Late Disney Star Cameron Boyce Revealed the Heartbreaking Sacrifice His Sister Made For Him

Cameron Boyce was famous for his Disney TV series Jessie and the three Descendants films. He died suddenly at age 20 due to a seizure in his sleep. Director Alex Winter had interviewed Boyce for his documentary Showbiz Kids. In the film, Boyce and other former child actors open up about some of the difficulties they faced.

Showbiz Kids is tragically one of the last appearances Boyce will make on screen. It is now airing on HBO and streaming on HBO and HBO Max. During the interview, Boyce described what his family sacrified to make him successful, especially his sister, Maya.

Cameron Boyce says Disney actors aren’t as mature as you think

Boyce acknowledged that kids who act may be more advanced in some regards. However, one of their skills is acting, so they may just be acting more mature than they are.

“We are professionals,” Boyce said. “We are probably a little mroe mature than the average kid. Socially we probably have more skills but we still don’t know jack sh*t about the world. I understand that you see me in a certain way. People put you on a pedestal, people think you’re really smart. ‘Oh my God, you’re so clever and witty and blah blah blah.’ That’s just because you’re a child actor. They don’t actually know you.”

Cameron Boyce did have to be cautious after his Disney show

Boyce was 11 years old when he landed his role on Jessie. By the time he was a teenager, he had to navigate his teen year and the added pressure of fame. 

“After a while you don’t really know, do you want to be my friend because you want to be my friend?” Boyce said. “Or do you want to be my friend because I’m on TV? You’ve got to figure that out for yourself. At 13 you don’t have the social skills yet to sniff out a social climber or a person who’s trying to use you. And I got used.”

Fame impacted the entire Boyce family

Boyce was going to auditions while attending regular school. By 20, his appreciation for his mom and dad grew.

“People have to sacrifice for you, which I didn’t understand as a kid but looking back on it now, I go wow, my Dad quit his job,” Boyce said. “My mom was letting me skip my last period in school so I could go to some stupid audition that I didn’t book.”

However, it was what his sister endured that nearly broke his heart.

When it really hit home for me was when my sister would come home from school and talk about how her classmates would just naturally associate her with me and that’s what she was. I hated that and that killed me. I didn’t want her to feel like she was in my shadow or that she was lesser than. So there are definitely things you think back on and you’re like that changed the entire fabric of my family and the way we work as a unit.

Cameron Boyce in Showbiz Kids