When we first met Jonathan Lipnicki in 1996's Jerry Maguire, he was a five year-old with spikey hair spouting cute rhetoric to Tom Cruise. Now age 11, he's fast-approaching that dangerous time when child stars go bad. So, when can we expect the pint-sized cutie to start knocking over liquor stores and stealing yachts?
"That's totally not me. I'm a goody-goody," the actor assures. "The worst thing I do is get [punished at school] for laughing. I like to laugh — that's not a crime."
Indeed, there's nothing wrong with having a sense of humor, especially when it comes to growing up in the limelight. Maybe that's what has kept Lipnicki — who this summer can be seen in the hit family flicks Like Mike and Stuart Little 2 — from becoming yet another troubled matinee idol-to-be. But one thing's for sure: Hollywood clearly hasn't made him bitter and resentful yet.
"I still have a love for it," the California native says of acting. "I've been working with great people, so I haven't had that many bad experiences. And even if I have a bad experience, that's not going to stop me. I'm just going to keep on doing it... I feel very lucky to love what I do."
