Cole Sprouse Reveals Why He Feels Fiercely Protective Of Former Disney Stars

Cole Sprouse has plenty of acting credits to his name, but the Disney channel put him and his twin brother, Dylan Sprouse, on the map. The blond-haired twins were basically the boy version of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and their appearance on the Disney hit "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" launched them into teen heartthrob status. Years later, Cole landed a role on the hit show "Riverdale," proving he could be successful post-Disney.

But while the House of Mouse may have helped solidify him as a star, Cole doesn't have the fondest memories of Disney, and he hasn't been afraid to speak his mind about it. In 2016, Cole told Entertainment Weekly that he took a much-needed break from acting because of his Disney experience. "There was a feeling of machination; I felt like an automaton," he said of his time there, adding, "I needed to see myself in a more objective point of view."

In 2019, Cole also shared that if Disney came knocking at his door for some sort of reboot, he wouldn't answer. "The whole kitschy twin thing, I don't think that really sells anymore," he told Variety, adding that he's looking for projects that he's "passionate" about. He also compared the twin thing to the twins in "The Shining," stating that he's glad he and Dylan didn't go down that path. And guess what? He's still not done talking about his dislike for Disney.

Cole Sprouse is setting the record straight on the negative impacts of childhood fame. In an interview with The New York Times, the actor chatted about growing up in the limelight. Cole and his twin brother, Dylan Sprouse, appeared in several television shows and movies when they were kids, but he doesn't have such fond memories of one former employer. "The young women on the channel we were on [Disney Channel] were so heavily sexualized from such an earlier age than my brother and I that there's absolutely no way that we could compare our experiences," he told the outlet, adding, "And every single person going through that trauma has a unique experience."

The actor elaborated further, saying that what may appear to some as erratic behavior from former child stars is simply their reaction to experiencing "how fame is a trauma." He added, "I'm violently defensive against people who mock some of the young women who were on the channel when I was younger because I don't feel like it adequately comprehends the humanity of that experience and what it takes to recover." In addition, Cole says that in both childhood and adulthood, he "noticed the same psychological effects" of stardom affecting his peers, but that "people have an easier time hiding it when they're older."

Cole didn't elaborate further on his accusation about the sexualization of his younger, female cohorts, but he seems to be adding his voice to growing concerns over similar subject matter that has already scandalized other popular children's TV programmers, including Nickelodeon and Netflix.