Gary Marsh talks about teen stars going “off the rails,” shrugs off responsibility for it

Jun 28, 2012 07:07 GMT  ·  By
The Disney Channel President Gary Marsh and Miley Cyrus, star of the now-defunct “Hannah Montana”
   The Disney Channel President Gary Marsh and Miley Cyrus, star of the now-defunct “Hannah Montana”

There have been countless cases of stars discovered and promoted by Disney who hit a very rough patch with puberty and, as The Disney Channel President Gary Marsh puts it, went “off the rails.” Still, it's not Disney's responsibility to raise children, Marsh says in a new interview.

Considering the scandals Demi Lovato, Britney Spears (allegedly), Vanessa Hudgens, Miley Cyrus (allegedly) were involved in, it's almost too easy to point a finger at Disney for these teens' shortcomings.

At least, that's how Marsh sees it. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Disney Channel President stresses the obvious: it's parents' duty to raise their children and to keep them safe from harm.

As far as Disney is concerned, it's providing them with all the necessary tools to be able to help their kids handle the pressure and the stress (and many temptations) of fame.

While Marsh understands why some of these teen stars go from bad to worse when they hit the critical age, he's adamant Disney is doing all that a network could do to prevent them from doing so – the rest is up to their family.

“It’s incredibly demanding to be a 15-year-old kid and live your life in the public eye. At the end of the day, they’re talented but they’re regular teenagers and we’re asking so much of them and it’s nearly impossible to carry the weight of your fans on your shoulders,” Marsh says.

“Still, being identified with Disney in my mind is net positive,” he adds almost as an afterthought, referring to how, in some circles, a breakdown in teen years of a former child star is considered almost a Disney “trademark.”

“We’re one leg of a four-legged stool. It’s the network, the production company, the reps and the parents. We’re really clear on where our role begins and ends,” Marsh further says, declining responsibility for said breakdowns.

“We have things like a one-day seminar called Talent 101, where we bring in security experts, psychologists, showrunners and life coaches. It’s usually after the pilot but before the series launches. But at the end of the day, it’s the parents who really have to be parents,” the Disney Channel President says.

“We give them all of the tools they might need, but the network is not responsible for raising their children,” Marsh concludes.