Jonathan Lipnicki on Primetime full frontal and why it scared him
Jonathan Lipnicki says going full frontal in A24's Primetime scared him less because of the nudity and more because of what it was paired with: playing a predator caught in a sting. The former Jerry Maguire and Stuart Little star told The Hollywood Reporter the combination felt intimidating, yet he took the role anyway. He said that when art scares you, you should most likely do it.
Key Takeaways
- Jonathan Lipnicki goes full frontal as predator username Crazyfrog73 in A24's Primetime.
- He said the nudity alone did not scare him as much as pairing it with that dark role.
- Lipnicki previously did full frontal in the play Lost Girls.
- The 35-year-old made a rare red carpet appearance at the film's Sept. 23 Los Angeles premiere.
- Primetime hit theaters Sept. 25 and co-stars Robert Pattinson and Skyler Gisondo.
Why did the Primetime scene scare Jonathan Lipnicki?
In interviews tied to the film's release, Jonathan Lipnicki explained that casting sent the scenes upfront. He laughed when he saw what was required, but the moment also gave him anxiety.
“I laughed, but it also gave me a lot of anxiety. It's a crazy thing to wrap your brain around,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. Actors pray for dark material, he said, then have to ask whether they are as courageous as they claim.
Asked what gave him the most pause — playing a pedophile or the full-frontal nudity — Lipnicki said he did not separate them. He had already done full frontal in Lost Girls, so the nudity itself bothered him less. “It was probably the combination,” he said. Adding nudity to that character type felt “intimidating, to say the least.” Even after shooting, he hoped he had made the right call.
“I've tried to live by the idea that, when it comes to art, if something scares you, most likely you should do it,” he added.
What role does Jonathan Lipnicki play in Primetime?
Primetime is a psychological crime thriller loosely based on the making of NBC's To Catch a Predator. Lipnicki's character, known by the username Crazyfrog73, is one of the predators captured on camera. In his sequence, he enters a house and drops his pants in front of Skyler Gisondo's decoy character, Dan — and the film shows everything, including a can of whipped cream.
Director Lance Oppenheim cast former child stars like Lipnicki and Gisondo to shed old screen personas. Lipnicki called the material a chance to sink his teeth into darker work and answered his own courage question by taking the plunge. He also said the role helped him let go of pressure not to become a “train wreck,” a worry that followed him from Stuart Little press junkets.
The cast also includes Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, plus Merritt Wever and Matthew Maher. For more celebrity breaking news, follow BlasterPost's ongoing coverage.
Did Jonathan Lipnicki return to the red carpet for Primetime?
Yes. Lipnicki, 35, was photographed at the Sept. 23 Los Angeles premiere — his first major red carpet in years, aside from the Jewish Media Awards in 2024 and Film Threat's Award This! in 2021, The Independent reported.
The Jerry Maguire alum, who debuted at age five opposite Renée Zellweger and Tom Cruise before Stuart Little, has continued acting through rough career stretches. Last year he told People he was “not where I want to be career-wise,” but insisted he never retired. Primetime, which opened Sept. 25, is the boldest adult turn he has taken yet — and proof he is still chasing the work that frightens him most.