Fans Are Praising An Almost Unrecognizable Jonathan Lipnicki After He Appeared In A Rare Interview

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Remember that one adorable kid in all those movies back in the day?

closeup of a kid on the phone
Columbia Tristar / Getty Images

It's Jonathan Lipnicki! He's back in a rare interview on the Brotherly Love Podcast and is barely recognizable.

closeup of. him as a kid wearing circular glasses
Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

As a kid, any movie with Jonathan was in heavy rotation.

I went heavy for Jerry Maguire (1996) because, besides Cuba Gooding Jr.'s "Show me the money!" Jonathan completely stole the show.

jonathan and tom cruise on a couch with text, name a better on-screen duo
Tristar Pictures / ©TriStar Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

I'll admit I was ready to throw hands to protect Stuart Little (1999) when Jonathan was a jealous brat in the movie, but once he came around, they became my favorite duo to watch over and over again.

him and stuart little in the bathroom
Columbia Pictures / ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

The Little Vampire (2000)? Listen. At a young age, Jonathan was the master of buddy comedies because this movie was the epitome of best friendships despite differences.

a vampire turning jonathan's chin up and text reading, it was low-key scary
New Line Cinema / ©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection

And lastly, there's Like Mike (2002). We are not friends if you can't ride for me like Murph did for Calvin (Bow Wow) in this movie.

older kids trying to bully murph and Calvin with text, i was so mad at jesse plemmons in this movie
20thcentfox / ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

When the still extremely hot Lawrence brothers (mostly Joey and Matt because they never let Andy talk) asked Jonathan what he's been up to all this time, he revealed he's still in the game.

the brothers sitting around a table talking into the podcast mics

The significant change is that with technology and most auditions being self-taped, the 33-year-old actor moved from Los Angeles (where he lived his whole life) to Oklahoma City. "I just hit a point where I realized I was self-taping everything," Jonathan explained. "Everything I do is either Zoom or self-tape anyway. I wanted to see what it's like to live somewhere else."

closeup of him on video call

Throughout all the years, acting has still been Jonathan's #1 love. "I didn't know what the feeling was until I got older. It's the same feeling as being in love. I love being there," he said. "I want to do this forever through thick and thin. Sometimes things go your way; sometimes they do not for a long time. But it's the greatest job in the world."

him on the red carpet with his girlfriend
Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images

In the age of nostalgic revivals and our favorite child actors returning to the forefront, I would love to see Jonathan do some new projects!

  Brotherly Love pod / Via youtu.be

The fans still have nothing but love for Jonathan!

One user wrote, "Jerry Maguire, Stuart Little, Like Mike, and the list goes on. Jonathan was a big part of my childhood. Much respect!"

  @BrotherlyLovePod / Via youtube.com
@BrotherlyLovePod / Via youtube.com

"Thank you guys so much for bringing on Jonathan Lipnicki. I grew up seeing him in Jerry Maguire (1996), Stuart Little (1999), The Little Vampire (2000), Stuart Little 2 (2002) and Like Mike (2002). So many classic performances and all the great actors he's had the privilege to with," another user wrote.

  @BrotherlyLovePod / Via youtube.com
@BrotherlyLovePod / Via youtube.com

An Instagram user wrote, "It's so easy to get overwhelmed by big projects and then end up doing nothing. Setting smaller goals helps so much. Fantastic episode!! What a great, likeable, kind, positive guy Jonathan is! He fits in well with you guys ♥️♥️ I hope you all get to work together in the future."

  @officialbrotherlylovepod / Via instagram.com
@officialbrotherlylovepod / Via instagram.com

Another person wrote, "Wow, he is so grown now!!!! He was the cutest little kid!"

  @BrotherlyLovePod / Via youtube.com
@BrotherlyLovePod / Via youtube.com

"I love him! He has so much enthusiasm and love for what he does. That's very rare. It's so great to see. Matt was absolutely right in saying don't do it if you're not in it for the acting. You need to have thick skin and a ton of resilience. Kudos to all of you," a fan commented.

  @BrotherlyLovePod / Via youtube.com
@BrotherlyLovePod / Via youtube.com

"Glad he’s doing well, The Little Vampire was one of my faves as kid! Anyone remember that film?" another user wrote.

  @BrotherlyLovePod / Via youtube.com
@BrotherlyLovePod / Via youtube.com

"Jonathan Lipnicki Lawrence, everybody! This boy was literally the next Macaulay Culkin! The movies he made are classics!" another person wrote.

  @BrotherlyLovePod / Via youtube.com
@BrotherlyLovePod / Via youtube.com

Watch the full podcast episode to hear more from Jonathan.