Most people remember the happy, smiling ‘sun baby’ from the children’s show ‘Teletubbies’ that scrolled across the television screen in the 1990s.
Now the child is no longer so small.
He turned 27, lives in Kent in England, his name is Jess Smith, and today he does something completely different from acting.
It was only six months
Smith landed the television role in ‘Teletubbies’ by accident when he was only six months old.
TELETUBBIES: The popular children’s program consisted of the characters Tinky-Winky, Laa-Laa, Po and Dipsy. The cookie-eating vacuum cleaner and the baby in the sun were also part of the program. Photo: Everett Collection / NTB
His mother had taken Smith in for a regular checkup of the baby at the hospital, and the production behind ‘Teletubbies’ contacted the hospital the same day.
– The production team had asked the nurses to name them happy, smiling children, Smith told TV 2.
The 27-year-old was one of those brought in for the production, and after an audition, she was cast in the role of “child of the sun”.
According to Daily Star the child star doesn’t remember anything in particular from the tape, but she was told several things by her parents.
Smith tells TV 2 that her father was with her on set during the taping. He was also the one who made the “child of the sun” smile broadly for the camera.
WHAT I LOOKED FOR: Jess Smith played the role of ‘Sun Child’ in the children’s show ‘Teletubbies’. Here’s how she looks to date. Photo: private / @j.smith_1995
– My father was lying on the floor while I was in a high chair. He played with the toy cars and made faces to encourage me to look down. I also sat in front of a mirror so they could film me looking ahead, says Smith and continues:
– Anyway, I’m a very cheerful person, so it doesn’t take much to make me smile and laugh.
The 27-year-old didn’t watch the show herself, but she was aware she was on the show and reacted when she saw herself.
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As Smith got older, she chose to keep the fact that she was the baby Teletubbies a secret.
Only when she went to university did she choose to tell about her past as a child star when they made a game to get to know you.
– After this I dared to share it on the Internet, he says.
At 19, Scott shared that she’s the “child of the sun” on Facebook.
– It’s quite unbelievable to think how many millions of people have seen my face on the TV screen, Smith tells TV 2.
He also received more fan feedback than he realized he had:
– I get so many messages from people all over the world saying they used to watch the show and how it brightened up their mornings. I love reading the comments.
He will be surprised
The 27-year-old has put her acting career on hold, but has still appeared in a few TV shows here and there.
Today Smith works for a security company in Medway, England.
– I have colleagues who say they recognize me, but they don’t know where they got me from. When I tell them, they are surprised and say, “Now I see it!”
CHILDREN’S PROGRAM: Most people probably saw Jess Smith on the TV screen as a child. Smith has experienced that several people recognize it, without knowing where they got it from. When she says who she is, most people are surprised. Photo: Mykel Nicolaou/REX
Smith says she enjoys spending time with family and friends in her spare time, as well as cooking, traveling and taking walks along the beach.
A few years ago, a photo of Smith went viral Chirping. On her lap she held a baby, and many believed that the “child of the sun” had a son.
Smith denies this to TV 2 and says he has no children.
The baby on her lap turned out to be none other than the new ‘Teletubbies’ ‘sun baby’, Berry of London.
NEW “SOL BABY”: Today the “sun baby” Jess Smith turns 27 years old. Here she is with the new ‘sun baby’ in ‘Teletubbies’, Berry, in 2017. Many thought this was Smith’s son, but she is not. Photo: Editorial Can Nguyen/REX/Shutterstock
