Alison Sweeney talks about knowing her career path at a young age
Alison Sweeney remembers saying from a young age she wanted to be an actress and produce movies.
Former "Days of Our Lives" child actress Alison Sweeney is weighing in on the new bombshell documentary series "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV."
One of the most alarming revelations in the documentary was an interview with "Drake & Josh" star Drake Bell, who detailed sexual abuse allegations against Brian Peck, an actor and dialogue coach hired by Nickelodeon.
Sweeney told Fox News Digital she hasn't seen the documentary yet, but the trailer made her thankful for her parents' role in her career at such a young age.
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"Days of Our Lives" actress Alison Sweeney has weighed in on the bombshell "Quiet on Set" documentary. (Getty Images)
"I was shocked," Alison said of the "Quiet on Set" trailer. "I guess I should say shocked, but not surprised. In fact, when I was watching the trailer, I thought to myself, ‘This is exactly what my mother worked so hard to protect me from as a child actor.’
"It's my parents who I give all the credit [to]."
"I thought to myself, ‘This is exactly what my mother worked so hard to protect me from as a child actor.’"
Fast-forward to today, Sweeney is working on her own production. The now 47-year-old stars in, wrote and is the executive producer for "One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery."
Sweeney reunites with her "Wedding Veil" and "Days of Our Lives" co-star, Victor Webster, in her upcoming Hallmark project.
"It's been my dream since I was 4 years old," she told Fox News Digital of her latest project. "I told my dad when I was a little girl that this is what I wanted to do. And to actually be here, like, actually doing it is just an unbelievable dream come true. Sometimes, I just can't believe it's my real life."
Alison Sweeney played Sami Brady on "Days of Our Lives." (Gary Null/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Sweeney noted that the decision to become an actress was her own. Her parents didn't shove her into the spotlight and weren't counting on her to "support the family."
Her mother would only allow her to act if she kept her grades up and was respectful to her mentors.
"I had to work hard and get good grades and study and be respectful and follow the rules," Sweeney explained.
Alison Sweeney, 47, has continued her career in acting. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for Hallmark Media)
The actress praised her mom and dad as being "really exemplary parents" who kept her away from "all that stuff."
"I had one incident on the show where there was like a cool stunt they wanted to do and the teacher, who is also like a social worker, expressed concern about me breathing in the smoke or whatever that was going to happen," she explained. "My mom was like, 'Well, no she's not doing it', and [we] figured out another way to shoot it."
Sweeney noted that it's a "very rare thing in the industry even today. Parents are really intimidated by production schedules and directors."
Alison Sweeney said when she was a child actress many parents were "intimidated by production schedules and directors." (Mitchell Haaseth/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
"My parents just never went along with any of that," she explained. "And I'm so grateful and lucky because that's how, unfortunately, a lot of those kids end up in those situations because the parents feel pressured or they want so badly for their kid to succeed."
The Hallmark actress explained that parents of child actors often give up their "authority" and "power" on film and television sets.
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However, that wasn't the case with her parents.
"They were like, ‘Nope, not doing it,’" Sweeney shared with a laugh.
Victor Webster and Alison Sweeney reunite in Hallmark’s "One Bad Apple: Hannah Swensen Mysteries." (Victor Webster and Alison Sweeney)
Sweeney has had a long career in acting, starring in several Hallmark holiday movies and guest starring on "Friends."
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"It was really cool to work with Jennifer Aniston because, of course, her father played on ‘Days of Our Lives’ for many years before he passed away," she explained. "He played Victor Kiriakis, who was the real villain on the show, and he is a legend. So, it felt full circle to work with her."
Jennifer Aniston's father, John Aniston, died in November 2022. He was 89. (Instagram)
John Aniston died in November 2022 at 89.
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"One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery" premieres at 9 p.m. ET/PT Friday, April 5, on Hallmark Mystery.
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