Jonathan Lipnicki on Why He Disappeared From Hollywood Following Success as a Child Actor

Jonathan Lipnicki was absent from the big screen after he became a prominent child star in the late 90s. Now, the Joe Schmo actor revealed he didn’t give up on acting, he just embraced other aspects of his childhood.

“Really, it was kind of just going to high school. I wasn’t, like, ‘I’m stepping away.’ I still had my agent, I’d audition here and there,” the Stuart Little star, 35, told E! News in a story published on Tuesday, January 21. “I played water polo in high school. I went to prom, I did all the normal stuff. I played youth league sports. So, yeah, [acting] wasn’t the only fixture in my life.”

Jonathan also admitted that he actively auditioned for roles but rarely got the “You got it” call.

“I think that’s OK to say, right? Acting is this thing that I’ve always loved, and sometimes it just doesn’t love you back,” the Doctor Dolittle actor continued to the outlet. “And there was a span where I didn’t work for a while and I was pursuing it.”

Instead of becoming discouraged about his trouble landing roles, Jonathan focused on bettering his acting skills.

“I think I lost track of who I was. You got to be in tune with who you are to act, and there was just a portion where maybe I just wasn’t very good, and I’m OK saying that,” Jonathan later admitted. “Maybe it’s a me thing, and I’m more than willing to work on myself all the time and take accountability and control for what I can control.”

Jonathan has most recently starred in films and TV shows including The Killing Ground, Pooling to Paradise and Man Goes on Rant. He even started working behind the camera and became an executive producer for the production company Buffalo 8.

“Over the last 25+ years, I have collaborated with amazing storytellers. I look forward to utilizing and expanding my network of artists to bring quality projects to life,” Jonathan captioned his June 2023 post. “Thank you to @buffalo8pro and @therealadamharris for giving me an opportunity to grow as a producer.”

Jonathan is making a return to the small screen on January 21 during the premiere of The Joe Schmo Show. The scripted TV show portrays an unscripted reality TV setting where Jonathan plays a heightened version of himself with a bratty child actor flare.

The entertainer opened up about taking on the role with TV Insider and gushed that he has “fun” playing a role so different from his personality. “I got to be part of something and it actually felt empowering in a lot of ways to just let it rip,” Jonathan told the outlet. “I think when you’re in the industry and you start young, there’s a people pleaser thing where you don’t want to ruffle feathers and naturally, I’m a kind guy, I can say that, and you don’t want to have a bad reputation. So, it was actually really freeing to play someone who would have a terrible reputation.”