Every child actor has a different story in Hollywood. Some persevere and rise up to enjoy equal fame as they grow up, while others succumb to the pressures of the industry and take refuge in alcohol and drugs. Such cases have certainly been many. But, the story of Jonathan Lipnicki is a bit different.
You must remember him from a string of hit 1990s and early 2000s movies like ‘Jerry Maguire’, ‘Stuart Little’, and ‘Like Mike’. Now, Lipnicki is 31 years old and sharing his story of why he stopped appearing in films for a long time.
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Why Jonathan Lipnicki Didn’t Appear In Movies For A Long Time
Jonathan Lipnicki was one of the most promising child actors in the ’90s. While he did appear in some short films and direct-to-DVD as a young adult, largely he has been missing from Hollywood for years. He never tasted the same success as he had when he was little. In an interview with Slash Film, Lipnicki opened up about the tough phase.
“The biggest transition for me was… I didn’t work for a long time. And people always frame that as, ‘Oh, I went to high school,’ and whatnot. And that’s the story that people tell sometimes when they don’t work. Or if they’re a child actor or whatever, they took time off,” Lipnicki said.
He added how he didn’t get work: “I did take time off, in the sense that it wasn’t the only priority I had. But I didn’t work because I just didn’t work. I didn’t really get any roles for a while. I’m honest about that. And it was because I wasn’t a very good actor at one point. Because the great thing about being young, a kid, is there’s this nice inherent childlike wonder. And that’s why a lot of kids you see are quite talented.”
So what happens as one grows up? According to the actor, “Filters come in and you become nervous… or the world comes into play. And so for me, I went from just doing the natural thing to trying to be like my favorite actors.”
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Where Is The Child Star Now?
After realizing that opportunities in Hollywood had become limited for him, Jonathan Lipnicki enrolled in acting classes after finishing high school. He decided to hone his craft once the boyish wonder wore off. The actor then tried his luck with theatre and rekindled his love for acting on stage.
“I just really want to do [something] fun. Good material is good material. I love exploring different things. I love challenging myself. But at the end of the day, I just f***ing love acting, man,” he explained.
Lipnicki will be seen next in the horror slasher film, ‘Camp Pleasant Lake‘.
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