Maree Martinez: Find out more about...

Being a student on a film set...

Maree's students on film and tv sets can range in age from 6-17, and can be coming from all kinds of schools. She says, "The kids that I work with, they're professionals. They're bright. They're motivated, and they're there because they want to be, and they recognize that going to school is actually part of their workday."

NPR had an interesting story a few months ago about the young actor who starred in the recent Jungle Book adaptation. They story interviews his teacher, who explains more about the role she and Maree have in the lives of child actors, the film's directory, and Neel Sethi, who stars in the movie:

"During one break, a slightly wired Neel explains how he manages to stay focused when he goes from a history lesson to flying with monkeys. 'I just say, "If I do this, this, and this, the movie will be done and I can see it," ' the actor explains. 'And I want to watch it a lot. And I want to see myself on a big screen.' "

Rules that govern child actors...

There are rules in place that are designed to protect a child's welfare. Maree talked about the amount of time an actor must spend in the classroom, and she also talked about being the child welfare worker for actors from California. Rules govern how much time a kid can spend on set every day. It varies by age: the younger the child, the less time he or she can spend, a big reason babies and young children are often played by twins. 

All of this is codified in the California Child Actor's Bill, more commonly known as the Coogan Act. It also requires that 15% of earnings going into a trust for the actor. It's named for Jackie Coogan, who was a big child star in the 1920s, starring with Charlie Chaplin in The Kid, and in the Little Rascals shorts. He found out after his father's death that all of his earnings had been spent. He sued his mother and agent, and this led to the Coogan Act's passage in 1939. He was also Uncle Fester in The Addams' Family tv show in the 1960s.