Jonathan Lipnicki on his bold role on ‘Primetime’ and why he left Los Angeles

(This story contains spoilers from A24 Prime time.)

A little over a year ago, Jonathan Lipnicki began praying every night for clarity in his career.

“I am convinced that the best is yet to come for me,” Lipnicki said. People in a revealing interview, saying his goal was to “turn around” and sail toward bigger and better acting opportunities after experiencing a professional season in rough waters. “This is the thing I want to do for the rest of my life, and I think you just have to believe in it and do everything you can to move in the right direction.”

It worked. Shortly after, Lipnicki arrived at a new gig, and while he didn’t have the most screen time in his extensive IMDb credits, it delivered the boldest turn of the 35-year-old’s career. Lipnicki — a beloved child star who, at age 6, hit the jackpot by making her debut opposite Tom Cruise and Renée Zellweger in Cameron Crowe’s Jerry Maguire before moving on to other hits like Stuart Petit — landed a role as Lance Oppenheim Prime time for A24.

Robert Pattinson headlines the film, playing Chris Hansen, host of the controversial NBC documentary series. To catch a predatoralongside a cast including Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers and Bokeem Woodbine. Loosely adapted by debut screenwriter Ajon Singh from a Squire article by Luke Dittrich, the thriller dramatizes the darkest year of Hansen’s tenure on To catch a predator. (And in case you missed the spoiler warning above, this is your second and final takeaway before revealing more about Lipnicki’s role.)

As in the series, the film shows Hansen confronting suspected sexual predators after they arrive at what they believe to be the home of an underage boy or girl. Lipnicki plays a character known only by the pseudonym Crazyfrog73, someone who finds himself caught in a compromising position in the kitchen while hoping to meet a boy played by Gisondo. Prime timecurrently in theaters, debuted at the Venice Film Festival where Oppenheim said during a press conference that it was an intentional choice to cast actors like Lipnicki and Gisondo because of their history as child stars in order to “take the baggage that they brought to cinema before and find new ways for them to shed who they were in different films.”

That applies to Lipnicki, who lost more than that — especially her pants — for a full-frontal scene with a can of whipped cream. “As actors, we pray about dark subjects and things that we can really sink our teeth into. Ultimately, you have to ask yourself, ‘Am I as brave an artist as I say I am?’ I had to answer that question and I had the courage to take the plunge,” Lipnicki said. The Hollywood Reporter on Zoom in September. “I’ve tried to live by the idea that when it comes to art, if something scares you, you should probably do it.”

Oppenheim, for his part, is grateful that Lipnicki had the courage. “In terms of this role, which is difficult, I explained to him that doing this scene well would be a turning point for the film, tonally. He would have to play a very disturbed individual and create an incredibly complicated experience for both Dan (Skyler Gisondo’s character) and the audience. I am very grateful that he agreed to do it, and I really don’t know if the scene – or the film – would work without him,” the director praised by email.

He also did the work necessary to achieve this by studying the episodes and segments that were difficult to watch. “He had invented a whole story: where the guy lived, what he did in his job, who existed in his life. When he came on set, he had embodied all of that and more through a certain type of physicality that was immediately so different from any character he had played before. I wasn’t seeing Jonathan. I was seeing his character. And it all came from the little details that he exploited in the performance by finding ways to scale this guy beyond the page,” said Oppenheim. adding that it was “amazing” to also watch Pattinson and Lipnicki improvise for almost 10 minutes. “I loved being on set with Jonathan.”

Oppenheim, who also drops a banner with the critically acclaimed upcoming documentary You can see everythingsaid he grew up watching Lipnicki on the big screen, as they are around the same age. “One of my favorite films of all time, Jerry Maguirewas a reference for us in realizing Prime time. During pre-production, after screening Jerry Maguire for the crew, I kept thinking about Jonathan and where he was now. I started looking at some of his more recent work and was really struck by his fearlessness. I saw he had more to give,” he explained.

That’s exactly how Lipnicki felt. Below it opens to THR about what it felt like to bare it all Prime timehow he made a bold choice in his personal life by packing up all his belongings to leave Los Angeles – a trip he dubbed his Eat, pray, love moment that brought him to Oklahoma — and why it was so liberating to let go of outside opinions, focus on the process, and embrace producing and generating his own work: “Whatever the challenge, I’m up for it.” »

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How Prime time come to you?

Out of nowhere. My agent contacted me and said casting wanted to know if I was interested. I read the script, saw who was involved, and thought, “Wow, this is something.” »The script was incredible; It made my heart race at the end. They asked me to read it because they didn’t have any recent footage of me. The director loved my tape and offered me the role, but I was still a little hesitant because it was pretty wild. Then Lance called me after a day of filming and said, “I know what this looks like. I don’t want it to sound like a stunt. I want you to be involved in the creative process, and I want you to know where it came from.”

He told me he saw an interview with me a few years ago and put my name in his notes on his iPhone, along with other people he wanted to work with. When that happened, that old note was triggered. He sent me test footage and creative materials, and we exchanged notes about the character: how he should be, what he should look like, and how he should act. His approach was incredibly sensitive and respectful. Ultimately, I said I would do it if I really had to be a part of this process, and I did. For something terrifying to face, he made it a wonderful process.

When the role came to you, did you know it was a pedophile who would be naked in the scene?

Yes, they sent the scenes. I laughed, but it also gave me a lot of anxiety. It’s a crazy thing to wrap your brain around. As actors, we pray about dark subjects and things that we can really sink our teeth into. Ultimately, you have to ask yourself, “Am I as courageous an artist as I claim to be?” I had to answer this question and I had the courage to take the plunge.

What gave you more pause: playing a pedophile or full-frontal nudity?

I don’t know if I separated them. I already did full frontal in a play, Lost Girlsso that part didn’t bother me too much. It was probably the combination. If you’re front-facing in another type of scene, it’s different. The pedophile element itself is terrifying to tackle, coupled with the nudity. Not only are you a pedophile, but you are a naked, full-frontal pedophile. It was intimidating to say the least. Even after I shot it, I said to myself, “I really hope I made the right decision.” ” But I’ve tried to live by the idea that, when it comes to art, if something scares you, you should probably do it.

You described a collaborative process with Lance. What was it like working with him for so long before stepping on set?

It gave me a certain security in what I was doing. You don’t want to feel like you’re baring your skin or your soul to people who don’t appreciate it. The entire team couldn’t have been nicer or more sensitive to what I was doing. Being able to exchange notes with Lance while he was filming and extremely busy spoke volumes about who he is as a filmmaker and a person. This made me a huge fan. He was extremely considerate throughout the entire process.

What was it like filming the scene itself?

It was a whirlwind. Lance had written additional material for Rob (Pattinson) and me, and I didn’t know about it until 5 a.m. that day. I learned a whole other scene that was interspersed in the sequence. Lance was decisive about what he wanted, and we achieved it. Skyler (Gisondo) was great, Rob was great, and it felt like a really fun collaborative process. Lance works with a lot of people he’s known for years, so it was like stepping into a family of really cool people. Even though we were shooting an extremely dark and gritty situation, they created a comfortable atmosphere within the uncomfortable.

The scene is obviously uncomfortable, but it also has a lightness to the moments with the whipped cream, and the audience laughed a bit at the screening I attended in Venice. Was that part of the creative conversation?

There are definitely choices I made in my tape. When you play someone like that, it’s…