Before Jennette McCurdy starred on Nickelodeon's "iCarly" as Sam Puckett, the aggressively lovable sidekick, she was just trying to make her big break in Hollywood as a child actor. However, acting was never really McCurdy's dream, but rather her mother's. In a 2021 episode of her podcast, "Empty Inside," McCurdy reveals that acting was a way for her mother to live vicariously through her, as well as a means to financially support her family.

"I quit a few years ago because I initially didn't want to do it," she said during the episode. "My mom put me in it when I was six and by sort of age, I guess, 10 or 11, I was the main financial support for my family." During her days as a novice, McCurdy details the moment when she met Barbara Cameron, Candace Cameron Bure's mother, a renown talent agent in her memoir, "I'm Glad My Mom Died."

McCurdy penned an anecdote about her and her brother, Marcus, auditioning for a role that Barbara was overseeing (via People). Barbara initially favored Marcus, citing Jennette "lacks charisma." Because McCurdy's mother, Debra McCurdy, was adamant about making Jennette a successful childhood actor, she didn't stop trying to get Cameron to sign Jennette as a client.

BuzzFeed reported that per Jennette's memoir, Barbara urged her to take acting classes if she wanted to be her agent, and that's exactly what Jennette did.