Kym Karath was only five years old when she rose to stardom as Gretl, the youngest member of the Von Trapp children in the iconic movie musical The Sound of Music. But in a revealing new interview with the UK's Times, Karath revealed the devastating reason she decided to quit acting for some time in the years following the film's tremendous success.
While she struggled in school due to bullying, Karath found success on popular TV series like Lassie, Peyton Place,and The Brady Bunch. But as she got older, the dark side of Hollywood reared its ugly head.
(Photo by Screen Archives/Getty Images)
“After I did Brady Bunch, I was 13 going on 18, in terms of looking very physically mature. There were some very scary offers and pedophile-ish people who were circulating,” said Karath, who alleged that she was raped at 15 by a film producer, according to the Times piece. “I heard some stories from somebody who was in a position to know — there were other young people.”
Karath said she felt like she couldn't tell anyone what had happened.
“But my parents kind of figured out what happened,” she continued. “I couldn’t say much to them because I was afraid my father would go and literally murder the guy and I didn’t want my dad to go to jail.”
Instead, her parents determined, “No more acting, just focus on school.”
Looking back, she realized, “It was the safe thing to do. It was really a terrible, frightening period of time.”
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Karath went on to graduate from the University of Southern California. While she did explore acting once again, she found that not much had changed.
“It was still full of all that — a million propositions: ‘If you really want this role, you need to come to my hotel room,’” she said. “It wasn’t fun. And I felt I was too emotionally fragile after my father died to make my way through all of that.”
She went on to movie to Paris and found love.
She's An Active For Parents Raising Children with Special Needs
(Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
When Karath's son Eric was three weeks old, he contracted viral meningitis and was left severely brain-damaged.
“I have not gone back to acting quite honestly because my son is really the center of my life,” Karath said. “He lives with me, he’s 34 and needs me. I can’t drop everything to go to auditions.”
She founded the Aurelia Foundation and Creative Steps Program for young adults with disabilities. Back in 2013, Karath told Parade that she also serves as an advocate for other parents navigating the journey.
“My son has special needs, so I was needed in a way I never expected to be needed and …you just rise to the occasion,” Karath explained.
Related: She Played Gretl in 'The Sound of Music' and is Still as Beautiful as Ever
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