KallMeKris

Especially in those days where stuff just wasn't monitored or cared about at all.

And the work that followed her big hit was mostly lightweight stuff.

family-friendly comedies that nobody really remembers today.

And they didn't win awards, but they earned steady money.

And Maria made sure every dollar went through her hands.

And Natalie was tutored on set instead of going to school.

Maria made sure to keep her daughter away from kids her own age.

and away from anything that didn't serve the career.

And on top of all of that, just not having any sort of childhood, you know, any sort of social life and having a mom that mutilates bugs in front of you to make you cry on cue, her father's heart was also starting to fail.

And Natalie was still very young.

And after that, Natalie was the family's only real source of income.

So just put the pressure of that on this eight-year-old girl, my God.

So Maria doubled down on the pressure,

work more, audition better, be perfect.

You can't be anything less than perfect.

And she racked up more than 20 film credits before she turned 16.

And one of them nearly killed her.

During the production of The Green Promise in 1949, there was a stunt involving a bridge collapse during a storm.

And the scene called for a 10-year-old girl to sprint across the bridge that would fall apart the second she made it to safety.

But the timing failed and gave way too early, and she was only halfway across.