Jonathan Lipnicki Meets World

Summary

Pod Meets World: Jonathan Lipnicki Meets World (Feb 23, 2026)

Podcast: Pod Meets World
Hosts: Danielle Fishel, Ryder Strong, Will Friedle
Guest: Jonathan Lipnicki
Length: ~67 minutes (main content)
Episode Theme: An honest, reflective, and warm conversation between the Pod Meets World hosts and iconic 90s child actor Jonathan Lipnicki about childhood stardom, the realities of growing up famous, navigating adulthood, the importance of supportive parents, evolving artistic passion, and finding fulfillment beyond fame.

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Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and insightful episode, Danielle, Ryder, and Will sit down with Jonathan Lipnicki, the former child star best known for Jerry Maguire, Stuart Little, and Like Mike. The hosts and Jonathan discuss the unique pressures and opportunities faced by child actors, the phenomenon of 90s monoculture, and Jonathan's journey from being a mega-famous kid to a grounded adult actor and martial artist. Highlights include behind-the-scenes stories of his career, the importance of parental support, handling fame, and discovering happiness outside of Hollywood.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The End of "Monoculture" and the 90s Phenomenon

[15:30-17:54]

• Danielle sets the stage, reminiscing about the unique shared media experiences of the 90s ("monoculture") where most people watched and discussed the same shows and movies.
• The contrast with today’s fragmented media landscape—now "kids get famous for dressing like the Lorax and dancing on TikTok in an Arby’s."
• Introduction of Jonathan Lipnicki—the quintessential 90s child star whose films grossed nearly $750 million before age 10.
• Notable quote:

  "Today's guest is proof that the 90s was a campfire of sorts. All of us joined together, roasting marshmallows and reciting lines from the most adorable young actor of the decade."
  —Danielle Fishel [16:15]

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2. Jonathan’s Start in Acting & Jerry Maguire

[20:05-24:44]

• Jonathan’s acting aspirations began by tagging along with his sister to acting class and pushing his parents to let him try.
• Booked national commercials and, within six months, auditioned for Jerry Maguire—though he didn’t get the part initially.
• His agent believed in him, pushed for a second chance, and Jonathan ultimately met Tom Cruise and Cameron Crowe, winning the role of Ray Boyd.
• The surreal experience of being so young on set, learning lines before he could read fluently, and having major career breakthroughs before kindergarten.
• Notable quote:

  "I told my parents I wanted to audition, and they were like, nah … but I kept pushing ... Then I got Jerry Maguire."
  —Jonathan Lipnicki [21:14]

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3. Parental Support: The Crucial Difference

[24:19-26:57; 58:15-59:48]

• Jonathan credits his parents, especially his mother, for maintaining perspective, keeping him grounded, and always prioritizing his well-being over his career.
• His mother’s experience in production made her cautious, aware of the potential pitfalls of child fame.
• Jonathan stresses that a child’s experience in showbiz depends almost entirely on the parents:

  "If you have parents that it's more important for them to be a parent than to have their kid be a movie star ... yes, they can [pursue acting]. If you have parents that ... want to live out their dreams ... then they absolutely shouldn't do it."
  —Jonathan Lipnicki [58:25; 58:53]

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4. The Peak of Child Stardom & Navigating “Planet Hollywood Kid” Life

[27:26-30:19]

• Jonathan describes the mind-boggling experience of sudden international fame—attending countless events, meeting childhood heroes (Tony Hawk!), and the surreal privilege of being a household name.
  • Notable moment:

    "I got to meet a lot of my heroes ... but it was—I always remained a kid, and I still am in the sense that I meet people ... and I'm very excited about it."
    —Jonathan Lipnicki [29:34]

• Despite fame, Jonathan remained connected to a normal childhood, attending public school when possible.
• Described the challenge of being recognized but still trying to do regular things like play water polo or go to public school.

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5. School Life, Bullying, and Finding Community

[32:56-36:40]

• Jonathan attended public schools between acting jobs, played sports, and maintained school friendships.
• Faced bullying and awkwardness—especially in middle school—primarily from other kids’ parents rather than students themselves.

  "I would get picked on. Not by the kids, by the parents of opposing teams ... I remember I was telling my girlfriend ... there was a coach who was ... making fun of me ... 'What, do you have cancer, kid?'"
  —Jonathan Lipnicki [33:05]

• Maintained resilience and ultimately found supportive friends as he got older, but shared the anxiety and isolation that often came with fame in school.

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6. Mental Health, Anxiety, and Personal Growth

[36:07-36:53]

• Jonathan candidly discusses experiencing panic attacks from a young age—echoing similar experiences shared by Will.
• Acknowledges the importance of mental health support for young performers, beyond the specifics of their fame.
• On outgrowing middle school hardships:
  • "I ended up becoming friends with a lot of these people who ... didn't like me or whatever. ... I remember just, like, getting anxiety every day before going to school..."
    —Jonathan Lipnicki [35:44]

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7. Evolving Craft & Finding Passion in Adulthood

[47:24-52:01]

• After his explosive child stardom, Jonathan chose to stay committed to acting as an adult, studying at Playhouse West and training extensively.
• There were years without work—but instead of giving up, he doubled down on training, producing his own projects, and finding new motivation.
• He now loves acting more than ever and feels that striving for the craft, rather than early external success, is key to fulfillment.
• Notable quote:

  "I love it more than I've ever loved in my life at this point right now ... Every time I work now, I get really emotional about it. I love, I love doing this."
  —Jonathan Lipnicki [47:57]

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8. Martial Arts, Discipline, and Resilience

[52:01-54:28]

• Jonathan holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (and has trained in Muay Thai), crediting martial arts with helping him develop discipline, humility, and focus.
• Martial arts taught him how to face adversity, both emotionally and physically—skills essential for navigating Hollywood.
• Notable quote:

  "I think martial arts changed my life ... you get humbled and you grow from that ... it drives me every day ... I just have to do it."
  —Jonathan Lipnicki [52:31]

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9. Encounter with Tom Cruise – Staying Connected

[44:20-47:22]

• Tom Cruise, whom Jonathan calls "possibly the last true movie star," remained supportive for years after Jerry Maguire, even helping Jonathan get an audition for Top Gun: Maverick.
• Notable exchange:

  Danielle: "What do you think makes Tom Cruise such a dynamic, special personality? Possibly the last true movie star."
  Jonathan: "It's this energy I've never felt before ... this presence, this drive, and this kindness and understanding."
  —[44:50-44:51]

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10. Embracing New Chapters: Oklahoma and New Projects

[59:48-61:03]

• Jonathan now lives in Oklahoma after road-tripping across the country and finding belonging there—less anxiety, greater community, and emerging filmmaking opportunities.
  • "I just kind of stopped here and I didn't leave … my daily life is amazing."
• Talks about his latest project—a psychological thriller Williston, which he also executive produced, working alongside Matt Walsh and Geneva Carr.
• On the thrill and challenge of creating meaningful adult roles for himself:
  • "It was really scary. ... We rehearsed it like a play and we shot ... 17 pages one day. ... When those two artists are your scene partners ... you have no choice but to get better."
    —[61:03-62:09]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being cast for Jerry Maguire:

  "They were like, 'How would you like to fly out to Arizona tomorrow and meet Tom Cruise and read for him and Cameron Crowe?' ... Tom, we had really good chemistry."
  —Jonathan Lipnicki [21:50-22:30]

• On parental influence:

  "My parents ... never took themselves out of the parent seat. They were parent first, and then, you know, yes, this is exciting."
  —Jonathan Lipnicki [25:10]

• On adult acting work:

  "I love it more than I've ever loved in my life at this point right now. ... Every time I work now, I, I get really emotional about it. I love, I love doing this."
  —Jonathan Lipnicki [47:57]

• On advice for young Jonathan:

  "Live in the moment and just know that whatever people say and whatever's out there ... it doesn't matter. ... It matters—your own belief in yourself and being a good person ..."
  —Jonathan Lipnicki [66:04]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [15:30] – Defining “monoculture,” nostalgia for the 90s media landscape
• [18:11] – Introduction of Jonathan Lipnicki
• [20:05] – How Jonathan got his start, the Jerry Maguire audition story
• [24:19] – Parental perspective and sturdy family support
• [27:26] – Peak fame memories, “Planet Hollywood kid” years
• [30:30] – Navigating school, balancing fame and normalcy
• [33:05] – Bullying experiences, especially from opposing sports parents
• [36:19] – Open discussion about anxiety and panic attacks
• [44:20] – Tom Cruise’s mentorship and adult interactions
• [47:24] – Rediscovering acting: craft, classes, struggle, resilience
• [52:01] – Impact of martial arts on mindset and career
• [58:15] – The question: Should parents let kids act?
• [59:48] – Why Jonathan moved to Oklahoma
• [61:03] – Details about his upcoming thriller Williston
• [66:04] – The advice Jonathan would give his younger self

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Tone & Language

The tone throughout is warm, nostalgic, honest, and at times self-deprecating. The hosts maintain camaraderie, empathy, and genuine curiosity, while Jonathan is open, self-reflective, and gracious. Their discussion is peppered with humor, humility, and supportive advice.

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Closing Reflections

This episode is a must-listen for anyone fascinated by child stardom, millennial nostalgia, or the realities of growing up in Hollywood. Jonathan Lipnicki’s journey illustrates both the blessings and burdens of fame and demonstrates the power of resilience, self-awareness, and a strong support system. The Pod Meets World hosts give him space to share, reflect, and inspire with humility and wisdom.

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For fans of the show, or anyone who’s wondered "What ever happened to that adorable kid from Jerry Maguire?", this episode offers a rich, honest portrait—and proof that life after child fame can be whole, healthy, and creative.

Transcript

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

Friedle from Pod Meets World.

[Danielle Fishel]

Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, check out season four of Mind the Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studios and Intuit QuickBooks.

[Ryder Strong]

In this latest season, hosts Austin Hankwitz and Janice Torres are talking to self starters about the ins and outs of entrepreneurship and how QuickBooks helps you to get more done in less time. You won't want to miss it.

[Will Friedle]

Listen to Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ryder Strong]

At some point during this holiday season, I've completely lost track of time, so I believe it was before New Year's, okay, but after Christmas, okay?

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, okay. So in those last time I went

[Ryder Strong]

to the Queen Mary.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, right.

[Ryder Strong]

Which is the second time I've been to the Queen Mary in the last few months. Because I went down there, they did this. They do a Halloween dark harbor thing with like, haunted mazes and stuff. And Indy was obsessed with mazes this. This holiday season. So we went to all of the ones in la and we went down to that one. It was so much fun. And we actually slept on the Queen Mary for the night. So we decided to do it again with family and from out of town. We're like, let's go to the Queen Mary. And you guys, you have to. The two of you have to go to the Queen Mary for the night.

[Danielle Fishel]

I will never go back to the Queen Mary now.

[Public Investing Representative]

What?

[Danielle Fishel]

No, no, absolutely.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, you have a Queen Mary story

[Danielle Fishel]

that I don't know. I have too many. Too many Queen Mary stories.

[Ryder Strong]

Because they have the greatest buffet in the history of the world.

[Will Friedle]

Danielvi.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay, they have a week. So, like, we stayed the night and then. And Alex kept being like, no, no, no, no, no, the buffet. And I was like, yeah, okay, the buffet, whatever. You know, I don't. I'm not like a buffet person.

[Will Friedle]

How are you not a. How's anybody not a buffet person?

[Ryder Strong]

I don't eat enough. Neither do I. I eat okay, See, like, yeah, like, my brother in law was like, he's made for a buffet like this. Most of my in laws, like, they're just like, yes, bring on, like, all the options. And. And I'm like, the most boring, especially when it comes to breakfast. It's like the most boring breakfast. I like the idea of toast is just as exciting as a waffle that's been handmade in front of me with, you know, like, I don't. I don't care about. Anyway. This was beautiful. This was by far the best buffet I've ever seen. And outside. Outside of a cruise ship especially. So, you guys, maybe we should just go down and do an episode from the buffet of the Queen Mary anyway. It's in this giant.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I won't speak.

[Will Friedle]

But that's fine, because you're too much food.

[Ryder Strong]

You're probably gonna be eating the whole time.

[Bowen Yang]

Seriously.

[Will Friedle]

I tell you, every time we're in Vegas, every time I hit a buffet, it's where I make all my money back.

[Ryder Strong]

It turns out, because, you know, Alex was. Was selling me on this. It's like, ranked in world buffets as like, one of the best. And they do it on the weekends and you're on the boat in this, like, old ballroom and that's the thing. But, like, what I realized about cruise ships, like, because when I walked onto the Queen Mary, I was like, well, if cruise ships looked like this, I'd be into it. But because it's that old school 1930s, like Art Deco signage.

[Will Friedle]

So you want to be on the Titanic?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, exactly.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, I want an old cruise. Like, the fact that cruise ships are, like, all made to look Vegasy and nice and new is, like, so uninteresting to me. Whereas if you go in like an old classy boat where like, and people dress in top hats. Yes, I'm in some did.

[Will Friedle]

Others died in steerage. So if you were a top hat guy, it was a great.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't want to be on the actual Titanic. But if they continue, take the ship the style of the Titanic and make a cruise, that's that style. That's like, hey, we don't have any of those.

[Will Friedle]

There's gotta be like a 30.

[Ryder Strong]

That's what I keep saying too. That's what I keep. Like, the Queen Mary's retired. It's just a hotel now. Which is cool and like. But yeah, and it's all. It's preserved in this old school style. No, I think they're chasing trends. Like, they're constantly trying to make cruise ships new or, like, exciting and have all the features. But I would be down for like, we're just taking like an old classy boat and we're giving you a classic old school, like, you know, tour. Like, I'd be so into that. Anyway, the book, I told you my

[Danielle Fishel]

grandparents, that was their honeymoon. A cruise on the Queen Mary. Yes, on the last voyage the Queen Mary took before it docked. And so my grandfather, who never threw away anything, we. Exactly. My grandfather and Will Friedle were very much the same person. Had an image, a digital image that was originally like, you know, a film picture that he scanned. Cause my grandfather was very technologically savvy all the way until he was 99 and a half. And it was of his luggage tag.

[Will Friedle]

Cool.

[Danielle Fishel]

And so I knew what room he stayed in.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Whoa.

[Danielle Fishel]

So I was able to go to the Queen Mary and they have on display. The ship has since, like, the rooms have been renovated, obviously since 1952, but based on the maps of the ship, I was able to find where his room would have been on the ship and then asked someone if they could take me to that area. And I was actually able to stand in the room that at one point in time would have been my grandfather's. That's cool room, which is which is

[Will Friedle]

very cool, very sweet, very awesome. Ryder, there's. There's a buffet. So we're talking meat station.

[Ryder Strong]

Yep, yep. Different station, different countries. So you have like, an Italian section. You have a Mexican section.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, this is like the window section.

[Ryder Strong]

They had sushi. Like, it was insane.

[Will Friedle]

Sushi for breakfast? Oh, yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, I went. Well, it's brunch, technically, so I guess, you know, if it's late enough. But I. I definitely hit the sushi. Like, oh, it was so good.

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't like buffet sushi. It's too cold.

[Ryder Strong]

But hold on.

[Will Friedle]

We've blown and it just tastes of cold.

[Ryder Strong]

You just told a story that was positive about.

[Will Friedle]

Why aren't you going to the Queen Mary?

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, I love that story about the Queen Mary. I also shot a horrible movie I refused to talk about on the Queen Mary and was trapped on it.

[Will Friedle]

Gamecube or whatever. The one we're supposed to.

[Danielle Fishel]

We'll talk about that.

[Ryder Strong]

Which we're not going to talk about the other one.

[Danielle Fishel]

Not going to talk about it ever again. It was Dorm Days, one of the

[Ryder Strong]

Dorm Days movies that I did.

[Will Friedle]

Okay, okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

It took place on the Queen Mary. I mean, it wasn't. We weren't supposed to be on the Queen Mary. We were, like, on a ship. On a ship.

[Ryder Strong]

Were you supposed to be at sea?

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't remember. You think I remember?

[Ryder Strong]

It's called Dorm Days, but it doesn't take place in a dorm.

[Danielle Fishel]

It was supposed to be a dorm. It was supposed to be dorm rooms, but I don't remember if we used

[Ryder Strong]

dorm rooms or not.

[Danielle Fishel]

Supposed to also be on the ship. Yeah, we were also. Listen, I don't remember. Did you guys. Cannot. I. Did you read the script? I did. I read the script. I read it. I don't remember a single thing about it. Except there was a monkey. I worked with a monkey, of course. And the monkey attacked, and it was very scary. It, like, ran up my dress and

[Will Friedle]

I was like, oh, so it wasn't supposed to attack?

[Danielle Fishel]

No, no, no. But I had to. So, you know, the monkeys, like, they're on set and it's like, please don't look at the monkeys. The monkeys could attack at any time. And it's like, okay, we. It was literally like the biggest star in the world was coming on. Do not make eye contact with the monkeys. Here are the rules. If you have to work with the monkey, then you can be close to the mon. Please do not make any sudden movements around the monkey.

[Ryder Strong]

And they forgot that Rule number three was the monkey Loves Topanga.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly.

[Ryder Strong]

They took one look at you and was like, up there. Don't you remember?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

We had the same rules when the

[Will Friedle]

monkeys were on our show. It's like, don't look at Micky Dolenz directly in the eyes. No big movements around Peter Torque. We had all that same kind of stuff.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

The problem was my scene with the monkey. So what I do remember from. Because of the monkey is that there's a jewel in the movie. And we're all trying to get this gem or this jewel or the boat

[Will Friedle]

that's also a dorm.

[Danielle Fishel]

Or maybe we're not supposed to be on the boat.

[Will Friedle]

This is already the best film I've ever seen.

[Ryder Strong]

I want Danielle to read the script for the first time so we can actually understand the movie.

[Will Friedle]

At this point, the crayon has washed away.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

So the problem was, at some point, the monkey gets the jewel, and I am trying to get the jewel. So in the scene, the monkey comes flying around the corner, and I come face to face with the monkey. The monkey turns and runs away from me, and I have to lunge after the monkey. And so it's like, wait a minute. What do you mean? No sudden. What do you mean? No sudden moves around the monkey?

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Danielle Fishel]

I have to lunge at the monkey. So they were like. So we're just gonna make sure that, you know, the. Get the. Let the monkey get this far before you do the lunge. And, you know, magic of film. It'll look like you're still close. And I was like, okay. So I wait till I see the monkey hit the mark, and then I lunge. It was not far enough. The monkey still spun around and was then furious at me.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, you're lunging at it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. And charged at me, and I had to get up really fast, and the monkey, like, ran up into what I was wearing, which I seem to remember being a dress similar to a wedding dress, but I have no idea why I was in a wedding dress, and I don't remember being in a wedding dress.

[Will Friedle]

So maybe you're on a boat. In dorm days, it was dorm days.

[Ryder Strong]

It's your honeymoon.

[Will Friedle]

It's your honeymoon with.

[Danielle Fishel]

Exactly. I listen anyway. I. I literally every time I. Other than my grandfather, which is. I tell that story all the time. Anytime I think of the Queen Mary, I have literal. I have PTSD chills of that movie.

[Ryder Strong]

His little legs or.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's not even. It's not even that.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

It's just the movie.

[Danielle Fishel]

The movie. I get literal shutters. I like.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, man.

[Ryder Strong]

I'M sorry to.

[Will Friedle]

Sorry to hear that. But there's an omelette station.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know. Did they have donuts?

[Ryder Strong]

No, but they had some incredible pastry desserts.

[Will Friedle]

I was going to say there's got to be some baked goods.

[Ryder Strong]

And they do Banana Fosters. Oh, like. Yeah, yeah. With ice cream. Oh, it was.

[Danielle Fishel]

Isn't it called Bananas Foster? Not Banana Fosters.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay, fine.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I think you got it right.

[Ryder Strong]

I think Banana Foster.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Passersby. Okay. Attorneys General.

[Will Friedle]

Attorneys General.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

There you go.

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[Jonathan Lipnicki]

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[Danielle Fishel]

I before e is so. Dr. C. Got it. Welcome to Pod Meets World. I'm Danielle Fishel.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm Ryder Strong.

[Will Friedle]

And I'm Wills Friedel.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, that's good.

[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

Friedle from Pod Meets World.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

Will Friedle from Pod Meets World.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Danielle Fishel]

In 2026 it's hard to believe, but at one point in time there was something we have talked about a lot, which is monoculture. It's defined as a time or environment where most people are consuming the same media and cultural experiences, watching the same shows, listening to the same music, reacting to the same big pop culture moments. So there's a shared conversation and for some reason it was imagined around a water cooler. Now, in a wasteland where media comes and goes, celebrity is fleeting, and kids get famous for dressing like the Lorax and dancing on TikTok in an Arby's well, let's just say, did that happen?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Is that a real thing?

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm gonna say yes. I don't know it, but I'm gonna go with yes.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yikes.

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's just say things are a little More fragmented. But today's guest is proof that the 90s was a campfire of sorts. All of us joined together, roasting marshmallows and reciting lines from the most adorable young actor of the decade. His first big job in movies was, get this, playing opposite Tom Cruise, as cute as a button Ray Boyd in Jerry Maguire, where his spiky hair, round glasses and impulsive random facts made him a world renowned superstar overnight. Before the time Jonathan was 10, his films had grossed nearly three quarters of a billion dollars at the box office. His celebrity was rarefied air for child actors beyond anything an agent could ever promise or imagine. When parents decide to let their kids act. And he has the Planet Hollywood jackets to prove it. He'd also portray Justin Foxworthy, the son of Jeff on the Jeff Foxworthy Show, George Little in the blockbuster film Stuart Little, and Murph in the Li' l Bow Wow basketball masterpiece. Like Mike. But like we've talked about endlessly on this show, when the spotlight is your job before you're even a teenager, things can get confusing. He's been honest and brave about his career since, but most recently, he appeared on the newest season of the Joe Schmoes show and set to star in an upcoming thriller, Williston alongside Matt Walsh and Geneva Carr. And yes, he also now holds a Brazilian Jiu jitsu black belt and has trained extensively in Muay Thai. So he has that in common with Will.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, very similar, very similar.

[Danielle Fishel]

So today he will sit with three other child actors who've been honest after their lives post Hollywood stardom, Now on a less monocultural podcast called Pod Meets World. Welcome to the show, my pal, Jonathan Lipnicki.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Oh, hi.

[Ryder Strong]

How you doing?

[Danielle Fishel]

Look at you. I was just saying in your intro that you have a black belt in jiu jitsu and have trained extensively in Muay Thai, and that's Will's dream.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I have a squeaky belt that barely holds up my pants and I have a white belt in nine different disciplines, thank you very much.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Well, never too late to start. Never too late to start.

[Will Friedle]

2026, actually, I'm. I'm actually going to. With the people that train with the Lawrence boys, who lives right down the street from us.

[Ryder Strong]

So this year you're going to start doing martial arts?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I'm going to start Brazilian Jiu Jitsu this year right down the street.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Oh, my gosh.

[Will Friedle]

So, yeah, I'm.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's exciting.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, pretty excited. Okay, I'll get a white belt in that, too.

[Ryder Strong]

What do you start in? Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Isn't it, like, all grappling?

[Will Friedle]

I think.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Okay, yeah, it's all grappling. You know, there's gi and no gi. So GI is like the traditional kimono, and no GI is like a rash guard and shorts. So you can do both. You can focus on one, but generally to, like, progress belt levels, you're. You're doing both.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wow, that's so cool.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, man.

[Danielle Fishel]

I. I didn't get a gi. I did start mixed martial arts, karate, but I never. I never made it to the. To the part of testing, so I didn't get a key.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah, never too late.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know. Maybe this is my year.

[Will Friedle]

We'll have to do it. Yeah. I cook with ghee, which I like, which is a clarified butter, which is. Which is magical. So. Yeah, but it's.

[Danielle Fishel]

We are so happy to see you, Jonathan. If nothing else, this podcast lets us sit down with one, people that we love and don't get to see enough, and two, people who get to open up about what being a child actor was really like. So your experience is like, none other. So thank you for agreeing to hang out with us.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Oh, thank you for having me. You know, Love you guys. So it's an honor to be here.

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's talk about you starting to audition at 5 years old. I know, like, a lot of us kid actors, you were a Valley kid. Was it your idea to act? How did you express that to your parents?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

So it's really funny, actually. I never thought of it even until my sister tried an acting class out in Agoura Hills. And I think it's like, you always kind of want to do what your older siblings doing. I know a lot of sibling relationships like that, and so I wanted to try it. And the acting teacher, you know, it's like, we don't generally take people this young, but he has a lot of charisma. Give it a try then. You know, from what I remember, we practiced auditions in class, and I was like, you know, after doing that, I'm like, this is so fun. I told my parents I wanted to audition, and they were like, nah. They were like, no, why don't you, like, stick with some sports? But I kept pushing, and they were like, you know what? He'll probably, like, do it a few times, and, you know, he'll. He'll get sick of all the driving and, you know, get over it. But I started auditioning. I got an agent, and I looked like a few national commercials. And then I. Then I got Jerry Maguire.

[Danielle Fishel]

I mean, to go from having not worked at all to booking national commercials. How long was it like, how long were you auditioning before you booked Jerry Maguire?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I, I have no clue. You know, a few months now. You know, I, I think like, probably like six months.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh my.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

And I auditioned for Jerry Maguire and I didn't get it. They went with another kid. They shot two weeks with him and they wouldn't, they wouldn't see me when they were recasting it because I was on a list of people had already been seen, but I'd been seen by an associate, not the casting director. And I had an agent at the time, wonderful guy, and he was ahead of the children's talent division at this agency. And he said, don't see any of my other kids. I stake my reputation on, you know, in the industry on this. I have Ray Boyd sitting in my chair right now. Please see him. I was seen by the casting director and they're like, how would you like to fly out to Arizona tomorrow and meet Tom Cruise and read for him and Cameron Crowe and I went to Arizona where they're doing the football scenes. Read for Tom and Cameron. My parents were there, of course, in Tom's trailer. Tom, we had really good chemistry. And he's like, you know, I think my, my decision here is clear. I'll leave it up to Cameron. And that was it.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay, hold on. Do you, okay, this is a tough question. I have a tough question. How much of this do you actually remember and how much of this is like, because you've been told these stories, do you think that you've like recreated them? Do you have like a visual memory of any of this?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah, so I, I, we bought, when we were in Arizona, we bought this Phoenix Suns T shirt. T shirt for me. And I remember that T shirt for sure. But like, I remember like glimpses, like little images. Right. Being in the trailer, I had the sides for a long time that I used in that audition. So, like, it's like bits and pieces. And I feel like every year I get older, it's like more of a recreation. But that, that's like the, the high level right there of kind of how it went down. But, you know, it's, it's good having my parents there. They're very involved and, you know, they remember a lot more than I do.

[Ryder Strong]

Unbelievable.

[Danielle Fishel]

And you, so you were five at this time, did the sides that you had, were you reading? Like, I, for me, I have a six year old, a six and a half year old. He doesn't go more than three seconds without saying poop. Or butt. So I just like, I don't either. I, I mean, it's unbelievable to me that at 5, you're like, I had some sides. I was memorizing lines. I was just shoot the. With Tom Cruise, like, wow.

[Will Friedle]

Like you do.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah, you know, I, I ran it a lot with my mom. I didn't really read well then, but it was funny kind of the jump in learning where, you know, I was reading, like, go dog, go.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

And then I went to reading screenplays, you know, really big, like it was a really big jump. And I say that to make the point that I think I got a really, you know, between having that and really some great onset teachers, my ability to read was just way ahead of, of my peers because of, because of acting. And I don't know if it would have been without, you know.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's amazing. Were your parents, what were they thinking now? Like, they had just a few months before really been quick to poo poo your idea of becoming an actor and then you book this role with a, A massive movie star and a.

[Will Friedle]

The movie star and at the time the director. I mean, exactly. Couldn't be a bigger project.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Like, what are they thinking?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Well, I think they were, you know, they were excited. My mom was always really careful with me because they got very excited about the whole idea of auditioning for, you know, auditioning with the guy who was in Top Gun, you know, I was very excited about that. She always told me, you know, a lot of little boys are going out for this. I don't want you to be discouraged if you don't get it. And then when I originally didn't get it, she was like, honey, I have some bad news. You didn't get it. And I told her, no, that's my role. I'm, I'm going to do it. And she was like, oh, no, this is bad news. Somebody else. And then when I did actually get it, you know, I was like, I told you so. But they were, I mean, I, I think they always handled things to the best of their ability. My mom worked a little bit in the industry on the production side. She worked for a producer, and I think that's part of the reason she didn't originally want me to go into acting, as she'd seen a lot of, you know, other child actors and it didn't go so well. So I think that even if things were very exciting and exhilarating, they never took their. And I give them kudos, you know, for this. They never took themselves out of the parent seat. They were parent first, and then, you know, yes, this is exciting. But they were there moment to moment, present every step of the way. And I think they just. It kind of blew their mind, though, because it was like, all of a sudden, we're flying to Arizona. And, you know, my dad had taken me to that audition. He's like, well, Rhonda, what are you doing later? She's like, I don't know. Laundry. And he's like, or we're flying to Arizona to meet Tom Cruise. And so I, you know, they were really good at keeping it pretty calm, honestly.

[Danielle Fishel]

Good. Were you in kindergarten?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I was in my last year of preschool.

[Will Friedle]

And now, had you. Had anybody in your family, uncles, parents, anybody been involved in the entertainment industry in any way, shape or form? I mean, did you have any kind of road map a little bit or.

[Ryder Strong]

No, just.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Just my mom briefly, you know.

[Will Friedle]

Well, no, I heard that, but I mean, it was. Other than that small. That was it. So there was no. Yeah, you didn't. For general, you know, have an uncle or generation. It was just your mom for the little bit of time. And then you. You were kind of the start, you and your. Your mom.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah. And then my. My sister actually went on to. She found more success in voiceovers and actually bought her first car that way, you know, so. But it. There wasn't really a road map. And, you know, that's. That's a huge thing I give props to because my mom was with me mostly. I. I give her huge props for that as she. She really figured it out and learned it as she'd go. As she went and talked to parents that she really, you know, respected who had, you know, kind of the same outlook on. On parenting a child actor.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did you ever meet or know Macaulay Culkin or Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who are probably the only two people who really know what it feels like to be in your shoes.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

You know, it's funny, in. In my adult life, I met Macaulay Culkin because of Brenda's song, who I did like Mike with.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

So, you know, I've hung out with them a couple times. And he's an incredible guy. And it was. First time we met, we chopped it up for a long time about it. And he's. He's an incredible person. I'm a really big fan of him as a human being.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, that's awesome. I mean, there truly, there's. The three of you are probably the only three.

[Will Friedle]

To that level.

[Danielle Fishel]

Absolutely to that level.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I don't know, because it's really interesting because it's like I live. I live the. Like, I lived this life. I don't know what it looks like. And I'm sure you guys all feel this, right? You lived your experience. You don't know what that means to people on the outside, right?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

So for me, it's like, I, you know, it's like, you don't know, like, doing this podcast. I'm sure it's been mind blowing to see just the support you've had. Right. Even if you knew. You knew you were on a huge, you know, show. Right. But it's just mind blowing to see that. And I think that never is lost on me because whenever I do get down about things here and there, because it's like, you know, we're. We're chasing these creative endeavors. Right. You know, and through conventions, right. You meet some people, and maybe they're going through a rough time, and you were able to make their day 1% better. Right. So it's really interesting to have that. I don't know what it looks like on the outside, but, you know, that's a huge compliment, so thank you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. I joked in your intro about how many Planet Hollywood openings you probably went to, but at, like, 7 years old, the entire world just opened up to you. Do you have any big memories or surreal moments of that year? I know you went to the Oscars that year.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I think actually they had me then tape, like, tape my reaction to Cuba winning in, like, a hotel room. So I don't think I was at the actual.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh.

[Will Friedle]

But I remember that's when he flips down the, like.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Runs down the stair and slips down the thing and. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

That was a memorable win.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah. I. Let's see if I have big memories. You know, I. I got to meet a lot of my heroes at the, you know, growing up, which. Which I'm sure you all have experienced, like, you get to the world opens up. We're at the same event as, like, you know, I remember being really excited to meet Tony Hawk. Yeah. But it was like, I always remained a kid, and I still am in the sense that I meet people who. I love their work, and I'm very excited about it. But it was. Yeah, it's kind of hard to pick out, you know, a particular moment. I think the whole thing has been a trip up until, you know, being. Being 35 now, looking back on it, and I forget a lot. I live in Oklahoma now. I forget all the time.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

That, like, I did anything, you know, so just like going to my mailbox, you know. But it, it's, it's, it's. It's a crazy, it's a crazy experience for sure.

[Will Friedle]

You, now, you were so young when you started. We always talk about kind of in our experience we were in school and then booked something big and then worked and then went back to school. But you were booking stuff. I mean, pre K. Yes. But before you even really started school, did you have an opportunity to have any sort of regular elementary school or middle school kind of life or were you basically set schooled until you were older?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I went back and forth to public school. I went to White Oak elementary and Lindero Middle School and Agora High School. And my parents were really adamant about that. So they, you know, corresponded with the schools and made sure I got all the material and that I was doing it and doing, doing a good job. And I had, I. To this day, my, my closest friends are from, from you know, middle and high school for sure. So I mean it was, I was always balancing that. Sometimes it was more consistent than other things. But if you look at like how movies come out, right. Sometimes I did have a break, right. So I did like, like Mike and Stuart Little too were far apart, but Stuart Little too, due to like the animation. It takes a while, right?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Like when I did the first Stuart Little, it took forever to come out and I was like, I told all my friends I did this thing and they're like, yeah, okay. It was like never coming out. But, you know, it was crazy traveling the world. Like, one of my favorite experiences was while balancing school, you know, traveling in Europe and doing promotion for like Mike. And it was just me and Little Bow Wow and my mom and his mom and my sister and that. And we were like playing basketball everywhere. Like every, you know, be in Germany and they're like set up a hoop for us to be on like a live TV show. And like that was some of the best. Those were some of the best experiences of my life. I just, I, I had a blast. And so it's like balancing that. It is weird to go and be treated definitely one way and then go back to public school and it's completely different. But I think that, you know, it's really ultimately very important. I played in youth league sports. I did, you know, I was thinking about this recently. I did, I did baseball and basketball and I remember one year I did baseball and because I was about to shoot Stuart Little, they didn't want me to play Baseball, in case I got hurt. They were a little worried about it from my memory. So basically, the result was, like, we made it. I think it was Stuart Little. We made a deal with one production where, like, I'm gonna play baseball, but I have to wear this, like, face mask.

[Danielle Fishel]

And don't break the maker.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

It was so embarrassing. And I. I wore this face mask. And I would get picked on. Not by the kids, by the parents of opposing teams.

[Will Friedle]

Come on.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

And I would get picked on by coaches of opposing teams. And I was pretty confident in myself in. In some ways. And I remember I was telling my girlfriend this. That's why I remember this last weekend, there was a coach who was. Who was making fun of me, and he was, like, yelling across, like, what do you have cancer kid? Like. Like, horrible, right?

[Will Friedle]

Oh, my God.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

And so I went. And I. I. When. When the inning was over, I went into their dugout, and I. And I went right up to him, and I'm like, what's your problem?

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

And then he didn't know what to do. He's like. And I was like, you know, I'm doing this. This is why I have to do this right now, because I work. I have a job. And I, like, let him know.

[Bethany Frankel]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

And that, you know, it was crazy.

[Ryder Strong]

I forgot for you. Oh, man. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, wild.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

The kids were fine. The parents were awful. Was that.

[Will Friedle]

Was that normal? Your experience? Because we've talked to a lot of people that have had trouble in school. Some of us as well, had trouble in school. When you're an actor. I mean, kind of. We've said basically, unfortunately, when you're a kid, even if it's a good thing, anything that makes you different is bad. So when did you have any trouble with. With fellow classmates, or was it really just the parents? Which is awful. My God. Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Say the parents at, like, the actual school I was at were great. The sports parents on my team were great. It was weird about the opposing parents, but.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah, definitely. I. It was pretty awful. Elementary school was. Was fine. Middle school was, like, not good.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

And high school was fine. I, you know, found kind of my group of people. I played water polo in high school. In middle school, I think it's just a terrible age. You know, like, people are just. Just not nice to each other. But it was pretty brutal. Like, I didn't want to go to school every day. You know, I was like, what am I gonna get made fun of for today? And there was, like, kind of a crowd around me when I First, if I remember correctly, you know, when I first went to middle school, it was different schools feeding in and, you know, it was. People were just really curious. And it was to the point I remember the principals like, we're gonna put you at a separate table for lunch. Because it was just a lot. And I was like, no, please don't.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, please don't put me in solitary.

[Will Friedle]

God, that's not gonna help.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah, yeah, they're gonna put me, you know, with the kid who was allergic to peanuts. I was like, you know, I was like, don't. Please don't put me at the peanut free table. Like, you know, I think that'll make it worse. And it did die down, but it was. Yeah, for a while. Like, I'm not gonna lie, it was. It was awful. But, you know, I'm over it now at 35.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

34 was a year ago.

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't know, yesterday I'm feeling good,

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

but it was, you know, I ended up becoming friends with a lot of these people who didn't, you know, didn't like me or whatever. But, you know, it's. It's, you know, you never know what people are going through. And I think that a lot of bullies, you know, aren't terrible people. They just have whatever is going on. But I remember just, like getting anxiety every day before going to school and be like, oh, God, what's gonna happen today?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

But, you know, my parents wanted me to, like, tough it out. Like, you could change schools. It might be the same thing. Like, you know. Yeah, I toughed it out and I was dealing with my own issues. Well, I know you were talking about it on a podcast with anxiety, right.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, sure, I was.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I had my first panic attacks, and I was having panic attacks, like, every day. Not even to do with the school element, just whatever.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I don't think it's because I was, as an actor, I think I just maybe was a person who was gonna have panic attacks.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, there's a lot that goes into it. There's, you know, genetics and just chemicals and every other thing. So. Yeah, you never know.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah. So, I mean, it was just like I had that private battle in my head. Right. And then I had kids who weren't so nice. And then high school ended up being great, though, you know, Great.

[Will Friedle]

But I mean, growing up, growing up out here in California, there had to have been other actors in the school, right?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

You know, they weren't in Jerry Maguire.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, that's the thing. Yeah. Unless it is Commercial or somebody big.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Then it's not gonna be any. Yeah, it's not gonna matter.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

It's true.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

There was. What was that Disney show she was on? There was Haley Kiyoko.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay, sure.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah. Yeah. She's wonderful. She went in the same grade. We played. We would jam. We played instruments together. I played drums. She's really talented. She went on to do huge things. Right. But at that time, like. Yeah. And people's parents worked in the industry, but it's just like, you know, I wasn't. I wasn't very cool. So I think there was that element to it.

[Danielle Fishel]

I mean, everything you say about yourself sounds really cool. You played basketball, you played baseball, you played water polo, you played the drums. Like, what was not cool about you, dude?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Probably be neurotic and worrying about things, but. But, you know, it's like we all. We all adjust and improve. You know, it's like you look back on it, it's easily. You know, you basically be like, yeah, kids are mean or whatever, but, you know, I'm. You know, I definitely. I definitely talked back when people were mean to me. And, you know, I. I think that you just.

[Ryder Strong]

It's.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

It's interesting. I used to look at it and be like, you know, for. For a while, but, you know, it's like you. You grow up and you realize, like, a lot of these people just had their own. Own stuff going on as.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

As well, you know, thanks to, like, Mike. There are so many great pictures of you on the Internet in a jersey, and you mentioned that you played basketball. I imagine there are a lot of current NBA players who grew up on, like, Mike Jitsits. Is that one of the movies that comes up today more than any other for you? Like, I bet you're big with NBA players.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah. You know, I've met a lot of players who really like. Like Mike and just a lot of athletes in general. And, you know, that's really special for me. Like, Mike was kind of a weird thing. How it all happened was when, you know, my mom really encouraged me to. To read a lot and to, you know, try to even produce at a young age. So I. I optioned a book when I was, I think, like, 10 for. To try to make into a movie.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

And some production company got the rights before. Before me, and they were going to make it, and I tried to position myself to get that role. And they said, you're too young, young now. They ran into some financing issues. It got pushed back a couple years. I was the right age. And they had a director named John Schultz. And I kept pursuing it. And then I had a meeting with him about this movie, and he said, you're still a little young, but I am doing this movie like Mike, and I will write you your part. It's a small part. I'll write it to be bigger. I want to do this movie with you so we can get, you know, a good working relationship. And I'll go do that other movie with you in a year. And we did both.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow. What was the other one?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

When Zachary Beaver came to town.

[Will Friedle]

Okay.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

When it. It went to Tribeca and had, like, a limited release. And it was a really cool movie. It was me, Eric Stoltz. Jesse Plemons played yet another bully in it. He did a lot of bullying, growing, like he was in, like, Mike. He was a bully. He was a. Cody Lindley was in it. And it was a really special film. It was kind of like a Stand by Me meets kind of what's Eating Gilbert Grape type of feel. I'm not saying it was that good. Yeah, it was pretty good. You know, I'm pretty proud of that one.

[Danielle Fishel]

What was a young Jesse Plemons like?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

He's a wonderful person. Yeah, I haven't talked to him in a little while, but he's a wonderful person. He comes from a wonderful family, and even as he started to really gain a lot of success, he didn't change. He's the same dude, and he's an incredible guy.

[Danielle Fishel]

You always love those stories.

[Will Friedle]

Ever been at the pharmacy counter and the pharmacist asks, do you have any questions? And suddenly your mind goes blank? That's exactly why you need to listen to beyond the script from CVS Pharmacy and iHeartMedia. Hosted by Dr. Jake Goodman, this podcast brings you real conversations with CVS pharmacists, the health experts you see most answering the questions you wish you'd asked, like which medications might not mix well, what vaccine should you consider before a big trip? And even those questions you were too embarrassed to say out loud. Each episode busts myths, decodes health trends, and gives you practical, trustworthy advice straight from the people behind the counter. No white coats, no lectures. Just real talk, real answers, and maybe a few laughs. Listen to beyond the script on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm Danielle Fishel, Ryder Strong and Will

[Will Friedle]

Friedle from Pod Meets World.

[Danielle Fishel]

Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you will definitely want to check out season four of Mind the Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Intuit

[Ryder Strong]

QuickBooks Mind the Business is part entertainment, part instruction manual, part inspiration. Each episode features practical tips and success stories that will resonate with entrepreneurs in any industry.

[Will Friedle]

In this latest season, hosts Austin Hankwitz and Janice Torres are covering topics on the forefront of running a small business.

[Danielle Fishel]

They're talking to self starters about everything from how AI helps them work smarter to weathering market uncertainties and enjoying the benefits of being your own boss and using Intuit QuickBooks to help you get more done in less time. You won't want to miss it.

[Will Friedle]

Listen to Mind the Business Small Business success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Take 5 Oil Change Representative]

When your schedule sounds like this.

[Danielle Fishel]

Are you kidding me?

[Take 5 Oil Change Representative]

An oil change is the last thing you have time for. So drive into Take five and let our tech change your oil. Check your tires, top off your fluids and have you back on the road pit stop fast. All while you stay in your car. No putting your entire schedule on hold. No upsells, no problem. So you can get back to your to do list or not find your nearest [e-mail] Take 5 the stay in your car 10 minute oil change support

[Public Investing Representative]

for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures.

[Danielle Fishel]

Speaking of, have you know having not spoken to somebody in a while, you have gone viral a couple of times for this story that Tom Cruise actually Kept in touch with you for many years after, after Jerry Maguire and maybe even more shocking, he also kept in touch with the first little boy who had the role that he worked with for two weeks. What do you think makes Tom Cruise such a dynamic, special personality? Possibly the last true movie star.

[Will Friedle]

Yep, last one.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

You know, it's, it's this energy I've never felt before where it's just, it's this presence, it's, it's this drive in, this kindness and understanding. And I, you know, I always, I'm always going to look up to that guy, you know, and he has been incredible to me. And you know, when I reached out, when I wanted some advice and, you know, I think I cold called, like, what is it, United Artists at the time or something, you know, when he was involved there, it was, it was, it was funny. And he ended up getting back in touch with me and they emailed me, they're like, when can you meet with Tom? And I was like, wow, really? And I went to his house in, in my 20s and I, I met with him and he gave me advice.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

And you know, all his advice was about, about hard work and, and being kind to others and, you know, showing up early and staying late. And I think it's, I think it's the work ethic. I think it's just the drive to always bring the best product to the Audi. You know, he's not a person who underestimates an audience. He respects his audience.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

He respects the people who watch his movies. And so he's going to put his life on the line several times to do that.

[Will Friedle]

He's so entertaining. He's so entertaining. It's amazing.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Did you ever get a cake? Did you get a Tom Cruise cake?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I did not get a cake, man.

[Will Friedle]

That's the ultimate goal.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's the ultimate unboxing of a Tom Cruise cake.

[Ryder Strong]

How?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah, but, but, yeah, you know, it's, people ask about him all the time. We haven't talked in a little bit, but whenever I have reached out, he has responded, oh, that's great. You know, and great response time on that guy. He responds real quick. I love that. But he's been, you know, he's been really supportive. You know, I, I, I reached out when they were casting Top Gun Maverick and I reached out, you know, casting was just, I'm sure, overwhelmed with submissions and my manager and agent could get me in there. And so I emailed him and I said, hey, like, I don't know if you think I'm right for this. But if you think I'm right, I'd love to like audition for it. And I had an audition for it. He got me an audition.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

And so I auditioned for, you know, it's like dummy sides. You don't know what's going on.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I just. A few different roles under like code names and you know, it didn't go my way, but it, it. Because it wasn't meant to happen. But yeah, it just really, to me, the fact that he gave me that opportunity.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

And the opportunities he's given me just, just to do Jerry Maguire. I mean, he didn't have to and

[Will Friedle]

he did so great, man.

[Ryder Strong]

It sounds like, you know, I mean, having known you for years now and like seeing how hard you work at being an actor, I'm really curious about beyond the work, like how your relationship to acting has changed because you only went to that one acting class or whatever it sounds like. Did you go back to classes later or were you already. Because when you have that kind of stardom leap, it gets hard to like take the craft seriously because there's just the jobs come or they don't, but you don't, you know. So how is your, what has your relationship and journey been like in terms of the craft of acting itself?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I love it more than I've ever loved in my life at this point right now. I just did a movie, we wrapped last month and I got to, you know, I EP'd it as well. Executive, I executive produced it and it was with Matt Walsh and Geneva Carr and it was a three hander, pretty much the whole movie and it's all dialogue and I wouldn't be able to do that if I didn't go to acting class. I didn't work for a number of years. So every time I work now, I, I get really emotional about it. I love, I love doing this. And I took class at Playhouse west, they have a Meisner program for years. And then I played the younger version of this very talented actor, probably the most talented actor I know, Joshua Baton. I played the younger version of him in a play and Lost Girls, John Palano and in a movie for the love of Money. And I started learning from him as well. Holly Gagne at Playhouse west especially. And I, I always took class very seriously. When I decided not to go to college, I decided to take double the amount that you're supposed to take at Playhouse west because I love this. And even at the end of the day, I still, I still can never be satisfied. I don't think I work hard enough, you know. Wow.

[Will Friedle]

Sounds like Tom Cruise.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Well, when. When. That's your example growing up, we're gonna get, you know, but. But I love it and I, I. You have to just keep going, you know, you have to keep swimming. There was five years where I didn't work and people would always go, oh, well, you went to high school and you were normal. Yeah, but I also did audition for stuff and I didn't get it. And that's cool.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Funny thing is, I've said that before, and they're like the clip part of the quote or whatever and make it seem like I'm sad that, like, my career isn't where it needs to be. I. That's fine. It gives you something to strive for when your career isn't where you. You want it to be. That's beautiful. It gives you something to strive for. If I didn't work and I might. My career just. Just ascended and, you know, it just. I was at the top. Who knows what type of person I'd be?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

But the fact that I've now. I got very fortunate, and I will always say that. And I have, you know, I do feel I'm talented, but I. I got very fortunate with these roles, but I've had to work 10 times as hard in the back end to get the roles that I do today, including producing and making projects for myself, you know, or to be able to be in and to find good projects. And that's something I don't take lightly. I work incredibly hard, and it's always on my mind every single day. And I know the best is yet to come for me, which, with the track record not working for a while, most people, you know, would quit. And. And I just, I. I don't. I don't have that. I don't have that in me. You know, I just. I can't. I've thought about it. I just. You think about a lot sometimes, but. But I can't. I just, you know, wanna. I heard this. I'm gonna butcher the quote, but there's. There's this guy pops up on a lot of Instagrams, Alex Hormozi, and he talks about outworking your self doubt. And I'm just always trying to outwork myself doubt. He also talked about providing undeniable proof that you are who you say you are, stacking that proof over and over. So every class I went to, I worked very hard. And then even in my 30s now, and looking back at, I would work really hard and Then burn myself out. And then I didn't put myself in the right position. I feel to do what I wanted to do, you can always work harder. And I think it's important that you're all in is still a consistent pace and not trying to just do it all at once and then burn yourself out. Because I think I did that. I'd work incredibly hard to get really close to a role that I wanted and maybe didn't go my way, or I tested for a pilot and then I would just like, you know, get exhausted, a little bit depressed about it. Where I think if you just stay consistent and you also live your life and live your normal life and you allow yourself to find other streams of, of making income, of providing for yourself, I think that you can be all in and do that as well. Now my, my perspective has changed greatly.

[Will Friedle]

The attitude that you have is so. It seems so healthy and the drive that you have seems so amazing. How much of that is due to martial arts? Or is the study of martial arts also due to the attitude you already had? I don't even know if I said that right, because sometimes I meet a lot of people that, that maybe don't have the discipline they need. Then they find something like martial arts, and it kind of focuses them more. And then there's people that are super focused and that makes them a great martial artist. And I'm just curious, which route of that is yours?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Oh, I can naturally be really lazy. I don't think it's like innately in me, you know? You know, I think, I think martial arts changed my life. I think doing Brazilian jiu jitsu especially, you know, you have. People are beating you up and they're bigger than you, you know, I think you get humbled and you grow from that. I think also that, you know, moving away from the pain of realizing maybe I didn't capitalize on all the opportunities I could have and being honest with myself and not sitting in it, but letting that pain be enough to propel you forward in a beautiful way and going, I'm better than this. I can do better. So I think that drives me every day is the fact that I don't want to feel like I didn't leave it all on the field. At the end of the day, when it's all said and done, when I, when I can't act anymore, you know, when it, you know, down the line, very far down the line, hopefully. Yeah, that, that I just, I just have to do it, you know, it's like I, I'M you know, you, you some artists, right, they can paint. They get. I've never been good at painting. I, you know, I tried really hard at being a good drummer, naturally. Just wasn't a great drummer. But, but acting is this thing that I just can't get. Get out of, you know, I have to do it. And, you know, I got to work with Ryder a little bit and, you know, it was like, that meant a lot for me, what you wrote. And your words are beautiful. And I, I just want to be able to be a part of telling stories that hopefully make somebody's day, 1% better, you know?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, that's great.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love that. Did, in those five years that you didn't work, did you have a job outside of the entertainment industry?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I was in high school at that time.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, Right, right.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I was playing water polo. I was playing club. Club water polo. You know, I found other ways to, to, to. To make income, thankfully. But, you know, I teach and now I'm producing. I do a number of other things. Become pretty entrepreneurial because that is also creative, right?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes, exactly.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

And I think you have to go through, I think you have to go through tough times, right? And I've been through incredibly tough times, and I think that' even more than martial arts. But I don't think I would have been able to go through those tough times if I hadn't faced adversity from other human beings, you know, trying to choke me in jiu jitsu.

[Will Friedle]

Ever been at the pharmacy counter and the pharmacist asks, do you have any questions? And suddenly your mind goes blank? That's exactly why you need to listen to beyond the script from CVS Pharmacy and iHeartMedia. Hosted by Dr. Jake Goodman, this podcast brings you real conversations with CVS pharmacists, the health experts you see most answering the questions you wish you'd asked, like which medications might not mix well, what vaccine should you consider before a big trip? And even those questions you were too embarrassed to say out loud. Each episode busts myths, decodes health trends, and gives you practical, trustworthy advice straight from the people behind the counter. No white coats, no lectures. Just real talk, real answers, and maybe a few laughs. Listen to beyond the script on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm Danielle Fishel, Ryder Strong and Will

[Will Friedle]

Friedle from Pod Meets World.

[Danielle Fishel]

Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you will definitely want to check out season four of Mind the Small Business Success Stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Intuit QuickBooks.

[Ryder Strong]

Mind the Business is part entertainment, part instruction manual, part inspiration. Each episode features practical tips and success stories that will resonate with entrepreneurs in any industry.

[Will Friedle]

In this latest season, hosts Austin Hankwitz and Janice Torres are covering topics on the forefront of running a small business.

[Danielle Fishel]

They're talking to self starters about everything from how AI helps them work smarter to weathering market uncertainties and enjoying the benefits of being your own boss and using Intuit QuickBooks to help you get more done in less time. You won't want to miss it.

[Will Friedle]

Listen to Mind the Business Small business success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts

[Take 5 Oil Change Representative]

when your schedule sounds like this.

[Danielle Fishel]

Are you kidding me?

[Take 5 Oil Change Representative]

An oil change is the last thing you have time for. So drive into take five and let our 10 change your oil, check your tires, top off your fluids and have you back on the road pit stop fast. All while you stay in your car. No putting your entire schedule on hold. No upsells, no problem. So you can get back to your to do list or not. Find your nearest [e-mail] Take 5 the stay in your car 10 minute oil

[Public Investing Representative]

change support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures.

[Danielle Fishel]

Do you think in general how what's your opinion on putting kids in the entertainment industry? Do you have a thought about whether or not it's a good Place for kids or not.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I would say majority of the time, it's the parents.

[Take 5 Oil Change Representative]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah. You know, and so I think it's like, depending on the parent, I can't give an overall, like, you know, this is yes or no. So I think if you have parents that it's more important for them to be a parent than to have their kid be a movie star. Yes, they can. They should let their kid pursue it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

If you have parents that it's more important for them to live out their dreams or to get some sort of satisfaction from their kid, you know, making money or making for themselves, and they absolutely shouldn't do it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

And I think you're always going to have both groups of people. Like, you have a lot. And, you know, it's like, you. You all have been through this. We. We've met people where the parents were really great and that they turned out great, the kids, even if they didn't pursue acting at the end. But there's a lot of, you know, I think it really comes down to the. The parents, and I think you have to be honest with yourself why you're doing it. My parents, once again, they. They would ask me after I did a role, you're still happy? Do. You don't need to do any. You know, we turned down a series regular before for me to play little league baseball, you know, and if your parents are in that mindset.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

That. It's. That it, you know, in our protective. There's a lot of grossness out there. I think that, you know, it's.

[Danielle Fishel]

It.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

You got to pursue what you love.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

But it just really depends on the parents. And I think that's the majority of the cases.

[Will Friedle]

You know, I'm curious, why Oklahoma?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

You know, I was kind of driving around. I just kind of. I just kind of stopped here and I didn't leave.

[Will Friedle]

You know, really, There wasn't so specifically there.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

That's great.

[Will Friedle]

Wow.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I went on like a. Like a journey. I. I grew my hair out to here. I got rid of all my stuff I owned, except for what could fit in my Jeep Wrangler. And I just drove around and I stopped a few different places. I came to Oklahoma. Two of my friends were out here from high school. And I love the people, you know, I love the filmmaking community out here. It just made a lot of sense. Now. Now I have a wonderful girlfriend. I fell in love out here, and my daily life is amazing. And I noticed that especially with my anxiety, it's gone down an incredible amount. Just environment Wise. I love the people, and I think there's a huge. There's been. They've been doing a lot of amazing work out here, but there's an even bigger future for filmmaking out here.

[Danielle Fishel]

You mentioned the movie you recently did, a psychological thriller that you are going to be in with Matt Walsh and Geneva Carr. Are you excited to be in what appears to be a rather scary serious movie?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah, I was really scared to do it. You know, I worked with the director briefly, and he is pretty crazy. He. He's a playwright first and foremost, and he did his debut movie, I did a small part in it, and he hit me up and he's like, I have this script, you know, adapted from a play I did. What do you think about it? And it was. It was really incredible. And then what I found out was he adapted it just so he could tell me. He adapted it because he thought I was so right for it. And he's amaz. Adam. Adam Seidel, amazing guy. And we put it together. I work for a company called Buffalo 8. And, you know, we, and I know a local team out here, producers, and we put it together and we made it happen. It was, it was really scary. It's, it's, you know, pretty much three people the whole time. Like a Glengarry Glen Ross type of feel tape. And it was, it was so hard.

[Ryder Strong]

It was so hard.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

I'm kind of a little depressed it's over. Because it was so fun. But we rehearsed, and we rehearsed it like a play. And we shot. We shot 17 pages one day.

[Ryder Strong]

Whoa.

[Will Friedle]

It's like a Hallmark movie.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Yeah. And if we shot it, I mean, we shot a lot of it, like, like a long takes, and it was the most intimidating thing. And when those two artists are your scene partners and they're bringing it every day, and they're amazing, I, you have no choice but to get better, you know, so, yeah, I mean, it's. It's always like, you don't know what the outcome's gonna be. Are people gonna like it? You know, are they. Are they gonna trash me? You know, but it's. It was an incredible experience. And that's what I focus on. I, I, you know, I, I've done some really cool work, you know, as a kid in the middle, I, I did some cool stuff, but I, I also did a lot of stuff that, that I did to do something, and it wasn't really good, and I've never seen it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Same pieces. I hit a wall with that. And I had A really emotional reaction to hitting that wall. And I turned down a lot because you'll get those still, those offers here and there for stuff that's, you know, if it's a straight offer, to me at this point, it's generally not the greatest material. Just kind of how it is right now. Be very clinical about it, not mad at it. So the best stuff I audition for anyway, and that's hard, you know, get some, you don't. So my, My. You know, my. My goal was to just do. Do stuff that I thought had a chance at being really good because it just. Just made me really sad because I worked really hard in acting class and doing theater and to. To just do stuff where you. You feel like you show up and, you know, it's just. It's not. It's just kind of dead on arrival, you know?

[Danielle Fishel]

Right, right.

[Will Friedle]

What's your favorite project that you've done so far in your entire career?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Well, since it's most recent, Williston. Okay, that's up there. I did a movie in 2025 that I can't talk about at all. A small role in something, you know, pretty cool, and that was pretty amazing, you know, and it's like the best ones, you know, you have so much anxiety before doing it, and then you get there and a few words come out of your mouth and it's the best experience of your life. But let's go with Williston right now. There was a play I did in 2013 called Lost Girl at Rogue Machine Theater in LA, and that was one of the best experiences of my life because I'd never done a run of a play that had been that long. And it got. The coolest thing from my career is it. It got published. So, like those little Sam French playbooks. I'm in one of those.

[Public Investing Representative]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, that's cool.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

And that's like the only thing I think I have from my. My career left besides, like, you know, some. Some old headshots and stuff. You know, some. There was a. There was a collector and he really liked a lot of work I did, and he bought all my stuff during COVID So I don't really. I don't. I don't like having it. You know, I was there. I don't need it. And I'm really blessed for the past I've had and really happy about it. But. But, you know, eyes in the present and eyes also to the future about what I'm going to do to, you know, really grow and not obsessing over outcome, but obsessing at, you know, over, like, the daily tasks I have to do to get there. And it's not, like a fame goal. Yeah, it's. It's. It's a goal to. To do stuff I really love that hopefully resonates with people and, like I said, makes your day 1% better. Makes them think or making things that. Don't underestimate the audience, you know? You know, I think we. We often throw stuff at them, and they were like, ah, they'll take it. They're. They're an audience, you know, and, yeah, the fact is, people want to see really good movies. We just have to give them that opportunity to. To go do that, whether it is streaming or hopefully bringing, you know, back theaters in a major way, which, you know, I'm not gonna solve, but I can make some cool stuff.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Finally, if you could time travel onto the set of Jerry Maguire before its release and you could give young Jonathan Lipnicki any piece of advice, what piece of advice would you give your young self?

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

That's a good question. I would say that, you know, live in the moment and just know that whatever people say and whatever's out there, whatever attention you get, both positive and negative, it doesn't matter. It matters. Your own belief in yourself and being a. A good person and. And continuing to try to be the best person you can be and not letting that outside noise affect you negatively. I think that would be it, because for me, it's like, I may have not had any, you know, public struggles, and people go, you well adjusted in this and that. Or, like, you know, people tell me, oh, you're like, you know, you grew up normal. The fact is, everybody has their struggles, and I never can put judgment on the struggles I see other young actors go through. And. And I want everybody to be able to do what they love and not come out on, you know, in a really bad way. But I would tell myself it would have saved me a lot of pain if I just. Just maybe have that encouragement to, you know, it's one. Encouragement from. From your parents, but to just. If I knew that within myself really intimately, that. That it didn't matter what other people thought about me. I think I would have saved myself a lot of pain.

[Danielle Fishel]

So smart. Yeah. Thank you so much for being here with us, Jonathan. It was really good to talk to you. Always.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Always. See you all soon.

[Will Friedle]

See you soon.

[Jonathan Lipnicki]

Definitely. All right.

[Ryder Strong]

See you, man.

[Danielle Fishel]

Bye, Ryder. Did you guys work together on your podcast?

[Ryder Strong]

No, he was in my play for a second. He ended up getting another job and had to drop out. So we only got one rehearsal together.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, wow.

[Ryder Strong]

But he auditioned for my play and we cast him in the starring role. And then. So, yeah, I'm trying to think how many. I just remember one four hour rehearsal. But we might have also done a reading together. Table read. But you know, with a play, it's like, it happens. Happens all the time with like multiple people that kept dropping out because it's like, you know, no one's making money off a play, so if they get a real job job, like a TV show or whatever. And I think he booked a reoccurring on something so he had to bow up. But we had a great rehearsal together and you know, it was just. He really liked the play and it was a great role for him and didn't work out, but it was fun to work with him. And then. Yeah, I mean, he's part of that. Like the play that he referenced, Lost Girls, is by this amazing playwright, screenwriter, actor named John Palano. And part of the whole Rogue Machine theater. It's like pretty much the best. The company in la, they've just, they're so great. Everything I've ever seen there. And John's an amazing playwright, so, yeah, he was part of that whole crowd and, you know, a great actor. And it was really too bad it didn't work out. But we've, we've, we've stayed in touch. And then I, I ran into him at south by Southwest last year and got the update on the whole Oklahoma thing. Yeah, so cool. Like, I just love that he did that.

[Will Friedle]

Sounds like something you would have done.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, yeah, totally. Like, if I didn't have, like family, like. Yeah, yeah, just pick a city and get the heck out. You know, especially in an age of like, you know, zoom meetings, you know, the fact that you don't, like, I would always say, like, well, we have to be in la. I mean, even, even when I stopped acting, the idea of just meetings, like, you just want to know people and keep. But nowadays every meeting's online.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, we don't see it.

[Ryder Strong]

So there's like a social factor. But it's, it's, you know, I don't know, it's. Yeah, it's interesting. But. Yeah, he's just such a solid guy. He's always been. And it's interesting. Even like, you know, having hung out with him when we did the play was five years ago. Six years. Five years ago. He's, he's gotten more mature in the last five years.

[Bethany Frankel]

I know.

[Ryder Strong]

You know, like, Even just talking to him now, I'm like, wow, you're. You've gotten stronger. And, like, because he was. He's always been, like, the. The most committed, hardworking, and earnest guy. He's like, a very earnest person.

[Will Friedle]

Yep.

[Ryder Strong]

But he's gotten more confident in the last five years, and that's really cool to see. I'm like. And I. I'm probably because of moving to Oklahoma, I bet you that.

[Will Friedle]

And martial arts, I'm telling you. Well, he's always.

[Ryder Strong]

The guy's been ripped since he was, like, 15, I remember, so. But no, I mean, I just feel like he's. He's more comfortable in his own skin right now. Like, just talking to him now, I'm like, dude, you've grown. Like, yeah, you know, because I. I don't know. Like, I. It's. It's. I'm so glad that he has taken ownership of his, like, his. His career in the sense that he's going to enjoy the process.

[Will Friedle]

You know what I mean?

[Ryder Strong]

Like, he's not. He's not looking for, like, the starring role in a huge movie all the time. He's like, I'm just going to take what I can get and what I like to do and. And, like, that's so healthy, you know? And I feel like, yeah, like, I know in my 20s, like, all I wanted was to keep having the kind of success I had had on Boy Meets World and Cabin Fever and, like, why isn't this happening? And I'm sure he went through a version of that because he went from the peak of, like, movie stardom to, you know, you're just another. You're another guy auditioning. And, like, that shouldn't be a downfall, but it feels like a downfall because just auditioning is great. Like, just being a working actor is a phenomenal job if you can pull it off and if you can do it. But. But if you have the early success, it feels like a downgrade. And that personal feeling of downgrading is really hard to get over. And it's not so much what the public thinks of you, because you can get over that quicker. It's what the industry thinks of you. It's when you go to an audition or when you meet with producers and they don't take you seriously because they see you as like, well, you didn't succeed. You didn't continue your career the same way, so you must. There must be something wrong with you, or you must not be talented. And the truth is no one knows what talent is. It's very hard to know what, what makes a good actor a bad actor. Most of the time it's good for a role or bad for a role. Like, if you're showing up and you're committed to your craft, you'll get a job eventually. You can stick with it, you know, but yeah, he's, man, he's just, he's, he's a really good guy. I wish him all the best in terms of like, you know, kind of finding that happiness that he's found.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you all for joining us for this episode of Pod Meets World. As always, you can follow us on Instagram Pod Meets World show. You can send us your emails. Pod meets worldshowmail.com and, and we've got merch.

[Will Friedle]

All of our merch weighs 8 pounds.

[Danielle Fishel]

Podmeetsworldshow.com will send us out.

[Will Friedle]

We love you all. Pod dismissed. Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle and Ryder Strong, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor Tara Sudbaksh, producer Matt More, engineer and Boy Meets World superfan Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon and you can follow us on Instagram at Podmeats World show or email [e-mail] hey, this is Ryan Seacrest from On Air with Ryan Seacrest. This message brought to you by Pizza Hut. What's your go to game day pizza order?

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