Justin Cooper Reflects on Childhood Fame

Justin Cooper was just eight years old when he first encountered the tougher aspects of fame. Known for his role as Jim Carrey’s son in the 1997 movie “Liar Liar,” he shared some of his experiences on the “Not So Little Rascals” podcast.

During his chat with co-hosts Jordan Warkol and Blake Collins, Cooper expressed gratitude for his mother’s efforts in shielding him from the pressures of Hollywood. Still, despite her protections, there were unsettling incidents that came with his early fame.

He recounted how his mother would later inform him about the various prison letters he received, which he had never seen at the time. “She would tell me later on about, like, prison mail that I would get that she never showed me,” he noted, recalling messages from fans behind bars.

Cooper remembered the strange compliments he received from some of these inmates. “Dudes in jail talking about how they’re such a big fan of me… and you’re such a cute kid,” he said with a hint of disbelief.

He praised his mother’s vigilance throughout his career, emphasizing that she “never, ever left me alone with anybody on set.” Unlike many other parents in the industry at the time, his mother’s approach was notably protective, he said. “There’s a lot of acting parents that you hear of back in the day that are just like, ‘OK, ya, go. Do whatever they tell you to do. Bye!’ and my mom was not like that,” Cooper shared. “Almost to a fault.”

In a memorable anecdote, he recalled that when Don Rickles was cast in “Dennis the Menace Strikes Again,” his mother approached the comedian and firmly asked him not to use foul language around her son.

Over time, Cooper decided to step back from acting, a shift that surprised him after years of involvement in the industry. He described his routine of sitting in traffic for auditions and how it had begun to feel less enjoyable. “After a while of me kind of just being like, I got another audition, my mom was like, ‘Look, if you don’t want to do it anymore, you don’t have to,’” he recounted, revealing his concern about disappointing her.

Reflecting on their relationship, he noted that things became a bit complicated in high school. “I stopped acting, I started smoking weed,” he admitted. This transition, he mentioned, added some strain to their bond, especially when she found his stash. But despite the rough patches, he highlighted the strong foundation they built together. “Throughout my whole acting phase, she was always there… taking me on auditions, all the stuff, helping me, running lines,” he concluded, expressing appreciation for her unwavering support.