Dylan Sprouse compares early career to 'child labour' in 'coal mines'

Dylan Sprouse views his early career as "child labour" in "coal mines".

The 34-year-old star and his twin brother Cole Sprouse began working in TV as infants, sharing the role of Patrick Kelly in Grace Under Fire from 1993 until 1998, and they became household names at the age of 12 thanks to their roles in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. He admitted his early career has had a lasting impact on his self-esteem.

Speaking on his Wildmen podcast, he noted to co-host Brendan Columbus that he had known their guest Mark Indelicato since he was around 12 or 13 years old.

Dylan replied: “I did. I sung and danced. I’m a Disney kid. I have to sing and dance."

He went on to praise Mark as “one of the most talented actors I know” and noted that they both grew up in the industry.

Dylan laughed: “It’s child labour. When you work a career at that age, some kids used to work in coal mines and guard the minecart door when they were 15; we just sang and danced. It’s still child labour."

The Beautiful Disaster actor admitted he was looking forward to speaking to Mark on the topic because he still has "some mental hurdles as an adult acting now in the same industry" and questioned whether he is always "chasing" acting like a child in his work.

Once their guest joined the conversation, Mark, 32, said: “We’re survivors, literally."

Dylan reflected on the “workaholic attitude” his childhood career had given him.

He said: “It’s a full office job. I’ve described this to people a lot before. When you’re working on television, it’s a day job. You go in, you clock in, you clock out, you have a cubicle, you work, obviously. It’s, you know, you’re on a stage and it’s different, but it’s the same hours.”

Dylan - who is expecting his first child with wife Barbara Palvin - said: “Because we’ve been doing it for so long, it feels like my self-esteem, for a long time, was tied integrally to my ability to work and be on set."

However, Dylan noted he was "lucky" because Cole had had the same experiences, so they could support one another.

He said: “I was lucky enough to have an identical twin who experienced the exact same thing, right?”

Mark agreed with his assessment, having experienced his own "anxiety" when not working.