Child star of iconic superhero film unrecognisable 20 years after hit movie, becoming a mum and quitting...

THE child star of an iconic superhero film looks unrecognisable, 20 years after the hit movie.

The star in question quit acting to get a degree, and she also became a mum during that time.

She started acting at a young age and landed the role of Lava Girl alongside Taylor Lautner in Robert Rodriquez's film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

It’s none other than Taylor Dooley, who is now 31 years old and can be found posting to her 332,000 followers on social media.

After the film debuted in 2005, Dooley took a break from acting. Years later, she opted to go back to college and study psychology.

"To me, what I love about acting is understanding people and what makes them tick, which is what makes Psych so interesting," she wrote in her IMDB biography.

She continued: "Growing up a child actor is somewhat of a focused and sheltered life. I wanted to experience so much more. So, needless to say, these years away have been the best 'life road trip' I could have taken."

"It not only helped me develop and grow so much as a person, but my experiences helped me grow as an actress."

The stunning blonde star is mum to two adorable children, both of which she regularly shares snaps of on her social media.

And just this month, Taylor shared a gorgeous snap with her husband as they celebrated Valentine’s Day.

She donned an orange swimsuit and planted a kiss on her husband, while writing: “How blessed am I, how blessed are we…to be loved by you and to get to love you every day. Happy Valentine’s Day from my little tribe of love to you and yours.”

A couple of years ago, Taylor posted a snap of herself pointing at the TV as Sharkboy and Lavagirl charted at number five on Netflix Family.

She penned: “well well well, if it isn’t Sharkboy & Lavagirl…. at number 5 on @netflixfamily today.

“Such a fun surprise to see this! I am always in awe of just how much love Sharkboy & Lavagirl receives after all of these years. THANK YOU for watching 😍 Forever your Lavagirl.”

Proud Taylor regularly shares throwback snaps and clips of her time as an actress.

She now rocks blonde hair, but fans of hers will know that she had a bold pink look during her Lavagirl days.