Vada from 'My Girl' Is Stunning with 'Big Sparkling Eyes' at 42 - She Wed a Soldier after Traumatic Childhood

• Anna Chlumsky, who played fan-favorite Vada in the classic "My Girl," wows with her look at 42!
• The actress opened up about her unique love story with her soldier husband, with whom she's been together for 23 years, and motherhood!
• Anna also got candid about her traumatic childhood.

Anna Chlumsky, who was only ten years old when she starred as Vada Sultenfuss - an angsty pre-teenager - on "My Girl," is 42. The actress looked stunning when she appeared at The Roundabout Gala.

The event was held on March 6, 2023, at The Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. The star was dressed in a gorgeous long-sleeved floor-length yellow gown with bright pink heels for the occasion.

Her brunette hair was styled in soft curls surrounding her face and reaching just below her shoulders. In a February 2022 interview, Chlumsky, a child star, was said to have a remarkable resemblance to her younger self at age 41.

The actress was described as still having the same "great, big sparkling eyes," full lips, and a wide-set nose that she had as a child. The celebrity shared how she had a "rubber face" due to the many facial expressions she could pull off.

Anders Holm, her co-star in the series "Inventing Anna," described her as seeming like a person you knew. After starring in "My Girl," Chlumsky appeared in the 1994 sequel and some other movies before she took a break from acting.

She went to study at the University of Chicago and then worked in publishing in New York for two years. The star left Hollywood during her second year of college as she worried about struggling with more self-esteem issues, saying:

"'I have to go see what this other thing called life is about!'"

At the University of Chicago, she majored in International Studies, and at one point, she worked as a fact-checker for the Zagat's restaurant guide. She made cold calls with a 15-minute questionnaire to properties.

After leaving Hollywood behind, Chlumsky met the love of her life in a beautiful meet-cute. The couple have been together for decades, and the actress became a mother.

How Did Anna Meet Her Soldier Husband?

Chlumsky was long gone from Hollywood when she met Shaun So, her future husband, at a dance party on the quad of their college. The pair fell for one other fast, and they knew they'd be together even after graduation.

The actress relocated to New York City for a post-grad fact-checking position while Shaun completed his last year of college. The following year the couple started dating long-distance, traveling back and forth by bus as he worked at the Department of Defense in Washington, D.C.

They continued seeing each other for three years after Shaun was deployed to Afghanistan. In 2014, the veteran's wife explained that time as having dating as a sport while his deployment was the "X Games."

When the actress found out he would be deployed, she emailed her New York City friends and told them she would build a fortress around herself to "stay strong" for her soldier. In January 2006, Shaun returned in one piece but served in the Army Reserve for five more years.

The couple discussed their future together, their relationship, and the Army while he was on a two-week leave. The pair deduced that their lives were better with the other in it, and despite all their uncertainties, they relied on their shared stubbornness to make it through.

The star's boyfriend proposed to her four months after returning from fulfilling his duty. She and the entrepreneur, who has a one-year age difference with Shaun being older, married on March 8, 2008, and celebrated 15 years of marriage in 2023.

Chlumsky's husband spent ten years working as a special agent and a counterterrorism expert for the U.S. Army and Department of Defense before joining the private sector. From April 2012, he was the founder and CEO of The So Company.

Before establishing the company, Shaun founded Cubby and was also the co-founder of Digital Services Coalition. By December 2020, the couple was already parents to Penelope Joan, then 3, and that year on July 28, they welcomed another daughter, Clara Elizabeth So.

In 2017, the Emmy Award-nominated star joked about her children's birthdays working with her schedule because they were both in July. However, she confessed that she didn't want them to be professionals before they were grown.

Shaun's wife planned on presenting the two with all the activities they wished to do but didn't want them to feel pressured about earning money until they were adults. Starring in "My Girl" at a young age for three months gave her a perspective on everything - childhood and being a child - since appearing in it.

The "Veep" star said having her first child didn't change her outlook. Sadly, while Chlumsky might be well-adjusted and happy today, that wasn't the case with her childhood which happened in the Hollywood spotlight.

Why Did Anna Have a Traumatic Childhood?

At age 28, Chlumsky revealed how show business "got really tainted" in her eyes and how having her mother as her manager and acting coach didn't help. Becoming a child star at age ten also became burdensome instead of joyous.

The actress noted how children were brought into Hollywood because of cute and bright, they were with the ability to see the truth. However, she felt the children acted because they wanted the approval of their adults, adding:

"You want to make them happy."

Luckily, her past experiences didn't taint the profession forever, and she was back acting "In The Loop." However, she almost never returned after she struggled to get roles in her teenage years before removing herself from the scene.

In February 2022, Chlumsky said she was happy with her renewed career and beautiful life. The star had spent the previous 30 years fighting the idea that the public could know and keep her after leaving Hollywood due to the "trauma" of child stardom.

Shaun's wife discussed her dilemma in therapy and couldn't understand why, after 30 years, people still felt they could own her. The actress was ten months old when she first appeared in a print commercial and two years old when she did her first advert.

The celebrity [Anna Chlumsky] said people never addressed the phenomenon because they benefited from someone's life being destroyed.

The celebrity was bombarded with interviews where she was asked about her "My Girl" kiss, newfound fame, and how she handled the pressures of stardom. At age ten, she once noted how she enjoyed being a star but sometimes wished for privacy.

As the only child of divorced parents, she had to be a daughter and a financial provider while striving to keep her role when "My Girl 2" emerged. Chlumsky's puberty saw her visiting different dermatologists to fix her skin magically, and she had to exercise during her lunch breaks so she wouldn't gain weight.

However, after featuring in "Trading Mom" and "Gold Diggers," she wasn't getting any more roles as she was older. Child star trauma was a real issue that she'd discussed with others, including Mara Wilson, whom she contacted and continues conversing with.

In her 2021 essay, the "Matilda" actress talked about the belief that any child star would have a tragic end, and Shaun's wife called it the "attrition rate" of child stardom. The star said they all knew about it, being forced to make money before having a fully developed brain.

Chlumsky shared how it sucked them up, and that's why many people were surprised by her not having a rehabilitation visit, failed marriages, or some public breakdown. The celebrity said people never addressed the phenomenon because they benefited from someone's life being destroyed.

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