Mara Wilson became one of the most recognizable child stars of the 1990s, stealing scenes in Mrs. Doubtfire, Matilda and Miracle on 34th Street.

But now, decades after walking away from onscreen acting, Wilson is making one thing very clear: she has no desire to go back.

The former child star, now 38, told People that she is perfectly happy telling stories from behind the microphone instead of stepping back in front of the camera.

Wilson said she has found a new creative home in voice work, especially audiobooks, where she gets to play all kinds of characters without the pressure and appearance-driven demands of Hollywood.

“I love that you can be anything,” Wilson said of narrating books. “I love that you get to play all the characters.”

That freedom, she explained, is a major reason she has no interest in returning to traditional screen acting.

Wilson said Hollywood still comes with expectations she simply does not want to meet.

“There aren’t always roles for women of my specific age and my specific looks and demographic and everything,” she said.

For fans who grew up watching her, Wilson’s face is forever tied to some of the biggest family movies of the ’90s.

She shot to fame as a little girl, acting alongside major stars including Robin Williams, Sally Field, Danny DeVito, Alec Baldwin and Peter Fonda.

Between the ages of 6 and 9, she was one of the most famous child actresses in America.

But that kind of fame came at a cost.

Wilson has spoken openly over the years about the strange and sometimes painful experience of growing up in the public eye. She later explored those struggles in her memoir, Where Am I Now?

After starring in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, released in 2000, Wilson largely stepped away from onscreen acting. She was about 12 years old at the time.

Since then, she has made only a handful of brief cameo appearances. But a full Hollywood comeback is not something she is chasing.

“I would really have to change myself a lot to be able to fit into Hollywood’s mold,” Wilson said, “and I don’t really want to do that.”

Instead, Wilson has embraced a career where she can perform without being judged by the usual Hollywood standards.

“For me, audiobooks and voiceover are places where you can be anything,” she said.

And she means anything.

Wilson said she has voiced criminals, a nun and even Tinker Bell. For her, the work feels closer to theater because it allows imagination to do more of the heavy lifting.

“To me, it feels like theater because it’s not as literal as being in a movie,” she explained.

Her latest project keeps her firmly in that storytelling world. Wilson is voicing Wombat Waiting, a new book by Katherine Applegate, the author known for Animorphs and Everworld.

Wilson said she felt an instant connection to the story’s young lead character, which reminded her of the same love of books and imagination that made Matilda such an unforgettable role.

“All I ever wanted to do was tell stories, write stories, and perform stories,” Wilson said.

For Wilson, the child star chapter is over. But the storytelling never stopped.

“I think that it makes sense to me that my job now is storytelling,” she said.