Lindsay Lohan reflects on childhood fame, Hollywood struggles: 'Why didn’t anyone protect me more?'

'Why didn’t anyone just go and take me out of there, protect me more?' the Freaky Friday actress pondered

Lindsay Lohan is looking back on her tumultuous rise to fame with surprising honesty, asking the question many former child stars grapple with: “Why didn’t anyone just go and take me out of there, protect me more?” the 39‑year‑old Mean Girls and Freaky Friday star reflected in an interview with Vogue Arabia, acknowledging how difficult her teenage years in Hollywood really were.

Lohan, who became a household name as a teenager after starring in hits like The Parent Trap, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and Mean Girls, described her early fame as “so overwhelming and consuming,” admitting that, while parts of it were fun, it came with a heavy emotional toll she didn’t know how to handle at the time.

“You don’t know how to do that yourself when you’re a teenager,” she said, expressing regret that she didn’t listen to her parents and return to New York when things became too much.

The actress also explained why she ultimately stepped back from Hollywood and relocated across the world. After years of legal issues and tabloid scrutiny in the 2000s, Lohan made a conscious decision to move to Dubai in 2014 in search of a calmer, more grounded life.

“Being in Dubai is very grounding. I get to just spend time with my family. The city gives me a sense of being with what’s most important,” she told Vogue Arabia, highlighting how her life now, centered on her husband, Bader Shammas, and their young son Luai, stands in stark contrast to her earlier years.

Lohan’s reflections come amid a broader Hollywood comeback, with recent roles in Netflix films such as Irish Wish and Falling for Christmas, and an upcoming appearance in the Hulu mystery Count My Lies. She said that with age and experience comes a deeper confidence in her craft, and that she now enjoys being more involved in the creative process.

Her thoughtful look back at her past underscores the experience many young actors face in the entertainment industry and shows how Lohan has used those experiences to shape a more fulfilling, grounded chapter in her life.