Former child star Jonathan Lipnicki makes shock acting comeback with full frontal nude scene in Primetime

A former child star who appeared in Jerry Maguire and Stuart Little is back on the big screen in a very mature new role.  

Jonathan Lipnicki, now 35, is playing a pedophile in Primetime, a psychological thriller about To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen, who is portrayed by Robert Pattinson.

The controversial role also features a full frontal nude scene from Lipnicki, who appears nude while getting busted by Hansen while trying to meet up with an underage boy for sex. 

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about the jaw-dropping scene, Lipnicki admitted that he'd 'prayed for dark material' to sink his teeth into as an actor. 

'I've done full frontal before in a play, Lost Girls, so that part didn't bother me as much,' he explained.

'The pedophile element by itself is terrifying to tackle, and then you add the nudity. Not only are you a pedophile — you're a naked, full-frontal pedophile. It was intimidating, to say the least.'

Since becoming an adult, Primetime is only the second film Lipnicki has starred in that's been released theatrically. 

He's still best remembered for his breakout role as the adorable chatterbox Ray Boyd in Jerry Maguire when he was just six years old. 

The 1996 sports rom-com starred Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger as a couple that have major trouble with their romance, and the young Lipnicki famously stole a scene with the unscripted line, 'The human head weighs eight pounds.'

Lipnicki's performance won him the Critics' Choice Award for Best Child Performance and a Young Artist Award from the Young Artist Foundation.

He then starred in the hit children's film Stuart Little, which grossed $300 million at the box office in 1999.

From there he starred in the sports comedy Like Mike followed by Stuart Little 2 and a minor arc on Dawson's Creek, but his acting career started to wind down after that.

When he was 19, he attended an audition and was told by a producer, 'You used to be cute. What happened?'

Recalling the incident in an interview with ABC News, Lipnicki said, 'He said I'm not attractive anymore and a lot of really rough stuff. I took it hard. I cried on my way home.'

Lipnicki is now hoping that his memorable turn in Primetime will open the door for him to pursue meatier roles in Hollywood. 

Primetime is the first fictional feature film directed by Lance Oppenheim, who previously specialized in documentaries. 

The film takes a look back at Hansen's NBC show with a more critical lens, questioning if lines were crossed in the pursuit of ratings.

Pattinson has already won rave reviews from critics for his performance as Hansen, with some claiming that the English actor will be a shoo-in at the Oscars next year.  

To Catch a Predator was a recurring segment on Dateline NBC in which Hansen confronted suspected child predators who were allegedly attempting to meet with minors (who were actually adult decoys) they had met online.  

The show ended in 2007 after one of its targets, an assistant district attorney in Texas called Bill Conradt, killed himself while SWAT was storming his house with Hansen's camera crew right outside.

During and after its run, the show drew questions over its ethics, such as over the balance between law enforcement concerns and the requirements of showbiz.

Primetime premiered earlier this month at the Venice Film Festival to a seven-minute standing ovation.