While working as a child actor on the hit show All That, star Bryan Hearne discusses some absolutely horrible statements made towards him from that time.
According to PEOPLE, he described what it was like working on the Nickelodeon comedy and how it lingers today. He was on the show for seasons 7 and 8 when he was 13.
Thanks to a new docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which premiered today on ID, it's all coming to light. The four-part series covers the working hours, sexual abuse, and emotionally manipulative state of kids' programming in the late '90s and early 2000s.
The traumatic time Bryan Hearne went through on All That
Hearne is one of several actors who shared experiences that took emotional tolls on many lives.
“I was referred to as a ‘piece of charcoal' [by an adult'},” he revealed. “Remarks like that are harmful. They stay with you.”
One example of what he went through was on an episode in which Bryan played a rapper named Lil Fetus. He talked about how it made him feel.
“I was already in an uncomfortable position being in a leotard,” he said. “That's not something that I'm used to at all.”
“There was never any discussion,” the actor said of various demeaning stunts.
Article Continues Below“We felt like we couldn't say no,” he added. “It was a really uncomfortable situation, and after a while, it felt like we were just part of this torture chamber.”
To cope with everything happening during this time, he turned to All That's Giovonnie Samuels. She helped him deal with the pressures and dysfunctional environment. In regards to her, he said, “That was a highlight of my work day, to know that she would be there.”
Samuels said to PEOPLE, “I didn't realize the significance of the impact that I made on people being the only representation they had on television and going through, I hate to call it a trauma bond, but at least having somebody with me that I could talk to, not just as a child actor, but also culturally.”
Hearne has tried to move on and now works with parents of young creatives. He has a non-profit called Urban Poets Society that helps kids “realize their craft and support it in a way that I wasn't supported.”
“I've never had [someone] on set, on any set, that was advocating for my mental health or was standing up for me in any realm,” he noted.
Watch Bryan Hearne reveal more about his traumatic time at Nickelodeon on ID on Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.