Audio Interviews
Stardom Happens – TV You Grew Up With 20, Host – Jim HaroldWe talk to Home Improvement’s Taran Noah Smith and his Mom Candy Bennici about the rewards and challenges of child stardom. |
Breaking It Down – Candy Bennici and Taran Noah SmithHost – Frank Mackay |
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Entertainment Drive-Thru – 257 Candy and Taran on Stardom HappensIt is selection, not rejection – Taran Noah Smith from Home Improvement and his mom Candy Bennici talk about their book Stardom |
CooperTalk – Candy Bennici and Taran Noah SmithSteve Cooper talks with writer Candy Bennici and actor Taran Noah Smith. |
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The Tom Barnard Show Interview – Taran Noah Smith and Candy BenniciStardom happened to Taran when he was cast as Mark, the youngest child on Home Improvement. Thus began a nine year run where millions of people knew who he was. Was it good? Was it bad? Was it both? Yes, it was both. |
The Crystal Show – Raising Child Stars: Tips for Mommagers with Author, Candy BenniciCandy Bennici discusses her book “Stardom Happens” and what it was like being a mommager for her son Taran while he was on the Home Improvement show and offers tips on helping your child succeed as an actor. |
Articles
‘Home Improvement’ Star Taran Noah Smith And His Mother Candy Bennici Talk Childhood Fame In ‘Stardom Happens’ [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]
By Emily Morgan e.morgan@hngn.com
Taran Noah Smith has not acted since the ABC sitcom “Home Improvement” ended in 1999. (Photo : Getty Images)
Candy Bennici and her son, former “Home Improvement” Taran Noah Smith, whose trust fund battle made headlines in 2001, come together to teach parents how best to help and nurture their budding child stars in the book “Stardom Happens.”
Taran Noah Smith and Candy Bennici understand firsthand the problems that can arise when a child gains fame and wealth in show business. Their public battle over the “Home Improvement” star’s trust fund and his marriage to Heidi van Pelt were headline news in 2001 and led to a lengthy estrangement between mother and son.
But now the two are “happily reunited” as Bennici wrote in her book “Stardom Happens: Nurturing Your Child in the Entertainment Business,” in which they also shared their experiences, good and bad, to help teach “Hollywood” parents and children about how best to navigate the lifestyle’s highs and lows.
Candy Bennici & Taran Noah Smith Talk Child Acting
And New Book Stardom Happens
By Art Eddy – Life of Dad
Stardom Happens: Nurturing Your Child in the Entertainment Business by Candy Bennici with contributions from Taran Noah Smith explains to parents how to help their children succeed through acting and what it is like to have a child actor in the family. Bennici expertly weaves her personal experience with valuable lessons that everyone can use.
Raising a child is confusing enough, let alone adding auditions, agents, paparazzi, and life on a set. As the mother of two children who modeled and acted, Candy Bennici knows how to navigate this complex world of child acting. Through Stardom Happens, Bennici uses her knowledge to help other parents learn how to manage and help their child actors. Her son, Taran, comments throughout the book, giving readers his experience with child acting and his perspective for helping other children succeed.
Divided into three sections, Bennici walks parents through all steps of the complicated acting process. She guides them in getting to and through the audition process. Humorously explaining the difficulties and the triumphs that she faced with her children, Bennici connects with her readers, giving them motivation to keep going.