What Tom Cruise's Relationship With Jonathan Lipnicki Is Like Today
Not every kid who sought to be an actor gets to sustain their success well into adulthood. Not all get to be a Miley Cyrus, a Natalie Portman, or a Daniel Radcliffe. Neither can every child actor have a stunning resurgence like Ke Huy Quan, who revived his dormant acting career three decades after calling it quits.
And there are the likes of Mara Wilson, who quit Hollywood altogether because of how cruel and toxic it can be. "I had good experiences [in Hollywood], but I always knew there were girls much prettier than I was, and I knew that I was always competing with them," she told People. "I realized, 'I don't fit their idea of what a Hollywood actress looks like, so there's no room for me here.' It's hard to come out of that sane and without some serious doubts about yourself." Meanwhile, Jonathan Lipnicki spoke frankly, admitting he "wasn't a very good actor at one point," which caused him to step away from the industry for years.
Luckily, Lipnicki — who rose to stardom following his role as Ray in "Jerry Maguire" as a child — found the courage to try again later on in life. And it's all thanks to his former co-star, Tom Cruise.
Jonathan Lipnicki treats Tom Cruise as his mentor
Although it has been decades since Jonathan Lipnicki starred in major productions like "Jerry Maguire" and "Stuart Little," he has not given up on his acting career, especially since he has Tom Cruise rooting for him. According to the actor, he still keeps in touch with the "Top Gun" star and once got invited to Cruise's home to seek guidance on his career.
"I went over to his house because I actually — I cold-called his office at United Artists and asked for advice and, you know, he got back to me, and I went over," Lipnicki told Access Hollywood in 2017. "A big part of his success he attributes to being on time, and being polite to people and knowing people's names, and it was incredible to sit down with one of your favorite actors and have an hour-long conversation about acting."
Cruise remains Lipnicki's mentor to this day, offering guidance whenever he needs it. "He's always said if you have any questions the door's always open and he's always been really responsive and helpful," Lipnicki shared with the Daily Mail. Cruise even expressed interest in Lipnicki's life, including what kind of car he drives. "I had a new car — I had a 67 Mustang for a while — and [Cruise] wanted to see it so I sent him a picture of that," Lipnicki recalled. "He's a cool guy!"
Tom Cruise is still Jonathan Lipnicki's role model
Jonathan Lipnicki has only worked with Tom Cruise once but still thinks the actor hung the moon and the stars. "To this day, I've never met anyone like him. He has so much charisma and so much focus, it's a beautiful thing," he told Bustle. "I could meet the guy a million times and it's always a surreal thing, seeing him again. I still look up to that guy."
Speaking with The Real, Lipnicki admitted acting projects he's worked on as an adult "haven't hit quite as hard as the ones I did as a kid," but he hasn't stopped due to his love for the craft. "If you love what you do, you've got to chase that," he said. And why would he quit if Tom Cruise is cheering him on? "He told me to keep creating," he told E! News. "I'm hustling and I'm a hard worker because I worked with Tom Cruise."
And the one piece of advice from Cruise that stuck with him? It's about treating people right. "A huge thing with Tom is manners," Lipnicki divulged to People. "He was telling me that no matter what happens, always be polite. For someone that big to tell you that is refreshing. He really cares about people and cares to talk to them and hear what they think. I feel so inspired and ready to go because if that guy tells me I can do it, I feel like I can do it."