Xuenou > Celebrity > “Jerry Maguire” Actor Jonathan Lipnicki Says He Took A Long Break From Acting Because He “Wasn’t A Good Actor”
“Jerry Maguire” Actor Jonathan Lipnicki Says He Took A Long Break From Acting Because He “Wasn’t A Good Actor”
"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."

“Jerry Maguire” Actor Jonathan Lipnicki Says He Took A Long Break From Acting Because He “Wasn’t A Good Actor”

You’ve probably seen Jerry Maguire, one of the greatest romantic comedies of the 1990s, at least once or twice. If you haven’t, what are you waiting for?!?

TriStar / Everett Collection

After Jerry Maguire, Jonathan also appeared in the first two Stuart Little movies as well as Like Mike — and then he more or less stopped acting from 2005 to 2011.

Columbia Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection, 20th Century Fox / courtesy Everett Collection

In a recent interview with /Film, Jonathan explained why he stepped away from acting as he got older.

Roy Rochlin / Getty Images

“I didn’t work for a long time,” he said while talking about major life transitions. “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.”

New Line Cinema / courtesy Everett Collection

“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.”

New Line Cinema / courtesy Everett Collection

Jonathan went on to explain that he’s “honest” about the real reason why he took a break from acting: He didn’t think he was very good at it.

Columbia Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

“The great thing about being young, a kid, is there’s this nice inherent childlike wonder,” he said. “And that’s why a lot of kids you see are quite talented.”

Derek Storm / Everett Collection

“And filters come in and you become nervous…or the world comes into play. And so for me, I went from just doing the natural thing to trying to be like my favorite actors.”

Priscilla Grant / Everett Collection

After taking acting courses following high school, Jonathan got back in the game again, and he’s since enjoyed a steady career of film and TV roles. After all, there’s nothing wrong with taking life at your own speed!

Priscilla Grant / Everett Collection

Read the entire interview here.