It goes without saying, but iCarly was easily one of the most iconic Nickelodeon shows of the 2000s, and part of the reason why was because Miranda Cosgrove and Jennette McCurdy were a comedic dream team. But while Miranda and Jennette were busy making us laugh as Carly Shay and Sam Puckett, Jennette was quietly struggling with her work behind the scenes and later quit acting altogether.
During an episode of her podcast, Empty Inside, Jennette revealed that she stepped back from the spotlight a few years ago and never really wanted to act in the first place."I quit a few years ago to try my hand and writing and directing-it's going great," she told Anna Faris, who was a guest on the show."I quit a few years ago because I initially didn't want to do it. My mom put me in it when I was 6 and by sort of age, I guess, 10 or 11, I was the main financial support for my family. My family didn't have a lot of money and this was the way out, which I actually think was helpful in driving me to some degree of success."
Jennette went on and said"always, always, always, acting was difficult for me," because she struggled with nervousness."Once I started to get the nerves under control was when I started to actually get some traction, but I ultimately quit after my mom passed away because with her death kind of died a lot of her ideas for my life, and that was its own journey and a difficult one for sure."
Anna then asked Jennette if she has considered returning to acting, especially since iCarly is being rebooted. While Jennette has made a brief return to the stage, she considered it a one-time thing."I wrote this one-woman show [I'm Glad My Mom Died], and I performed that, and I really did not want to because of the nerves,'" she recalled."Because of feeling like I don't want to f****** act anymore,'I'm done.'"
Jennette further detailed why it's unlikely that she'll be on the iCarly reboot and said she is actually not a fan of the roles she played in the past.
© Handout - Getty ImagesThe cast of iCarly getting a visit from Michelle Obama.
"My experience with acting is, I'm so ashamed of the parts I've done in the past," she said."I resent my career in a lot of ways. I feel so unfulfilled by the roles that I played and felt like it was the most cheesy, embarrassing. I did the shows that I was on from like 13 to 21, and by 15, I was already embarrassed. My friends at 15, they're not like,'Oh, cool, you're on this Nickelodeon show.' It was embarrassing. And I imagine there's a very different experience to be had with acting if you're proud of your roles, and if you feel fulfilled by them."
Hoping that Jennette has more peace of mind now that she's doing the work that she wants to do. ??
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