Copyright Parade
Jonathan Lipnicki turned 35 on Wednesday, and the Jerry Maguire child star is doing better than ever. The young actor, who celebrated his 35th birthday this week, skyrocketed to superstardom at age 5 alongside Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger in the iconic film Jerry Maguire. For those of you who don’t remember the legendary Cameron Crowe-directed film, the romantic-comedy-drama follows a sports agent who loses his job, leaves the office in a dramatic exit, and takes a low-level employee, named Dorothy Boyd (played by Zellweger), along for the ride. Lipnicki, of course, played Boyd’s adorable son. Spoiler alert: Maguire and Boyd fall in love, as you’d expect. Fun fact: Jerry Maguire’s character was supposed to be 35 years old in the film, making him the exact age Lipnicki turned on Wednesday! If that doesn’t make you feel like curling up in bed, what does? As for Lipnicki, he’s back at work on his acting career. On his Instagram page, he recently shared about the advice he’d give himself early on in his career. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 He’s Looking to Get His Career on Track While Lipnicki thrived as a child star, the transition years were a bit challenging. “I had some really good things that happened when I was younger,” he told PEOPLE earlier this year. Still, he feels at peace with his situation. “It’s totally fine to say I’m not where I want to be career-wise. Everything we’re doing in this life is nearly impossible.” Lipnicki intentionally cut back on work during high school so he could experience the years fully. He says he has “no regrets” about doing that and went on to study acting after. Now, he’s ready to tackle his career head-on. “And I pray every night for clarity on where I need to go, and I’m confident the best is yet to come for me,” he told the publication. “And I think you just have to believe that. If you’re going to pursue this, you’re doing yourself a disservice not to dream big.” He’s Got Several Irons in the Fire Luckily, Lipnicki has been able to be choosy about the projects he picks. “To be quite honest, I said no to about five movies in the last year,” he continued. “I just really want to turn this ship around.” He just completed 10 episodes of TBS’s The Joe Schmo Show and appeared alongside Ron Perlman in Cottonmouth. But he also has a burgeoning career as a producer. Earlier this year, he announced on Instagram that production wrapped on Dog Years, calling the film “a contemporary romance that explores early adulthood, identity, and love over time.” “We can’t wait to share it with you!” Lipnicki noted.
