The new docuseries “Quiet on Set,” which aired on March 17, is raising awareness of the abuse Nickelodeon child actors faced from former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider.
“Quiet on Set” included interviews from Nickelodeon actors Drake Bell (“Drake and Josh”) and Alexa Nikolas (“Zoey 101”), as well as other members from the shows “All That” and “The Amanda Show.” Each of the cast members recalled moments on set with Schneider that ranged from being verbally abused to being forced to work long past their mental capacity.
“Dan yelled a lot,” Raquel Lee Bolleau, a former actress on “The Amanda Show,” said on “Quiet on Set.” “Dan was like a tornado. He’d show up and you’d say, ‘What just happened?’ Dan showed up. The set wouldn’t feel the same when he’d leave, because everyone was on their toes, scared.”
Actors and writers reported that Schneider was an aggressive person who created a toxic workplace, making it seem as if they were in “an abusive relationship.” Scheider was severely sexist to the female writers on “The Amanda Show,” who were not only forced to share one salary but were also on the other end of numerous inappropriate remarks. He also had a hand in writing scenes that had sexual undertones throughout numerous shows that were targeted for children.
Some staff members also recall inappropriate behavior from other members on set. Jason Handy, a former production assistant at Nickelodeon, was arrested for sending explicit photos to a minor and sentenced to six years in jail. Brian Peck, a former dialogue coach at Nickelodeon, was sentenced 16 months in prison after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting Bell during the early stages of “Drake and Josh.” Until the release of this docuseries, very few people knew that Bell was the minor involved in the case.
“I realized it was so calculated,” Bell said on “Quiet on Set.” ”[Peck] moved all the pieces into place. The whole thing was mental manipulation.”
Prior to this docuseries, numerous actors revealed how they faced abuse as children. For instance, former “iCarly” actress Jennette McCurdy released a memoir in 2022 titled, “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” where she discussed the abuse and manipulation that she faced from someone called “The Creator.” It has been highly speculated that this figure is Schneider, though McCurdy has not stated whether or not that is true.
Dan was like a tornado. He’d show up and you’d say, ‘What just happened?’ Dan showed up. The set wouldn’t feel the same when he’d leave, because everyone was on their toes, scared. — Raquel Lee Bolleau
Though a number of actors can cite positive experiences in their childhood careers, some believe that children should shy away from the film industry until they are older.
“I’ve heard too many bad stories to think that any children should be part of it,” actress Natalie Portman said to USA Today. “Having said that, I know all the conversations that we’ve been having these past few years. It’s made people more aware and careful. But ultimately, I don’t believe that kids should work. I think kids should play and go to school.”
The goal of “Quiet on Set” is to reform the working conditions for current and future child actors. One alarming issue is the fact that child sex offenders are still allowed to work on sets alongside child actors, despite an increase of background checks required for production companies. Resolving this condition would be a big step towards ensuring the safety of child actors; though, for now, others have also suggested keeping therapists on set who can remove a child from working if they no longer want to be on stage.
“Fundamentally, what we were trying to do with “Quiet on Set” is scrutinize these power dynamics between kids and adults, between the parents and the crew and the showrunner, and really sort of peel back the curtain on this world,” Emma Schwartz, one of the directors of “Quiet on Set,” said to Yahoo News.
A fifth episode of “Quiet on Set” will be aired on Sunday, April 7. This episode is expected to go deeper into the toxic culture Schneider created on the sets of popular children’s shows in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“Let’s collectively please not let another Dan happen,” Nikolas said on “Quiet on Set.” “He cannot happen again. This is not a joke.”
