The 10th Anniversary of ‘Hairspray’ Reminds us that Amanda Bynes was Almost Emma Stone

Exactly 10 years ago today, Amanda Bynes showed us that she was ready to be a star. Of course, Bynes was already the biggest talent that Nickelodeon had ever produced, and she had starred in three syndicated television series by the time she was 16. But the ‘A’ in A-lister stands for adult (probably). And 10 years ago, adults just didn’t care who Amanda was. That is, until Hairspray danced into theaters on July 20, 2007. Bynes played Penny Pingleton, a role that could have easily been the most forgettable among an insane A-list cast. I mean, how did this 21-year-old stand out among John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Zac Efron, AND Allison Janney?? Amanda was good. She had more comedy training than the rest of the cast combined. Kids had known how good she was ever since a 10-year-old Bynes first walked onto the set of Nickelodeon’s All That in the mid-90s. And now adults — real adults who bought real movie tickets! — were beginning to notice too.

Hairspray’s wild success was supposed to mark the beginning of Bynes’ adult career. So why instead did it signal the end?

In 2002, The New York Times called Bynes a new kind of child star. The publication praised her comedic talents, saying, “Ms. Bynes is like Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett and Gilda Radner rolled into one 16-year-old package.” At the time, Bynes was two years removed from The Amanda Show and starring in her third series, What I Like About You.

“Many a ‘True Hollywood Story’ has been told about show-business kids going bad,” the Times said in its 2002 profile. “But Ms. Bynes seems remarkably self-possessed and far more sedate than the highly caffeinated characters she plays on television.”

Dan Schneider, the co-creator of Bynes’ early star vehicles, said, “’I’ve seen kids in her position experiment with drugs and be too promiscuous, but Amanda has avoided all of that… She’s almost like Marcia Brady in that she’s so clean-cut and wholesome.”

In 2017, it is impossible to read this now uncharacteristic report on Bynes without feeling like it drips with irony. Not even three years after the premiere of Hairspray, the child celebrity retired from acting altogether and quickly became the star of her very own public breakdown. From 2012 to 2015, Bynes was charged with various accounts of reckless driving, allegedly started a fire in a stranger’s driveway and reportedly threw a bong out of a 36-story window.

The New York Times insinuated that 16-year-old Amanda was ready to launch into the adult phase of her career. This calculated second act for childhood actors can also be seen in the trajectory of Anne Hathaway, Emma Stone, and Brie Larson, all contemporaries of Bynes who also spent their early days attached exclusively to children’s comedies before becoming Academy Award winners.

Let’s get this out of the way: Amanda Bynes totally could have won an Oscar. I know it’s hard to believe that a 13-year-old who regularly parodied Judge Judy could ever deliver an award-winning film performance, but every Academy Award winner has a history. The early roles that Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries 1 and 2, Ella Enchanted, Get Smart) and Emma Stone (The House Bunny, Zombieland, The Rocker) took in the ’00s were just as silly and often less meaty than Bynes’. Hell, Brie Larson wasn’t even that successful at being a child star! Meanwhile, Bynes was successfully carrying feature films such as What a Girl Wants, Big Fat Liar, and She’s the Man, and she later earned wide critical acclaim for her supporting roles in Hairspray and the Emma Stone vehicle Easy A.

In 2010, the only thing Bynes was missing was her defining crossover hit. The actress needed something that would endear her to adult audiences while still retaining the charm from her early work. Hathaway had The Devil Wears Prada. Stone had Crazy, Stupid, Love. Bynes had… Something! She didn’t know what it would become. But it was coming, and it was something.

In 2009, Bynes signed a two-film contract with Screen Gems, a division of Sony Pictures. The first half of this deal gave Bynes her supporting role in Easy A. Screen Gems then promised Bynes a starring role in her second project with the company.

At the time of the deal, the president of Screen Gems said, “[Bynes] is one of the few who can make that graceful transition from kid to adult star because she has such strong comic chops.”

Everything was in place. Bynes would finally have her crossover hit. And after she fulfilled her Screen Gems contract, who knew what doors would open? Maybe she would star in a lucrative superhero franchise, like Hathaway, Stone, and Larson. Maybe she’d give a career-defining performance in an award-winning film, again, like Hathaway, Stone, and Larson. (There’s a certain pattern to making a young adult star.)

Then Bynes broke the pattern. Production on her second Screen Gems film was cancelled, and her upcoming role in the adult comedy Hall Pass was given to another actress shortly after Bynes began filming. Hairspray 2, which was slated for a summer 2010 release, was cancelled that June. The same month, Bynes tweeted: “I don’t love acting anymore, so I’ve stopped doing it.” She hasn’t had a role since.

During Bynes’ extended public breakdown, she tweeted a lot of uncomfortable tweets. Most concerning of all, Bynes used her Twitter account to accuse her father of sexually abusing her as a child. Then she recanted this accusation. Then she accused him of planting a microchip in her brain. Last year, there was a sudden deletion of all incriminating tweets. And then… Nothing. Bynes quietly attended fashion school and slowly regained control over her finances.

Last month, Bynes appeared in her first interview in four years during which she confirmed that she is looking to return to acting. “I want to do TV,” Bynes said. “Maybe a few guest spots on some shows that I’m a fan of, and maybe another TV show where I’m the star of it in the future.” This week, fellow former child star Selena Gomez reportedly offered Bynes a part in the upcoming second season of the smash hit Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.

Could this be the start of the comeback we’ve been waiting 10 years for? If so, Bynes would be smart to build back some goodwill in popular guest TV spots before venturing back into film. Hairspray showed us that Bynes was ready to become a self-possessed, A-list star. Is she ready to follow through on that promise 10 years later? We all hope so. You’re so damn talented, Amanda. Please stay on track with your mental health! An Oscar is on the line.