, she was already guest-starring on primetime hits like "Simon & Simon."
The Hallmark star landed one of her most famous roles at 16, as Sami on "Days of Our Lives." Speaking to Fox News about her reaction to the initial teaser for "Quiet on Set," Sweeney admitted, "I was shocked." She elaborated, "I guess I should say shocked, but not surprised. In fact, when I was watching the trailer, I thought to myself, 'This is exactly what my mother worked so hard to protect me from as a child actor.'"
She credited her parents with keeping her safe on set as a kid
There were major revelations in the docuseries "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids' TV" about just how toxic it was behind the scenes of some of Nickelodeon's most popular shows. Actor Alison Sweeney, the titular star of Hallmark's hit "Hannah Swenson Mysteries" movies, fortunately, didn't have the same experience growing up in front of the cameras. "My parents just didn't allow for that, for me to be exposed to anything inappropriate when I was a child," she shared with the Daily Mail. "And they never left me alone with anybody, ever, that would have created that kind of opportunity for someone to take advantage. They just didn't tolerate it."
The Los Angeles native does recall several occasions when her parents were especially looking out for her, however. In one scenario, which Sweeney detailed during her chat with Fox News, her mom (pictured above with the Hallmark star) refused to let her do a stunt that could have been potentially dangerous to the young actor's health, resulting in the scene being reconfigured to protect Sweeney. The former child star also alluded to something nefarious though she didn't go into it any further, simply telling the Daily Mail: "There was one situation, one time where my mom saw something and she was like, 'We're leaving right now, we're not doing that.'"
Sweeney credits her childhood stardom with helping shape her current success
Elsewhere in the Daily Mail interview, Alison Sweeney shared her empathy for child actors who had a harrowing time working in Hollywood and expressed her gratitude that she doesn't have the same stories to tell. The soap alum fell in love with performing at an early age, and her parents encouraged her to pursue it — with certain important restrictions. "My parents put a lot of strict rules on me to keep my grades up and said that if I wanted to be an actor, I had to get my education first," she explained to Smashing Interview Magazine.
Sweeney even visited college campuses when she still had a major role on "Days of Our Lives." It was a dean at one of the universities who helped convince her father that it was okay to put school on hold while she was experiencing success as an actor, as the Hallmark star informed EW. It's safe to say that after Sweeney left "Days of Our Lives" and took on a starring role as Hannah Swensen, alongside executive-producing the hit mystery flicks, she's still in success mode.
"Discipline and work ethic was always instilled in me as a kid," Sweeney confirmed to Closer Weekly when discussing how her childhood stardom has influenced her career. She also reiterated, once again, "I was really lucky to have rock-solid parents who helped me through the industry and didn't pressure me to do it. It was my choice, and I always wanted to be a part of telling the story behind the scenes."