Jerry Maguire child star Jonathan Lipnicki looks unrecognisable since the Tom Cruise comedy
Jerry Maguire child star Jonathan Lipnicki looks unrecognizable for almost three decades since he starred in the Tom Cruise comedy
Jerry Maguire child star Jonathan Lipnicki has looked unrecognizable for nearly three decades since starring in the Tom Cruise hit.
The actor, who was known for his role as Ray Boyd, Renee Zellweger’s son, made his screen debut in the Oscar-winning classic just at the age of six.
He next landed the lead role as George Little in the hit children’s movie franchise, Stuart Little.
Jonathan, now 32, seems worlds away from the sassy platinum blonde kid from the 1996 blockbuster.
In recent photos shared to Instagram, he sported much longer curly locks and dropped the round glasses as he previewed his recent work.
Throwback: Jerry Maguire child star Jonathan Lipnicki looked unrecognizable for nearly three decades since starring in the Tom Cruise hit
Changes: Jonathan, now 32, seems worlds away from the sassy platinum blonde kid from the 1996 blockbuster
In addition to a behind-the-scenes look at a movie he’s working on, Jonathan showcases his passion for martial arts and reveals himself to be a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt.
As a child, after starring in Jerry Maguire, he landed roles on The Single Guy, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, and episodes of Dawson’s Creek.
He then appeared in the sitcom Meego and became another hit when he starred in the popular movie Stuart Little in 1999.
He played a boy whose family adopts a talking mouse. Stuart was voiced by fellow former child star Michael J. Fox.
In 2002, he reprized the role in the film’s sequel and also had roles in 2000’s The Little Vampire and Bow Wow in 2002’s Like Mike.
In 2016, Jonathan revealed to DailyMail.com that it’s been hard to get since Jerry Maguire film directors and producers to see him as something other than that cute kid from the movie.
He said being an actor is a constant hustle and counts himself lucky to have a mentor in his former co-star Tom Cruise, who he still keeps in touch with to this day.
Jonathan trains diligently in martial arts and says staying in great shape keeps him centered and mentally strong in Hollywood’s dog-eat-dog world — plus having a six-pack also helps him land more jobs.
Transformation: In addition to the behind-the-scenes photo, Jonathan demonstrates his passion for martial arts, revealing a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and ripped abs
Jonathan revealed to DailyMail.com that since Jerry Maguire it’s been hard to get directors to see him as anything other than that cute kid (pictured with Tom Cruise in the blockbuster)
Lipnicki recalls life on the film set as a five-year-old and said, ‘Every year the memories get less and less, but Tom and Renee were really great to work with. Everyone was a real pleasure to work with, and I was lucky that it was my first role with such a positive environment. What I remember is how warm everyone was to me.’
Lipnicki describes Cruise with the highest regard and calls him his role model. He also admires how Cruise does all of his own stunts, something he admits he’d like to do more of himself.
He explained, “I would like to [do more stunts], I just haven’t had the chance to do anything crazy. I had a fight scene with Danny Trejo in Bad Ass 2 a few years ago, which was fun. I’d like to do that more.’
On how Cruise was there for him to give career advice, he continued, “If I have a question, he’s very open when I need advice. He has always said that if you have questions the door is always open and he has always been very responsive and helpful.’