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'Jerry Maguire' Child Star Jonathan Lipnicki Explains Why He Took Such A Long Break From Acting
Child acting can lead to a dark outcome with many child stars having difficulties adjusting to the pressures of the spotlight and what happens when the limelight dims.
This can often take a toll on a child's confidence which is what happened to actor Jonathan Lipnicki.
If his name doesn't ring a bell you may remember him as Renee Zellweger's son in Jerry Maguire or as George in Stuart Little. Despite acting in some of the most iconic films of the 1990s, Lipnicki suddenly disappeared from the silver screen in the midst of a seemingly budding career.
Recently, Lipnicki revealed his early stardom affected his self esteem.
In a recent interview with /Film the actor explained the circumstances behind his hiatus.
"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."
"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."
In regards to not receiving roles, he further explained he didn't believe he had any talent as an actor.
"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."
"And filters come in and you become nervous, or the world comes into play."
Naturally, being passed over for roles as a child is going to have a different sort of emotional impact than being passed over for one as an adult.
However, to Lipnicki's credit, he seems to have channeled those childhood insecurities into new talents and passions.
The former child star is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and maintains a muscular build completely unrecognizable in comparison to his childhood physique.
Twitter has been buzzing over the star's noticeable glow up for over a decade.
\u201c@mindstatex @lawrencekingyo This is Jonathan lipnicki\u201d— \u2728Reina Nakamoto\u2728 \ud83d\udd4a (@\u2728Reina Nakamoto\u2728 \ud83d\udd4a) 1663273297
\u201cThis Renee Zellweger thing is too much. I still haven't gotten over Jonathan Lipnicki's shocking transformation.\u201d— Isaac Kozell (@Isaac Kozell) 1413922164
\u201cWhoa! Is That Really Jerry Maguire Child Star Jonathan Lipnicki Under All Those Muscles?! https://t.co/0lxVhFcO\u201d— E! Online Movie News (@E! Online Movie News) 1320873486
\u201cJonathan Lipnicki is, even now, only 5'4. 5'4 of terrifying muscle, crowned by the face of an eight year old.\u201d— Nadia Vulvokov (@Nadia Vulvokov) 1355668850
\u201cAnyone get a look at Jonathan Lipnicki's muscles on VH1's 100 Greatest Kid Stars? Looks like he could lift a LOT of 8-pound human heads.\u201d— Primetime in No Time (@Primetime in No Time) 1354506500
\u201cStuart Little is all grown up and Jonathan Lipnicki\'s got the muscles to prove it #tomjerry https://t.co/v25rAzbHKt\u201d— Tom & Jerry Fans (@Tom & Jerry Fans) 1425581408
\u201cWho knew J. Lipnicki looked like this: Jonathan Lipnicki Shows Off Muscles in Shirtless Photos https://t.co/1GxSz324\u201d— Shawn Albanese (@Shawn Albanese) 1321056470
Lipnicki went on to reignite his passion for acting after he graduated high school.
The star took acting classes which prompted him to take his career in a completely new direction. Instead of pursuing box office movie roles, he has set his focus more on the theatre.
After taking some minor roles here and there, Lipnicki recently appeared in a sketch comedy rendition of Donnie Darko as part of the LA based production Protected Under Parody.
He credits his roles in theatre for allowing him to study acting in ways he had never done before.
\u201c#PickoftheDay: Protected Under Parody: An Alamo Drafthouse Sketch Show (in LA) 8/6\nhttps://t.co/yx4KBjMzvP\u201d— Comedy Bureau (@Comedy Bureau) 1659646391
In regards, to his future in cinema the actor said the best is yet to come.
"If there's stuff that talks about my past I'm 31 years old, I'm almost 32. And I love what I did, but also I want to live in the present, here and I have a lot more, as an actor, to offer than what I did when I was a child."
He's delved into writing and recently collaborated with playwright Theresa Rebeck. Lipnicki also stated he aims to start writing scripts with roles he could potentially play himself.
Hopefully it won't be long before we see what the actor has in store.