Jerry Maguire Star Jonathan Lipnicki Takes Blame for His Stalled Acting Career

Former child star Jonathan Lipnicki says there was a long period of time when he just wasn’t a very good actor, which led him to walk away from Hollywood.

After embarking on the profession of child star in the 1990s, the 31-year-old actor Jonathan Lipnicki explained why he’s not seen so much in Hollywood movies these days. Appearing alongside Tom Cruise, Lipnicki made his film debut with a key role in the 1996 sports comedy-drama Jerry Maguire. He is also remembered for his starring roles in the little vampire and the Stuart Little movies.

In a new interview with /Film, Lipnicki talked about what he’s been up to these days. He worked fairly regularly both on stage and in various independent productions. Saying how much he naturally loves acting, Lipnicki pointed out that he was not one of those child stars who was pushed into acting, always insisting on getting more roles with the full support of his parents.

“It’s interesting because my first movie was actually Jerry McGuire. And when I got on set and really had those days…It’s interesting. As you get older, you don’t remember that not really anymore. But I remember a feeling of really loving it and not really knowing what that feeling was. Just loving every day, feeling fulfilled doing it. I went from reading Go, Dog. Go! to the scripts. It was just ingrained in me. And it was always my choice. My parents, after every project, would ask me if I wanted to keep doing it. And the answer was always yes.”

Related: 11 Child Stars Whose Hollywood Success Carried On To Adulthood

Jonathan Lipnicki says his acting skills have declined

If Lipnicki likes acting, what happened to his acting career? One would assume that he simply chose to take a step back from Hollywood to focus on school. As Lipnicki explains, it’s often the narrative that’s caught up with former child stars who fade from the national spotlight once they get older.

“It went from this thing I liked doing probably to thinking about the craft and so on at first. Maybe 10? The first things I did, I really started to become a fan of other people’s work and I really tried to dive in. The biggest transition for me was… I didn’t work for a long time. And people always describe that as, “Oh, I went to high school,” and so on. sequel. And that’s the story that people sometimes tell when they’re not working. Or if they’re a child actor or whatever, they’ve taken some time off.

Lipnicki then takes the blame for the drying up of movie offers, saying he began to lose sight of what makes an actor great growing up.

“I took 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 role for a while. And I’m being 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 that there’s this beautiful wonder inherent in the child. And that’s why a lot of the kids that you see are quite talented. And the filters kick in and you get nervous, or… The world comes into play. And so for me, I went from doing the natural thing to trying to be like my favorite actors.

The actor says being known as a former child star can be both beneficial and a hindrance when it comes to finding new work, but he’s grateful for whatever comes his way. Lipnicki says he’s still auditioning for different projects and isn’t quite sure what’s next, but concludes by saying.

“Good material is good material. I love to explore different things. I like to challenge myself. But at the end of the day, I love to play, man.”