Is TV’s Top Teen Getting Tired Of Stardom?
Jonathan Taylor Thomas – that’s JTT to you and me – has been a household name now for over eight years, ever since he first took up residence as the sarcastic Randy on Home Improvement. The 16-year-old cutie has always appreciated his fans and the love and admiration you’ve shown him – but is the stress of stardom and fame getting to him? Would he really prefer being out of the spotlight, away from your attention?
Just a normal kid!
Even though Jonathan is a huge TV and movie star, he’s always been a totally normal teen as well – something that’s always been very important to him. “I live in Log Angeles, but I’m not a Los Angeles guy,” he says. That means that he’s not working, JTT prefers spending time away from the show business lights and cameras. “If you could be a celebrity without being a ‘celebrity,’ that would be me,” he says. “I would love that. I don’t like all the attention.”
Whoa – does that mean he’s tired of the attention he gets from fans like you?
“Your concerns don’t matter to them…”
Wait a sec! First of all, JTT absolutely loves his fans, and he’s thrilled to be able to meet them whenever he can. But he admits he’s had some uncomfortable moments with fans who treat him like he’s something from another planet. “There are times when people act like your life, your concerns, don’t matter to them,” he explains.
Another problem for Jonathan is that because of his superstar status, his appearances in public can often cause near-riot conditions. “You never really get used to the frenzy,” he tells. “A couple of years ago, I was doing an event at Universal Studios and that day, they had a big cheerleading competition. I’m 5’4″ now, but I was smaller then, and it was overwhelming, the number of people there. I got carried off in a big group and I didn’t know where I was – it was like being in a mosh pit.”
Keeping it together
Although there have been crazy incidents like the one he described, JTT manages to have a pretty cool private life – but it does take some work these days. “I’m not going to live in a hole,” he says.
And that means that when Jonathan’s not working, he’s doing a lot of the same things you’re doing: going to school dances and football games with his friends, driving his new sports utility vehicle around town and, on special days off, heading for an afternoon of fly-fishing. “I’m comfortable with who I am,” he says. “I love to fly-fish, to travel, to sit back in my room with the fan on, reading. Those times are most important to me.”
Another thing that’s important to Jonathan is his acting career – but you knew that, natch! When he’s not busy doing his HI thing, he’s studying his lines for his upcoming film, I Won’t Be Home For Christmas. The thing is, if Jonathan wasn’t so completely into acting, he’d definitely be doing something else. “I didn’t invite the celebrity aspect into my life,” he says. “I invited the work. And I definitely have goals. I have plans.”
So, how can you help Jonathan?
First of all, you gotta know Jonathan really does love getting attention from you – he loves your letters and your good wishes and your loving thoughts. But he’s also a serious young man with serious hopes for the future – and he’d really prefer to be treated like the normal teenager he is away from the bright lights of Hollywood. So ifya get a chance to meet JTT in person, give him the kind of attention you’d give any other good friend – that’s the kind he appreciate.
Source: 16 Magazine Date: March 1998 Author: unknown