Susan Olsen spent much of her childhood playing one of television’s most recognizable little sisters, but acting never became the lifelong dream fans might have expected. The former Brady Bunch star, who turned 65 on August 14, recently recalled the surprising moment she finally admitted that she simply did not enjoy acting.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Olsen played pigtailed Cindy Brady throughout the classic sitcom’s original 1969-to-1974 run. Although she continued pursuing roles afterward, she eventually realized that performing in front of the camera did not suit her. Instead, another creative career gave her the fulfillment she had been looking for.
Susan Olsen Today: Why She Decided Acting Wasn’t For Her
Olsen said the realization finally hit when she was 23 and landed another acting job. While driving home with the script, she suddenly found herself questioning why she continued pursuing a profession she disliked. She completed the role but soon contacted both her acting teacher and agent to tell them that she wanted out. She later acknowledged that she may have kept acting after turning 18 partly because she wanted to please her mother.
Leaving regular acting opened another door almost immediately. Olsen found success as a graphic artist and discovered that visual art suited her much better. Looking back, she has even wondered why she did not pursue film school when USC accepted her years earlier. Her creative instincts remained strong; she simply needed a different medium to express them.
She Never Completely Left The Brady Family Behind
Even after stepping away from acting as a career, Olsen maintained ties to the television family that made her famous. She returned for projects including The Brady Kids, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, The Brady Girls Get Married, and The Bradys. She also reunited with several former castmates for the 2021 Lifetime movie Blending Christmas. Those occasional appearances allowed her to revisit her television past without returning to acting full-time.
Olsen has also admitted that she did not particularly like Cindy when she was young. She viewed the youngest Brady as a tattletale and disliked dealing with teasing connected to the character. Time, however, has given her a different perspective on the show and the unusual childhood it gave her. For fans wondering about Susan Olsen today, her story is a reminder that leaving Hollywood did not mean rejecting creativity. At 65, she can look back on an iconic television childhood while knowing she eventually found work that felt much more like her own.