Child Star Hayley Mills Still Making Moves In Hollywood

Jan 14, 2021

Hayley Mills's life is the stuff of legends with plenty of intrigues, joys, and heartaches that are enough to create a hit television series. No doubt, the blonde and plucky British actress was a force to reckon with in her acting days. She ultimately became one of the earliest child stars who turned into a sensual actress.

It starts with Hayley Mills making her way to international stardom with her role as one of the identical twins in Disney's 1961 hit movie The Parent Trap. Her part as the identical twins Susan and Sharon Kendrick also saw her land even more roles with the 1960's Pollyanna, 1962's In Search of the Castaways, and 1965's That Darn Cat being part of her acting roster.

Hayley Mills was young and innocent back in 1966, but things went south when she took the step to make her debut nude scene in the comedy hit, The Family Way. Her derriere shot in the movie was quite a stir, with 52-year old film director, Roy Boulting, receiving particular backlash for making the scene "morally unfit for children." 

At this time, Mills was having an affair with Boulting, and many objected to their 33-year age difference. Worse still, Boulting was also a married man with children almost the same age as his new love, Mills. That did not stop the two from getting married in 1971 and having a son, Crispian, in 1972. But contrary to many's opinions, Mills saw no real issue with the age at the time, with the actress suggesting her interactions made it less peculiar. "The fact that he was considerably older was probably part of the attraction, but not consciously," Mills said in an interview with A&E as per The List. "And having spent an awful lot of time with people much older than myself [on film sets, etc.] it didn't seem particularly odd or peculiar to me."

Her first marriage to film director, Boulting would not last long, with Mills calling it quits after falling for fellow actor Leigh Lawson. This would see Boulting and Mills formally divorce, with the two going separate ways in 1977. Her fling with Lawson would be made formal in 1975, resulting in a son, Jason, only to split later on in 1984.

It did not end there, as Mills would again fall for another actor, Firdous Bamji, during her 1997 production of The King and I. She met the Indian-American actor in 1997, and although he was 20 years her junior, the couples made their vows official despite the media scrutiny. The two are still together over two decades later since the start. Bamji now splits time as a theater and film actor with appearances in the 1999's The Sixth Sense and 2000's Unbreakable.

With stardom coming hard and fast by the 1970s, Hayley Mills had the uphill task of maintaining her early teens' success. In particular, her role in The Parent Trap brought on many adolescent doubts and pressure of fame in the acting world. The latter would turn out to be true when Mills began having trouble with her body and weight issues ranging from over-eating to even bulimia.

As she later explained in her A&E Biography, Mills is on record saying, "I adored food, and I'm in front of the camera, but my face is like a balloon. So you start to throw up. And you get more and more insecure about yourself and don't tell anybody. And, of course, I thought I was the only person in the world who had ever thought of it." Later on, in a 1997 interview, Mills also revealed her struggle with bulimia lasted years until her firstborn child's birth.

Despite her popularity from her star Disney roles, Hayley Mills' acting goes way back to her role in the thriller Tiger Bay. The film was set early on in her career with Mills playing a murder-witnessing child even before she made stride with Pollyanna or Parent Trap. She also made a similar effort in the thriller genre with her role as a disturbed teenager in a relationship with her disturbed governess. But it was 1968's Twisted Nerve that brought her horror chops into real light. In it, Mills starred as a young woman with a stalker.

The British horror film was the work of her then-husband-and-director Roy Boulting and received criticism for being "an embarrassing picture, a sour-tasting mess," according to The New York Times. Even so, Mills was still compelled to act in the thriller and horror genre, with the actress taking up a new role in 1975's Deadly Strangers. 

Her roles in horror films could not get her ready for the real-life horror she was about to face on cancer. In 2008, the then 62-year old Hayley Mills made the startling revelation of having cancer in both her breasts. The diagnosis was kept secret, with Mills instead opting to reveal her experience later on in a February 2018 Good Housekeeping interview from the Telegraph. However, Mills' most significant hurdle was the surgery and chemotherapy that would knock her out due to the latter's adverse effects.

Although controversial, Mills made drastic changes to a new diet and exercise system that features organic and alternative regimens and medicines. In her words to The Daily Mirror, "I was more frightened of the chemo than of the cancer." The deviation to organic and alternative medicine was enough, with Mills making enough stride to be declared remission after years of battling the disease finally. She credits the cancer victory to her alternative medicine approach and the loving support of her family. Still, this does not stop Mills from getting regular check-ups and scans to be sure she remains cancer-free.

With her regular television appearances, Mills has had cameos ranging from thriller horror films to colonial-era themed British settlers' movies. That makes Mills career span well over 50 years with different roles enabling her to meet many co-stars in and around the world during her acting. As it stands, her most recent role in the British hit series Wild at Heart remains one of her best parts in new TV land.

Like her past in The Flame Trees of Thika, the series features Mills and her TV family move to a former game reserve back in Africa to practice veterinary medicine. True to this, Mills explains the role was an authentic experience, with her favorite part being acting alongside the cheetah. In a 2011 interview with the Loose Women TV Show, Mills reveals, "I love animals, so I'm always terribly excited whenever we work with [them]… you've got to know him [the cheetah she works with] off-screen. He's really sweet…the sun rising over Africa is something, it is. It's always a thrill."

Feud, the famous TV Series on Bette Davis and Joan Crawford's contentious rivalry, also made host to Hayley Mills and her older sister, Juliet Mills. In the 2015 Australian debut, the series saw both sisters face off how they endure their ageism while struggling to hang to fame despite being in their twilight years. Of course, the role was contrary to Mills and her sister's loving relationship, which was famous at the time. Still, the siblings had a fun time with the show, with the two even discussing the experiences of such roles in an interview with the 4K12 Brisbane radio station.

When you adopt a role, you may be adopting it for your entire life. This somewhat stands true with Hayley Mills getting a chance to act as a double twin again since her first stint in The Parent Trap. The opportunity would come right in 1986 when Mills got the role in a contemporary spin to the dual role twins in The Parent Trap II. This round, the role Mills and her co-star play as an old identical twin prankster with plucky young triplets in the play to make it memorable. Mills would also play another adult-centered reprise with the 1989 Parent Trap III airing; although, the actress saw it first as "strange" to act the role.

However, the script convinced Mills to play the role once again with great fun, of course. As she would later reveal to Pat Sajack: "When I read the script, and I saw that they'd turned it into rather a cover story, it then became a fascinating thing — to find out what happened to these two girls over the years and to play twins again, which is great fun for an actress." Of course, both Parent Trap II and III didn't give much appeal or charm than the original version with a younger Mills. Still, the films made considerable effort to make, especially with the fabulous '80s theme for the hair and outfits.

With no plans to shelve her acting career soon, Hayley Mills made a comeback to our screen with a cast in BBC's Pitching In. As reported by Deadline in 2018, Mills and fellow Brit legend Larry Lamb from Gavin & Stacey cast were both to headline the British series. The show debuts as a heartwarming drama of a recent widower in a North Wales caravan park running his business in a tight-knit community with a family that naturally struggle to get along together. Lam describes the storyline as borderline "touching, funny, and romantic story with a fascinating glimpse of life on the north Wales coast."

The show brings Mills back her acting flame, with the actress admitting her passion for the job still burns despite her age. To her, she describes Pitching In as the ideal chance to get her back on the screen. In her interview with The Mirror in 2019, Mills explains this by saying, "I was shooting for two weeks in a most beautiful part of the world." She also notes that plans to retire soon are not on her mind by saying, "For me, the need to work is constantly there."

The nostalgia train hit Hayley Mills with the actress coming to light with her Disney journey on the 60th anniversary of Pollyanna. In her interview with D23, the former child-star recalls her happy moments like spotting American-style donuts in the Pollyanna set. At the time, this was a novelty even for a famous English girl out acting in Hollywood. According to the British actress, she reminisces, "as the morning wore on, I got more and more hungry, and I was distracted by those donuts."

Likewise, she considers her fond memories on The Parent Trap alongside her "photographic double" co-star Maureen O'Hara. Mills shares how she and O'Hara would go out to eat while in costume to "pretend to be real twins." Her impressive beginnings with Disney also make part of her fond memories in early acting, acknowledging meeting Walt Disney and getting to be around the House of Mouse. While gushing, Mills reminisces her start by saying, "It represents formative years of my life, and it's deeply embedded in my heart. I was so fortunate to have that start with this wonderful man and his wonderful studio."

Rhetorically, of course, the question remains what Disney live-action filmmaking would be if Hayley Mills hadn't come along. For one, fans are grateful that she got to grace our screens back then, and she still has the energy to continue acting. Mills still hopes she can continue entertaining her fans worldwide.

If you are a fan of Hayley Mills, be sure to tell us your thoughts and opinions on her story and what she has been up to lately. Feel free to pass this on to fellow Hayley Mills fans looking to keep up with the actress.