When former child star Drake Bell went public that he had been sexually abused by a dialogue coach when he was younger, he understood that coming forward wouldn’t affect only himself.
“What’s the story that he’s going to get?,” Bell said in a recent interview, referring to his 3-year-old son. “Is somebody else going to tell him my story, or am I going to be around to tell him and share my story?”
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Bell, in both “Quiet on Set” and his “Today” interview, avoided sharing specific details of the abuse he suffered by Peck. “It’s too graphic,” he told “Today.”
The interview Monday also touched on Bell’s previous legal trouble, including convictions for DUI and child endangerment. Bell also spoke about his substance abuse, rehab and how a 2023 disappearance in Florida was part of his efforts to have his loved ones understand his trauma.
When asked whether he would allow his son to pursue a TV career, Bell said “it’s so hard to just immediately say ‘no.’” His own acting career, Bell said, came with both “unspeakable things” and “amazing experiences.”
Touting the “way that entertainment touches lives and how we’re moved by the stores that we tell,” Bell said, “it’s a very fine line.”
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Alexandra Del Rosario
Los Angeles Times
(TNS)
