Tom Cruise’s famous child co-star Jonathan Lipnicki makes rare appearance 30 years after Jerry Maguire role

Jonathan Lipnicki was one of the most recognizable child stars of the ’90s after stealing scenes alongside Tom Cruise and Renée Zellweger in Jerry Maguire.

But almost 30 years after winning over audiences as bespectacled Ray Boyd, the actor looked worlds away from his child star days as he made a rare red carpet appearance in Los Angeles.

Jonathan, 35, stepped out for the premiere of A24’s Primetime, looking dapper in a sage green suit teamed with a black shirt and a purple pocket square.

Sporting a neatly trimmed beard and his hair styled in a short, swept-back cut, the former child star looked worlds away from the bespectacled little boy who famously told Tom’s character that “the human head weighs eight pounds” in the 1996 hit.

The outing was particularly significant for Jonathan, marking his first red carpet appearance in two years as well as a major return to the big screen.

Jonathan’s Hollywood comeback

Jonathan appears alongside Robert Pattinson in Primetime, director Lance Oppenheim’s movie inspired by the rise of Chris Hansen’s controversial NBC series To Catch a Predator.

Robert takes on the role of Chris Hansen, while the cast also includes Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Anna Faris and Bokeem Woodbine. Jonathan plays a character named Crazyfrog73.

The film, which was released on September 25, represents Jonathan’s first major studio movie in more than two decades.

It is quite the change of pace for an actor who became synonymous with family movies during the late ’90s and early 2000s.

After making his movie debut in Jerry Maguire, Jonathan went on to play George Little in Stuart Little and its sequel and starred alongside Bow Wow in 2002’s Like Mike.

However, Jonathan has been keen to dispel the long-running suggestion that he deliberately walked away from Hollywood. “Really, it was kind of just going to high school,” he previously told E! News. “I wasn’t, like, ‘I’m stepping away.’ I still had my agent, I’d audition here and there.”

The actor explained that he was able to experience many of the milestones of a typical teenager despite having achieved international fame before he was ten.

“I played water polo in high school,” he said. “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.”

But Jonathan also admitted there was another, less glamorous reason audiences began seeing less of him.

“I auditioned for a lot and I just didn’t get things,” he said. “Acting is this thing that I’ve always loved, and sometimes it just doesn’t love you back. And there was a span where I didn’t work for a while and I was pursuing it.”

His relationship with Tom Cruise

One person who continued to support Jonathan was his Jerry Maguire co-star Tom Cruise. Speaking on the Pod Meets World podcast earlier this year, Jonathan revealed that the Hollywood superstar had remained a mentor long after filming wrapped – even helping him secure an audition for Top Gun: Maverick.

Jonathan had nothing but praise for his former co-star, describing the extraordinary presence Tom brings to both his career and the people around him.

“It’s this energy I’ve never felt before, it’s his presence, it’s his drive and his kindness and understanding,” Jonathan said. “I’m always going to look up to that guy, he has been incredible to me.”

Jonathan also revealed during the podcast that he very nearly didn’t land the role that changed his life.

Another young actor was originally cast as Ray and had already begun filming when the production decided to recast the part. Jonathan’s agent fought to get him another audition, eventually resulting in the youngster flying to Arizona to read for Tom and director Cameron Crowe.

Life away from Hollywood

These days, Jonathan’s life looks considerably different from the one he experienced as one of Hollywood’s most famous child stars. The actor revealed this year that he now lives in Oklahoma after initially arriving during a road trip and unexpectedly deciding to stay. “I just kind of stopped here and I didn’t leave,” he told Pod Meets World, adding: “My daily life is amazing.”

Away from acting, Jonathan has also become an accomplished martial artist and holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, something he credits with having a profound effect on his life. “I think martial arts changed my life,” he said, explaining that the discipline teaches you to be humbled, grow and continue pushing yourself.

His return to acting is gathering pace too. Jonathan has wrapped psychological thriller Williston alongside Veep star Matt Walsh and Bull actress Geneva Carr, with Jonathan also serving as an executive producer on the project.

He is also among the cast of upcoming romantic comedy Mazel Tough, suggesting audiences could be seeing considerably more of the former child star in the months ahead.

And despite the inevitable complications that came with growing up in the public eye, Jonathan remains grateful that Jerry Maguire gave him the opportunity to discover his passion so early. “I got to find out from a young age what I wanted to spend the rest of my life pursuing, so I can never be mad at it,” he said.

“I’m always grateful for it. I am living more in the present now and really trying to focus on who I am now and what that’s going to look like in the future. But I’m extremely grateful for my past.”