NEWS'Liar Liar' Star Justin Cooper Reveals Why He Chose to Leave Hollywood as a Teen: 'I Was in an Awkward Stage'
Justin Cooper shot to fame in 'Liar Liar.'
Sept. 29 2026, Published 6:00 a.m. ET
Justin Cooper is opening up about why he left Hollywood after finding success as a child star.
The former actor, 37, who starred as Max Reede alongside Jim Carrey in the 1997 comedy Liar Liar, recently reflected on his decision to stop acting as a teenager.
During an appearance on “The Not So Little Rascals” podcast, Cooper explained that his priorities began changing as he entered public school and noticed he wasn't landing as many roles.
Jeremy noticed he wasn't landing roles as frequently as he had when he was younger.
“It was my first time going to public school,” Cooper recalled. “I started going through puberty. I was in an awkward stage, and I would go on auditions, but I wasn’t booking things as often as I used to.”
Justin Lost Interest in Auditioning
Justin shared that his dream of acting began to fade.
As Cooper got older, the excitement he once felt about acting began to fade.
Cooper explained that the lengthy drives to auditions became difficult to balance with homework and everything else he wanted to experience as a teenager.
“We’d sit in the car for 45, 50 minutes to get out there, and then I gotta do this, and then I gotta go home and start my homework, and I want just to go home right now and talk to girls on AIM,” he shared.
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Eventually, Cooper's mother let him step away.
“Look, if you don’t want to do it anymore, you don’t have to do it,” he recalled her telling him.
Cooper ultimately left acting behind, with his final credited role coming in a 2003 episode of The Practice. His other credits included General Hospital, Brother's Keeper and All About Us.
Justin Struggled With Fame at Public School
Justin revealed that becoming famous at such a young age brought disturbing attention.
Leaving Hollywood didn't mean Cooper's childhood fame immediately disappeared.
The former actor admitted he was "scared s---less" about attending public school, especially after spending years in a more structured environment where he wore a uniform.
"A lot of the girls wanted to talk to me just because they knew who I was," he recalled, adding that some of the boys weren't nearly as welcoming.
Justin Cooper Faced an Unsettling Side of Childhood Fame
Jeremy shared he was only 8 years old when 'Liar Liar' hit theaters.
Cooper has also recently revealed that becoming famous at such a young age brought disturbing attention. The former actor was only 8 years old when Liar Liar hit theaters, and he recalled receiving fan mail from prisoners after the movie became a hit.
Despite leaving the entertainment industry behind, Cooper remains closely associated with the beloved comedy nearly three decades after its release.
