Wil Wheaton: As a child, none of the adults in my life listened

Wil Wheaton got candid about what life was like as growing up as a child actor on Friday.

Wheaton, 46, posted a photo of a vintage spread from a late-1980s teen magazine, in which he shared a series of fun facts with fans. However, the caption alongside the picture revealed the hurt he was experiencing at that point in his life.

“This weird kid was so self-conscious about these things, didn’t want to do them, felt awkward and embarrassed by the attention and did it anyway because none of the adults in his life ever listened to him,” the “Star Trek: Next Generation” actor wrote.

Fans in the comments expressed empathy for Wheaton. He replied to a commenter who inquired about his parents’ involvement with, “My mother basically ran my entire life, and when my dad wasn’t bullying me, he didn’t notice I existed.”

In another reply, Wheaton noted that the answers he gave to the outlet were not even genuine. “I recall being asked the questions, and doing my best to give the answers my parents would want to hear,” he said. “Back then, I was still hopeful that I could somehow get my dad to like me.”

But regardless of his past, Wheaton wrote that he’s grateful to be where he is now. “I have been through so much pain, and I hurt, still, a lot. But I love my life right now, and even though it hurt, and I STILL hurt, that’s all part of the tapestry of my life,” he said.

A rep for Wheaton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.