Taran Noah Smith and Candy Bennici understand firsthand the problems that can arise when a child gains fame and wealth in show business. Their public battle over the "Home Improvement" star's trust fund and his marriage to Heidi van Pelt were headline news in 2001 and led to a lengthy estrangement between mother and son.
But now the two are "happily reunited" as Bennici wrote in her book "Stardom Happens: Nurturing Your Child in the Entertainment Business," in which they also shared their experiences, good and bad, to help teach "Hollywood" parents and children about how best to navigate the lifestyle's highs and lows.
"In 2001, there was definitely some teenage angst-driven strife between us, but it's common between parents and children. It was enlarged because of the media and things like that," Smith told Headlines & Global News in an exclusive interview.
At age 17, Smith sued his parents for early control of his $1.5 million trust fund, claiming they were squandering the money he made playing the youngest of Tim Allen's three sons on the ABC sitcom "Home Improvement" for eight seasons. He eventually gained access to the fund when he turned 18.
"Shortly after that we started to talk and be more of a family," said Smith, who divorced van Pelt in 2007. "Because of the things we experienced, we wanted to relate the story and help other parents and kids go through this experience in a safer manner. We've definitely been a strong, happy family for a long time."
Along with detailing the duo's personal experiences, "Stardom Happens" also lays out a step-by-step guide to every part of the industry, such as finding an agent, surviving the audition process, negotiating contracts, handling financial matters, working with publicists, dealing with fans and more. All of that makes it especially relevant since the odds of finding overnight fame on platforms like TV talent shows and YouTube have increased dramatically since 7-year-old Smith was offered a 7-year contract in 1991.
"When we went into the business, we were so incredibly naïve. We didn't really know much about how anything worked. We didn't even know who Tim Allen was," Bennici said.
Here's more of HNGN's interview with Bennici and Smith about the book, keeping child stars grounded in Hollywood and how the "Home Improvement" star is helping communities around the world rebuild after natural disasters (hint: His TV father, Tim "The Toolman" Taylor, would be proud).
HNGN: Was "Home Improvement the first on-screen role for Taran?
Candy Bennici: He did some commercials. He actually started when he was 6 months old. I was in an agency with my daughter, who was 7 years old, and they asked if he wanted to work. I was like, "You have work for babies?" They said, "Yes, we do," and handed me a card. At 6 months old, he was in a crib with a matching outfit and sheets, and that was his first job. [Later] he did commercials and public service announcements in San Francisco. Both kids would get maybe four jobs a year, nothing big. Then he did an Enterprise rental car commercial and was able to get his SAG (Screen Actors Guild) card from that, which opened a lot of doors.
Taran Noah Smith: I was incredibly lucky. When we went down to L.A., we didn't even know there was a thing called pilot season. We happened to be right in the middle of it, and "Home Improvement" was the third audition I went on in L.A. My first [audition] was a McDonald's commercial, and now that I'm vegan, I never would have forgiven myself for that. The second one was for a TV show that only went one season, so I was lucky not to get those and get "Home Improvement."
Taran, what are you doing now that you're not acting?
TNS: Over the last few years I've been working as an installation artist at various festivals and some museums. I spent half of 2014 in the Philippines doing disaster relief for an organization called Communitere. We went into the Philippines after the most massive typhoon on record hit in late 2013, and we helped set up a resource center based around a maker space. A maker space is set up like a workout gym, but instead of workout machines you have tools. It's an open shop, and we provided everything from sledge hammers to a 3-D printer and a laser cutter. Basically it's "teach a man to fish." Instead of going in and building a new house or setting something up for them, we provided the tools, the space and the expertise to enable a community to do whatever they needed to rebuild their lives. My official title was Maker Space Maker because my job was to set up the shop and create the system that made everything go.
The other side project I started before I ended up going to the Philippines was a floating art gallery I built that I call The FairWeather Gallery. It's sort of a combination of my heritage. My dad is a boat builder, and my mom studied art history and is much more of an artist, so I'm combining the two in my life.
I'm the only cast member of ["Home Improvement"] that's kind of left the business. It's not because I didn't like it. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I had a wonderful time, but it's something I did all my childhood life, and by the time I was 16 or 17, I just wanted to do other things. I really enjoy working with my hands and working with tools and having something physical to look at and say that I built at the end of the day. That's what makes me happiest.
So you probably don't notice when you're in those articles like "Where Are They Now" or "Whatever Happened to Them?"
That's the funny thing. If anything ever goes wrong, especially around L.A., it gets printed. But if I do anything good or right, then no one pays attention. That's OK. The people that are involved notice, and that's what makes it important for me.
