Emma Roberts Reveals Who “Protected” Her Most On Sets As A Nickelodeon Child Star

Before she became a scream queen and joined the cast of Ryan Murphy ‘s American Horror Story in 2013, Emma Roberts was already known for plenty of screen credits, including her short-lived Nickelodeon series Unfabulous .

The actress recently reflected on her experience working as a child actor, especially in light of the alarming allegations raised by many former Nickelodeon stars in the Max documentary series, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV .

Roberts told Variety that she did, in fact, watch the series after it premiered on Max in March.

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“I was completely horrified and shocked because that was not my experience,” she said. “It made me really, really, really sad that that was happening to people that I literally saw often and had no idea.”

The series featured several actors who appeared in All That , The Amanda Show , and Zoey 101 to share their experiences working with Dan Schneider , a writer who had become a prolific showrunner and creator for Nickelodeon. Drake Bell also came forward as the unnamed victim who had been sexually assaulted by a Nickelodeon employee in 2004.

Roberts credited the two people who made sure she had a positive experience working on Unfabulous between 2004 and 2007: Her mother and Unfabulous showrunner Sue Rose.

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“For me, my show, Unfabulous , the showrunner we had was this amazing woman named Sue Rose. And I didn’t realize at the time, but a female showrunner back then was not very common. But that was my intro into working on a TV show,” she explained.

She added that her mother, Kelly Cunningham, also stayed by her side on set “24/7.”

“Even I would be like, ‘You don’t have to be here all the time,’ she was like, ‘I do actually. I’m not letting you out of my sight. You’re not going to a fitting by yourself when you’re 13 years old,'” she recalled.

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The Space Cadet star added that it feels like the industry is “working towards a better work environment” for both children and adults. But the revelations shared in Quiet on Set have certainly stuck with her.

“It makes me really sad… That documentary really kept me up at night,” she said.

The actress also mentioned another family member who has been supportive of her career: Her aunt, Academy Award-winning actress Julia Roberts .

Emma said she “would love” to collaborate with her aunt, but they just haven’t found the “perfect project” yet.

“It’s never been the right thing. She’s the best, and I want to do something with her,” she said. “We send each other books and talk about stuff but it hasn’t been right.”

If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org .

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