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Jonathan Lipnicki is jumping at projects that scare him.
With three decades in the business, the 36-year-old actor and producer knows that sometimes, it’s about taking
a risk. During a conversation with Variety at Coronado Island Film Festival on Nov. 5, he opened up about his career arc, including the daunting role he took on after director Lance Oppenheim asked him to read for A24’s “Primetime.”
After the audition went well, he requested to speak to Oppenheim.
“It’s a role that can easily be dismissed for shock value or for stunt casting. And I wanted to talk to him and just see how much care this would be handled with, and he made me feel from the beginning that I was involved in the creative process,” said Lipnicki. “He sent me mood boards. He sent me that test footage [of Robert Pattinson] that they just released.”
Oppenheim also explained to Lipnicki how the casting came about. “One of the elements he shared with me initially was he saw an interview with me a few years back, and he liked who I was as a person. He put me in his iPhone notes and held on to those. Then there’s the element of, there’s a bit of Rob that’s kind of like Tom Cruise in ‘Jerry Maguire,’ they said. So, they were screening it for the crew and [it hit] Lance. ‘What’s Jonathan up to?'” (“Jerry Maguire” was Lipnicki’s first role in the business, at age 6.)
Lipnicki dove into the challenge of portraying a pedophile caught by Robert Pattinson’s Chris Hansen during “Catch a Predator.” He goes full frontal in the film, which Lipnicki says wasn’t as scary as attempting to get into the mind of the actual character.
“Growing up being a child actor, there are threats of predators. I had amazing parents, and they shielded me from a lot, but you see that. You get maybe fan mail from prison. There were times and circumstances where I had extra security,” he shared. “Then there’s the preparation of it, how do I prepare for something that I find so disgusting?”
After watching more of the show, reading interviews, and listening to podcasts about predators, it was still difficult to find a way to tap in. “It took a lot of frustration and nausea. I got really nauseous a lot of the time,” he says of the “psychologically harrowing” part.
“After I shot it,” he said, “I felt I had to wash myself clean of this and not think about it.”
And then it all hit him — and it does again during the panel as he begins to cry. “The first thing is I went home, and I cried. I cried because you dream about being on a set like that. You work really hard, you dream to be with people like that, and they treated me so well. So I went home, and I cried because I had such a great experience with people I admire. Then, the following weeks, doubts come into your brain. ‘Was it the right choice to make?’ … But, I love this so much, this is all I want in life. The biggest thing that really helped me cope with that was I got to work with people at that level.”
“Primetime” is one of two psychological thrillers Lipnicki has out. At the festival, he debuted his new film, “Williston,” from writer/director Adam Seidel. He also serves as a producer. Being busy, he said, is the goal.
“I grew up with horrible anxiety; my hands would break out with eczema. The only times I didn’t have anxiety would be when I was filming because I love it so much,” he said. “A lot of my confidence is not built off the success I’ve had. It’s built off the failures I’ve had. The failures I’ve had and the things I’ve had to overcome are really the things that have made me who I am today.”
Variety moderated this conversation in partnership with Coronado Island Film Festival. Watch the full video above.
