If the fictional Matilda Wormwood grew up today, she’d probably be a radical librarian with a black belt in sass. She’d have a cat named Kafka, a shelf full of award-winning novels, and a side hustle writing op-eds about school funding reform.
In that sense, Mara Wilson is basically Matilda’s ghost writer. She’s used her platform to speak out against the toxic side of child stardom, and she’s written personal essays that are as sharp as any telekinetic prank.
She even wrote a one-act play called “Matilda: The Musical’s Bad Influence.” In interviews, she says she’s happy that a new generation is “meeting” Matilda through the musical and the 1996 film, even if they don’t recognize her face anymore. “I’m just the person who used to look like her,” she jokes.
The Final Verdict: She Looks Like… Freedom
So, what does Matilda look like now? She looks like a woman who finally got to close the book on her own childhood. No more saving a school from a monstrous principal. No more growing zucchinis into giant plants. Just a person living a normal, slightly weird life in Los Angeles with a cat named Pebbles.
She doesn’t have pigtails. She doesn’t dance around with a flying hat. But she does have a kind of superpower that’s even cooler than telekinesis: the ability to say no to fame, yes to mental health, and occasionally tweet “I’m still not sorry for reading all your library books.”
And honestly? If you’re looking for a role model for your own life, that’s a pretty fantastic look to aim for. Just remember: you probably still can’t move the chalk with your mind, but you can definitely buy a good pair of comfortable glasses.
