I think it magnified it. For me, I wasn't sheltered so I think it was magnified. Especially when you're a teenager and you go to high school and you're in the business and you are known.

Personal life
Matarazzo is an open lesbian. Matarazzo has made appearances on several hit TV shows including Roseanne Law & Order The L Word and Strangers With Candy. In 1997 Heather Matarazzo won an Independent Spirit Award for her performance in Welcome to the Dollhouse.

Her breakthrough role was as a geeky girl in the film Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995). She played Lilly in The Princess Diaries (2001) and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004).