Mandy Moore Looks Back On Her Life As A Teen Star

This Is Us star Mandy Moore isn’t one to look back on her teenage years and feel like she missed out on life.

In an interview with People, Mandy Moore admitted that her teenage years were anything but normal. By 15, she hit it big with her debut single, “Candy” and before she knew it, she was busy touring the world with Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC.

Looking back, Mandy shared that she that she went from your typical high school girl watching MTV to starring in her own music video.

“It was such a roller coaster of unknowns that I was not entirely prepared for in a way,” she shared.

While some stars would often talk about the regrets of missing out on a lot of things as a teen, like going to their high school prom, Mandy understood that it was part of what she signed up for. Being the optimist that she is, the singer-actress shared that while she missed out on some of the typical teen milestone, she did experience a lot of maybe even cooler things, like going to movie premieres.

“I always wrote it off like, well I have a different trajectory. I didn’t go to prom; I went to a movie premiere instead. It was just different. I know I missed going to college and parties and the sort of social aspects of being a young person, but I had every opportunity to experience that in an adult way in a more adult setting,” she shared.

Mandy added that her career as a teenage pop star felt like “another lifetime ago.” But as a self-proclaimed “boy band fanatic,” there is still one embarrassing moment that she would never forget.

Last November, Mandy Moore stopped by The Late Late Show and recounted one particularly embarrassing experience with Justin Timberlake that left her “scarred” up to this day.

Being as “measly opening act,” Mandy recalled that no one really paid much attention to her but she distinctly remembered having conversation with Justin and her big feet. As their background dancers were busy comparing shoe sizes, the *NSYNC singer made one comment about Mandy’s feet that left her feeling embarrassed.

Mandy recalled freaking out about meeting Justin and finally striking a conversation. But what could have been an exciting fan girl moment turned into one of the most embarrassing moments of her life.

“He was like, ‘You have big feet for a girl. I’m sure he doesn’t remember this at all but I was so impressionable, and I thought the world of him and he was on a pedestal. I mean 16 years later it stuck with me, so it really scarred me emotionally,” she shared.

[Featured Image by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images]