Little Miss Sunshine child actor Abigail Breslin has endured incredibly difficult life since Oscar nomination at 10 years old

Warning: This article contains discussion of eating disorders and sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.

This year marks two decades since the award-winning Little Miss Sunshine was first released, leaving plenty of us somehow both laughing and crying.

And that means it’s been 20 years since its iconic child star, Abigail Breslin, had her big breakthrough.

Her character, youngest daughter Olive, pretty much tied together the ensemble cast made up of Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano and Greg Kinnear.

But of course, while it does have comedic elements, it’s got some pretty heavy bits too, with themes including family and depression.

So, with such a big role under her belt, it wasn’t the biggest surprise that she ended up getting nominated for Oscar but perhaps it was based on her only being 10 years old.

She stepped out for a very rare red-carpet appearance earlier this year, but hasn’t been in the limelight quite as much since.

Some of the Little Miss Sunshine cast reunited earlier this year. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

During filming, Breslin wore a fake stomach to make Olive look slightly bigger.

And during an appearance on the Vulnerable with Christy Carlson Romano podcast, the now 30-year-old said this had a bit of an impact on her self confidence in real life, admitting: "I definitely had a moment of deep insecurity when I saw all the other girls in the beauty pageant and was like, 'Am I the ugly one?'"

After Little Miss Sunshine, Breslin went on to feature in the likes of Nim’s Island, My Sister’s Keeper, Zombieland and Scream Queens.

But at the age of 13, the child star was diagnosed with anxiety, speaking out about it on World Mental Health Day in 2020.

“For a while I felt ashamed of these labels and the stigma attached to them,” the Definitely, Maybe actor said.

“Now I see it as a part of who I am... Every day I don't have a panic attack is a win.”

She was nominated for Best Actress at 10 years old. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)

Speaking to Backstage previously, she also opened up to having a ‘panic attack’ while on stage,

“Anxiety has been a part of my life since I was younger,” she added. “I obviously have ways of dealing with it; I manage it every day. Some days, it’s better than others.”

And by the age of 14, Breslin had also been diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia.

She’s spoken out about this, having touched on it in 2024 when responding to the stories that Alabama Barker (Travis Barker’s daughter) was using weight loss medication at 18.

“'This makes me super sad. I have been several years free of my own ED, and I have zero judgement towards people who take medications like this but the fact that she started taking weight loss meds because of online comments is absolutely devastating,” Breslin wrote on Instagram.

“Please everyone, let's just be kinder. You have no idea how traumatising these kind of comments can be. She's a beautiful girl like… this is awful. And it makes me really sad. Sending love her way.”

Breslin has also used her platform to speak out about sexual assault, having opened up about her own experiences and PTSD diagnosis as a result.

It's been 20 years since the film came out. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)

On Instagram, she spoke about having not reported it.

“First off, I was in complete shock and total denial,” she explained, adding that she didn’t want to be seen as a victim so ‘suppressed it’.

“Second of all, I was in a relationship with my rapist and feared not being believed,” Breslin continued.

“I also feared that if my case didn't lead anywhere, he would still find out and hurt me even more. Thirdly, I knew how hurt my family and friends would be after finding out and I didn't want to put them through that.”

Breslin has also faced a number of other struggles over the years, having lost her dad to Covid-19 in 2021, attempting to break out of her child star image, being in an abusive relationship and having a feud with Aaron Eckhart behind the scenes of their flop, Classified.

But Breslin has also enjoyed great success and used her platform to advocate for others.

She’s been married to Ira Kunyansky since 2003, starred in the likes of Stillwater and this year was cast in the fourth and final season of Netflix’s The Night Agent.

If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article and would like to speak with someone in confidence, call the BEAT Eating Disorders helpline on 0808 801 0677. Helplines are open 3pm-8pm Monday to Friday. Alternatively, you can try the one-to-one webchat.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.