Actor Jonathan Lipnicki, best known for his breakout roles in the late 1990s and early 2000s, is working to revive his career after years away from the spotlight. In a recent interview with People magazine, Lipnicki, now 34, spoke candidly about his journey since stepping back from acting to attend high school.
Lipnicki rose to fame as a child with memorable performances in Jerry Maguire (1996), the Stuart Little series (1999–2002), The Little Vampire (2000), and Like Mike (2002). Despite early success, his acting career slowed down after he took a break for education. Since then, he admits it’s been difficult to reach the same professional highs.
“I had some really good things that happened when I was younger,” Lipnicki said. “It’s totally fine to say I’m not where I want to be career-wise. Everything we’re doing in this life is nearly impossible.”
Still, he remains committed to acting. “This is the thing I want to do for the rest of my life,” he continued. “I think you just have to believe it’s going to happen and do everything in your power to take action in the right direction.” While he’s proud of some adult roles, he noted, “There are some things that were really good and nobody saw them.”
Lipnicki said he has no regrets about stepping away to focus on school. Now, he’s more selective with roles. “To be quite honest, I said no to about five movies in the last year,” he revealed. “I just really want to turn this ship around. I pray every night for clarity on where I need to go, and I’m confident the best is yet to come for me.”
He recently appeared on TBS’s reboot of The Joe Schmo Show, a prank series in which real contestants are surrounded by actors on a fake reality show. Lipnicki played a fictional version of himself, which he described as a challenge.
“As an actor growing up in this industry, you want to be on your best behavior,” he said. “And I got to be on my worst. There was something empowering about that in a weird way.”
Lipnicki also starred in the 2024 slasher film Camp Pleasant Lake, continuing his efforts to reestablish himself in the entertainment industry.
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