China Anne McClain Steps Back From Glitz, Glamour to Reflect
China Anne McClain aims to bring more exposure to mental health and self-identity for the youth.
( Amanda Edwards via Getty Images)
Alabama; Troy — Singer and actress China Anne McClain, who recently starred in the superhero show “Black Lightning” as Jennifer Pierce/Lightning, took a step back from her Hollywood career to focus on personal projects that will also benefit her fans.
McClain started in the business at 7 and was part of popular movies and TV shows such as “A.N.T. Farm,” “Daddy’s Little Girls,” alongside her sisters Lauryn and Sierra, and “House of Payne.”
Oftentimes the focus is on the glitz and glam of Hollywood stars and fans forget that they are still human and endure battles.
McClain spoke with Teen Vogue about the transition from acting to bringing more exposure to mental health and self-identity for the youth.
“I have a lot of stories that I want to tell that I think are going to help a lot of these kids that are constantly tweeting me and leaving comments on my TikToks and Instagram posts about where they're at in life and how they've hit an all-time low, and how they're depressed and how they're anxious and stressed and they can't seem to get out of it. I have projects that could actually help them and help those things. It was just time to go and time to focus on my babies that I'm developing with my production company and my family,” she said.
These projects are important to McClain because she can relate and is still dealing with the loss of her best friend actor Cameron Boyce.
“Cameron’s death made me step back,” McClain said.
She also spoke about using this time off to find herself, which included redefining her look. She cut her hair off and she doesn’t plan on growing it back anytime soon.
“I never would've cut it when I was younger for a few different reasons. It was a security blanket to me,” McClain said.
She used her hair as a shield to cover her acne which caused her to struggle with insecurities.
Once she realized that it was ok to step away from the spotlight and focus on the transition from being a young star to the reality of adulthood, she felt more at peace with herself and God.
“I haven't always been as close to [God] as I am now, but he's the main reason why I have peace when I'm not on a set somewhere,” she said.
“Because I only used to have peace when I was somewhat distracted when I was working and kind of working and operating on autopilot. But I don't do that anymore. I can sit alone and be with my thoughts and be with myself and have peace in this indescribable joy because I know God now,” McClain said.
To keep track of her journey, follow her on Instagram: @chinamcclain.