Disney Adventures (December, 1994)

JTT: Rockin’ Around The Clock

Written by Liz Smith

Volume 05 Number 02 | December 1994

D.A.. thinks Jonathan Taylor Thomas is the busiest 13-year-old we’ve ever met. Besides roaring as Simba’s voice in The Lion King, he has just finished his first live-action movie, Pals Forever (out in February), and is working on “Home Improvement.” But since JTT always has time for some kickin’ air-guitar, he can’t be that busy, can he? He dared us to hang with him for a day. We took his dare, tied on our cross-trainers, and whoosh, off we went!

6:30 a.m.

Brrrrring. Jonathan crawls out of bed, showers, feeds his two Himalayan cats, Sammy and Simba— “That’s his name, no joke” —and his Lhasa apso, Mac. “Mac’s a short guy,” he says. “He just thinks he’s a big German Shepherd. He’s real ornery, but he’s a great dog.”

7:45 a.m.

JTT’s mom drives him to the Disney Studios, where “H.I.” is taped. On the commute, Jonathan reads the newspaper. “I read the sports section, but I also read the classifieds.” Why? “I’m looking for a job,” Jonathan jokes. “No, I love old cars, so I like to see what’s for sale. I like the ’65 Mustang, the ’54 Porsche Speedster, the ’58 and ’61 Chevy Impalas—yeah, they’re big boats, but they’re cool. 

“Then I read the out-of-state real estate ads. I eventually want to move out of L.A. I wouldn’t mind going back to the East Coast. I’m from Pennsylvania. I don’t know if I could take the winters.”

8:45 a.m.

JTT arrives at Stage 4 on the Disney Studios lot and snags a snack. “I eat fruit or a bagel,” he says. “They get this fresh watermelon on the stage that’s great. I love honeydew and cantaloupe. And I drink a lot of milk.”

9 a.m.

Jonathan, who’s in seventh grade, goes to school in a trailer with co-stars Zachery Ty Bryan and Taran Noah Smith. “I love geography and history,” JTT says. “My least favorite subject is math.”

11 a.m.

He reports to rehearsal. What happens to Randy this season? “Randy mysteriously grows into this big 6-foot-tall guy, and he goes off to college!” He says. “No, they never tell us until that week what’s going to happen.”

Jonathan deepens his voice to sound like a director and jokes, “This episode, we have to sever your head. That’s OK, right?” Back to his own voice: “No problem. A little bit of makeup, I’ll be fine.”

1 p.m.

Lunch break! Yahoo! ‘I scarf down my food,” JTT admits. “I like a lot of pasta and salads. I’m vegetarian, so I don’t eat meat.”

Then he hits a basketball court/rec area (built for the “H.I.” boys) and jams in a football or b-ball game with the guys, or kids from other shows on the lot, like “Boy Meets World,” “Thunder Alley” and “All-American Girl.” Or he’ll play his newest sports love: roller hockey.

2 to 6 p.m.

More school and “H.I.” rehearsals until the end of the day.

6 p.m.

Back in the car for the hour drive home, Jonathan does homework, reads auto and fishing magazines and swaps stories with his mom.

7 p.m. 

He does the chore-thing at home. “I’ve gotta make sure the litter boxes are clean and that my cats and dog have fresh food and water,” JTT says. “And I take the trash out.”

7:30 p.m.

Chow down. Sometimes, Jonathan helps mom make dinner. “I enjoy cooking. Macaroni, that’s my specialty! And, I’m an excellent pizza orderer. Domino’s Pizza, they love me! I like to make pasta, Caesar salad and Greek salad—I love feta cheese,” he says.

“Let’s see…my mouth’s watering. I love a baked potato with nonfat sour cream and this stuff called lemon-pepper—I love it, I put it on everything!”

8 p.m.

He does some homework or watches his brother, Joel, 17, do his homework. “Joel’s really, really smart, not a nerd, though,” JTT says. “He’s always writing these lab reports for Honors Biology, and I have no clue what he’s saying. He’s an incredible basketball player, also. Sometimes, we’ll play a game of b-ball. Joel kills me. He just dunks over me every time.”

9 p.m.

Tube time for Jonathan. “I like ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,’ ‘Fraiser,’ ‘Roseanne’ and ‘Grace Under Fire,’” he says.

“I catch C-SPAN before I go to bed. I gotta keep up on daily events.

“I’m a night person, which drives everybody nuts ‘cause I like to stay up late,” he says. “I’m not too horrible when I don’t get a lot of sleep. I mean, I always get plenty of sleep. My mom makes sure of that.”

10:30 p.m.

Mom comes to tell Jonathan it’s bedtime. Lights out! And not a moment too soon—we’re whipped!

Disney Adventures Magazine (July 30, 1994)

The Real Roar: Behind The Lion King

By H. Brooke Primero & Liz Smith

July 30, 1994 | Volume 04 Number 10

Think of making movies and you probably imagine a big set with a director yelling “Action!” But in animated movies, there isn’t a movie camera in sight. The “set” is a drawing table or computer, and the “actors” sit in a recording studio to tape the voices for the characters you see on screen. What’s it like “acting” in an animated movie? D.A. got the scoop from the people behind the voices.

YOUNG SIMBA — JONATHAN TAYLOR THOMAS

D.A.: Did you go to the zoo to learn to roar?

Jonathan: Yes, I spent years with animals [laughing].

D.A.: We thought so.

Jonathan: Actually, they recorded some real lions’ roars, but the roars were too strong, ‘cause Simba’s little. So they had me come in with my wimpy roar, thank you very much.

D.A.: Any other weird noises?

Jonathan: There’s this one part where I’m in an elephant graveyard, and I’m sliding down an elephant’s backbone. My back bumps against all the vertebrae, so the studio guys beat on my back [to make the noise].

D.A.: Did that hurt?

Jonathan: Yes, I took some abuse. The studio guys, who are the nicest guys in the world, had to shake me up. It was a lot of fun.

D.A.: Do you get into mischief like Simba?

Jonathan: Yeah, but I quickly backpedal and say I didn’t do it. I like to have a good time and sometimes I’ll get into mischief. I think I’m a lot like Simba—active, always wanting to explore, curious. 

D.A.: Anything funny happen while recording?

Jonathan: There’s the tragedy scene where I had to yell, “Dad!” The people directing me wanted me to reach deeper and get a real “Dad!” Scream. So, my mom’s sitting across the room, and they tell me to pretend that my mom’s falling to her death…I was so into my mom falling, I got ready to record and I screamed, “Mom!” Oops! That was pretty embarrassing. I was laughing so hard, I fell off my chair!

Magazine Article (June, 1997)

Magazine article (Summer 1997)

Okay, so maybe he’s the number one cute guy on your own personal list of heartthrobs or perhaps he stands alone as the one and only cute guy on your list. Whatever the case, Jonathan Taylor Thomas certainly didn’t get to be your main man over night! …

IT ALL STARTED WITH HOME IMPROVEMENT…

A little cutie by the name of Jonathan Taylor Thomas first came to our attention in September of ’91 when a sitcom called Home Improvement premiered. The show revolved around Tim Taylor, host of a fix-it-yourself TV show called Tool Time, and husband and father of three sons. It was those three rambunctious yet adorable sons, Brad, Randy and Mark, who kept us tuning in. 

THE START OF SOMETHING BIG!

One year later, on summer break from Home Improvement, Jonathan landed another gig—the voice of a lion cub named Simba in Disney’s newest animated feature, The Lion King. We remember Jonathan being totally psyched as he shared with us the plot of what would become a blockbuster hit for Disney—and, unbeknownst to him, the start of something really big for Jonathan!

“I think the character of Simba is a lot like me,” Jonathan said around the time The Lion King was released. “He’s real energetic, and always looking around for a new adventure.” Jonathan’s next new adventure came in the form of his first live movie role. The movie was a comedy titled Man Of The House starring Farrah Fawcett and funnyman Chevy Chase. Jonathan starred as Ben Archer a youngster who does his darnedest to prevent his mom from remarrying. 

THE HARDEST WORKING TEEN IN THE BIZ!

And so, JTT, as he came to be known by fans far and wide, had taken off like a shot. Home Improvement was flying high in the ratings and Jonathan was pleased as punch to be making movies during the show’s hiatus. He was working harder than ever and loving every minute of it!

In 1995, Jonathan took on his biggest challenge to date—filming two movies back to back during his break. First he headed to Huntsville, Alabama to star in the title role in The Adventures Of Tom And Huck. JTT was the rascally Tom Sawyer and Brad Renfro his best friend Huck Finn. The movie marked another challenge for Jonathan—his first big screen kiss which he shared with the pretty Rachael Leigh Cook as Becky Thatcher. When the film wrapped, Jonathan was off to Europe and the Czech Republic to film The Adventures Of Pinocchio.

GOIN’ WILD!

And now for the film we’ve all been waiting for. That would be Wild America. Jonathan’s next movie, filmed on location in Georgia and parts of Canada, is the story of the Stouffer brothers, three brothers from Arkansas who grew up to become famous wildlife photographers. Fans are anxiously awaiting this movie for two major reasons—JTT, who stars as the youngest Stouffer brother, Marshall, and his cool co-stars, Devon Sawa and Scott Bairstow who star as Mark and Marty. Get set to go wild when Wild America comes to cheaters this summer!

HE WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING!

Looking back on his career and all he’s accomplished so far, Jonathan has said he “wouldn’t change a thing.” And, lucky for us, this talented and terrific teen star hopes to stick around for the long run. “I think I want to stay in the industry,” he says. “It’s something I’m comfortable with. I’d like to direct, but if I don’t, then maybe I can produce, write or do something else.”

Filmography: "The Lion King" (1994)

The Lion King

Release: June 15, 1994

Directors: Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers

Writers: Irene Mecchi, Linda Woolverton, Jonathan Roberts

Genre: Musical/Animation

Runtime: 1 hour 28 minutes

Starring:

Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Young Simba

Matthew Broderick as Simba

James Earl Jones as Mufasa

Jeremy Irons as Scar

Madge Sinclair as Sarabi

Nathan Lane as Timon

Rowan Atkinson as Zazu

Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa

Synopsis:

Lion prince Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick) and his father, Mufasa (James Earl Jones), are targeted by his bitter uncle, Scar (Jeremy Irons), who wants to ascend the throne himself.

Production Companies:

Walt Disney Pictures

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Distributors:

Walt Disney Pictures

(Walt Disney Pictures)

"Home's' Thomas Finds Time for Serious Work and Play" Los Angeles Times (August 23, 1994)

Enjoying His Juggling Act : ‘Home’s’ Thomas Finds Time for Serious Work and Play

By Anne Bergman

Los Angeles Times

Published August 23, 1994

It’s a rehearsal day on the set of “Home Improvement,” and Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who plays Randy, the middle son, has in a matter of minutes sung several versions of the Albanian national anthem, grabbed a cable and cracked it like a whip, circled the set at high speed about a dozen times--and still hit his marks and his lines perfectly

But when it comes time for the energetic, soon-to-be 13-year-old to take a break for an interview, Thomas manages to sit still for at least 20 minutes. After all, he’s got plenty to talk about.

Fresh off his triumph as the voice of young Simba in Disney’s “The Lion King,” Thomas is back to serve up wisecracks on the fourth season of ABC’s top-rated series while still unpacking from his recent trip to Vancouver, where he filmed “Man 2 Man” with Chevy Chase and Farrah Fawcett. His first live-action movie role required him to miss the premiere of “The Lion King” and a huge chunk of his summer vacation, but don’t call the labor department yet--for, just as he does on the set, Thomas found time this summer to have some fun

“I had a chance to go fishing,”Thomas explains. “When I got into this business, my mom was worried that I wouldn’t have enough free time to be a kid, so there’s always a balance of work and play.”

While “Man 2 Man,” in which he plays an 11-year-old trying to scare off a potential stepfather, took up the summer, it took Thomas a year and a half to record his part in “The Lion King,” shuttling back and forth from the “Home Improvement” set to the recording studio, both located on the Disney lot.

Because of his TV taping schedule, he often had to record his lines by himself, which he acknowledges was difficult, a stark contrast to his ensemble work on “Home Improvement.”

“I’m used to having all these other actors and actresses around,” Thomas says. “In this case I didn’t. I was there in a room alone and I had to not only play my character, but the person I was talking to. I had to get inside their head so I could know what Simba would be reacting to.”

While there are huge differences between putting together an animated feature and a television sitcom, Thomas saw similarities between his two characters: “Simba and Randy are both very curious kids, they’re intuitive and confident, always ready to throw that fast one in, that little comment.”

And if you look closely at young Simba, you’ll see that the lion cub shares some of Thomas’ physical features--especially that sly smile. Disney’s animators videotaped Thomas as he recorded his performance and incorporated many of his facial expressions into those of the lion cub.

Thomas hasn’t let the roaring success of “The Lion King,” nor the fact that he receives five big boxes of fan mail a week for “Home Improvement,” go to his head. He chooses his friends carefully because “you have to make sure they’re not just friends with you because of who you are.”

Thomas, who enters the seventh grade this fall, maintains straight A’s while taking courses in an accelerated program for gifted children.

“I keep my grades up because you never know how your acting career is going to go,” he says, offering his theory on what he calls “the Child Actor Syndrome.”

“You have these kid actors who grew up and a bunch of years later they’re on ‘Geraldo’ crying that they never had any time, that they were totally corrupted by this business. Probably most of them didn’t have much to fall back on,” he says. “It’s easy to get twisted around in this crazy business.”

Thomas credits his mother, Claudine, with whom he lives in Los Angeles along with his 17-year-old brother, for keeping him on the right track.

Of her son, Claudine Thomas says, “He’s definitely bright, but I think you have to be bright in this business to juggle everything, to keep things balanced.”

Thomas is articulate on a range of topics, from the importance of soccer to Brazilian culture, to the merits of Carnegie-Mellon University’s business program, to the beauty of the Seychelles, islands off the coast of Kenya.

If the young man sounds too perfect, stand in line. “I kept waiting to see the flaw,” says James Orr, who co-wrote and directed “Man 2 Man.” “I kept looking for it, and I swear to God, I couldn’t find it in 10 weeks worth of shooting.”

As to why he cast Thomas, Orr says, “He radiates this intelligence and dimension, and not only does he have this great comic timing, but he has this depth of emotion. He’s comfortable in his own skin, you know?”

Thomas isn’t sure he wants to continue to act into his adult years. “Show business is something that I’m pretty familiar with,” he says, “but I think I want to write, direct and basically do it all.”

“So you want to be a Renaissance man?” he’s asked. Thomas laughs. “Yeah,” he says, “that sounds good.”

(Photo: Disney)

"Jonathan Taylor Thomas: A Bundle Of Dynamite!" Magazine Article (1993)

Jonathan Taylor Thomas: A Bundle Of Dynamite!

By Anne M. Raso.

Teen Magazine (?)

Published 1993

Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who plays Randy Taylor on Home Improvement, was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA, and moved with his family to Sacramento, California seven years ago. A child model and commercial performer, Jonathan has appeared in national spots for Burger King, Canon camcorders, and Kellogg’s cereals, among others.

Jonathan has most recently worked as the voice of young Simba, a young lion, in Walt Disney Pictures’ The Lion King, an animated film scheduled for release in the summer of 1994.

His first television acting role was as the son of Greg Brady in the recent comedy special The Brady’s. He has also appeared in industrial films and played a double role as Tiny Tim and young Scrooge at the Chatauqua Theater in Sacramento.

Jonathan, 12, is an avid sport fisherman who has enjoyed many stream, lake and ocean catches. Last summer, he went to Alaska and brought in several halibut, the largest weighing over 60 pounds. He is also active in sports, especially soccer, basketball and snow skiing.

Here’s the results of our recent chat with the charmin’ child star…whose acting skills are improving by the minute (not that they weren’t great to begin with!).

Q. This is a weird question, but you’ve been acting for a long time even though you’re only 12. Do you think you’ve had a normal childhood?

Jonathan: Well, I think I’m normal. (Laughs.) I hope other people think I’m normal, too! I do normal kid things, anyway…sports, watch TV, talk on the phone. I’m a great fisherman, I think…or I try to be one. I’m patient…you’ve got to have a lot of patience to be a good fisherman.

Q. It sounds like you’re a real “he man” — especially for a 12-year-old. What is your relationship with your mom like?

Jonathan: She’s great. She takes care of my business stuff, but she’s not a stage mom. She watches out for me—keeps me “normal” as you say. She makes sure I don’t slack off on my homework and is always asking the tutor how I’m doing! But I get good grades. She doesn’t have to worry.

Q. You’ve got [a] lot of projects going on outside Home Improvement…like the Disney movie coming out next summer, The Lion King…and then you’re doing that two-part home video cartoon series, Spot The Dog, where you’re doing the voice of Spot…

Jonathan: And I’m doing a cartoon series that’s premiering real soon on the USA Network called Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Q. Wow! You’ve as much a cartoon character as you are a “real life” actor. By the way, I think it’s a real honor to be the voice of Spot The Dog. If there ever was a classic character in Children’ Fiction, it was good old Spot.

Jonathan: It’s an educational cartoon, so that makes me proud. Spot has taught millions of kids to read over the years.

Q. How do you find time to keep in touch with your friends?

Jonathan: Well, there is “down time” on the set where they don’t need me for a few hours and that’s when I go into my dressing room and phone up my friends.

Q. Are most of your friends actors or regular kids?

Jonathan: Some are in the business, some aren’t.

Q. Don’t you find you have more to talk about with kids who are in the business?

Jonathan: Not really. I have enough interests that I can find things to talk about with all kinds of kids my age.

Q. Do you find any jealousy coming from kids who knew you before you were on Home Improvement?

Jonathan: If they are jealous, I can’t really see it. A real friend is someone who’s on your side through good and bad times—and is happy for you when the times are good.

Q. This is a really silly question, but when you did the Burger King commercials, did you have to eat a lot of burgers?

Jonathan: Yeah, I think Burger King is great—but you don’t want to eat hamburgers for two weeks after doing one of those commercials. (Laughs.)

Q. Do you hope to do movies in the future?

Jonathan: Yep. I want to branch out and do lots of stuff—drama, comedy, you name it.

Q. You played young Scrooge in a theatre production. Are you cheap in real life?

Jonathan: No, just the opposite. When I’m in the toy store with my mom, I want to buy everything and my mom says, “Do you really need that?!” (Laughs.) I get greedy in the video game section.

Q. If a genie was here right now and you could have one just one wish, what would it be?

Jonathan: Just for everyone to be happy. I think that if everyone in the world was happy, all of the problems would be gone. But I have to admit, I would ask the genie why I wasn’t getting three wishes. I’d feel ripped off. (Laughs.)

Q. What would the other two be?

Jonathan: To go on a month long marlin fishing trip off some island somewhere and for Home Improvement to go ten more seasons. (Laughs.)

Q. Where can fans [write] you?

Jonathan: Write me c/o Home Improvement, Touchstone Television, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA 91521. I love to get mail!

Photo: Tali Paz / Shooting Star

Nickelodeon Magazine (January/February, 1996)

“Needs No Improvement”

Jonathan Taylor Thomas plays Randy on Home Improvement.

He also was the voice of Simba the cub in The Lion King. Now he plays Tom Sawyer in the new movie, Tom & Huck. NICKELODEON MAGAZINE talked to Jonathan on the Movie Couch.

Nickelodeon Magazine: What was it like to be young Simba’s voice in The Lion King?

Jonathan Taylor Thomas: It was a blast. When you do voice-over, you aren’t working with other actors. You’re alone, and you have to use your imagination.

NM: Did you watch the movie while you were recording your voice-over?

JTT: No, I just read from the script. I was videotaped recording my lines. Then those videotapes were sent to the animators so they could see my expressions. It helps them animate the character. It’s an amazing process, and it took me about a year and a half.

NM: When you saw The Lion King in the theater, was it strange to hear your voice coming out of Simba’s mouth?

JTT: Yes. My mom said Simba the cub had a lot of my facial expressions. Years from now I’ll watch it with my grandkids, and they’ll see how I was when I was young.

NM: Did you like making Tom & Huck?

JTT: Yes. Mark Twain is the best author in American literature. I went to Mark Twain’s house before I did the movie. Huck Finn is loosely based on an actual person from his childhood. Tom Sawyer is a combination of three people from his childhood in Hannibal, Missouri.

NM: Did you film the movie in Missouri?

JTT: No, we filmed it in Mooresville, Alabama. We had a tornado go through our set while we were filming.

NM: Did it do any damage?

JTT: It took down some of the trees on the set. Luckily, we got out of there before that happened.

NM: Did any other odd things happen down there?

JTT: The weather was very hot and humid. I took my final exams in the back of a cave because it was 50 degrees in there. I had to take my final exams with a flashlight. There were also a lot of bugs. Big bugs. The bugs were tough to deal with.

NM: You’re going to star in Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio this summer. In a fight between Pinocchio and Simba, who would win?

JTT: Well, Simba has claws and Pinocchio is made out of wood, so Simba would probably win.

NM: How did “JTT” start?

JTT: I have no clue. I think it came from people not wanting to write “Jonathan Taylor Thomas” each time the name was written in print. I don’t mind it.

NM: Do you go online?

JTT: No, but there are people who go online and pretend to be me. A lot of wrong information has been put out about me online by people saying they are me.

NM: Is there someone famous you really want to meet?

JTT: Ron Howard. He’s my idol. It’s hard to be a kid in this business. He defied all the odds as a child actor and became a successful director.

NM: On Home Improvement, what is the biggest difference between you and your character, Randy?

JTT: Randy gets into a lot more trouble than I do.

NM: Are you handy around the house?

JTT: I am not Mr. Handy. I can fix some stuff. I work with my fishing stuff all the time, taking it apart.

NM: You like to fish. Why did you start?

JTT: It was some bug that bit me when I was a kid. I like getting outdoors in the mountains where there aren’t a lot of people.

NM: What is the biggest fish you’ve ever caught?

JTT: A 70-pound halibut in Alaska.

NM: What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever caught?

JTT: A 20-pound orange starfish in Alaska. This thing had 16 arms and it caught onto my hook. I threw it back. I throw most of my fish back.

NM: What’s the best part of being famous?

JTT: I get to travel and meet people. You learn a lot by meeting different people from different cultures.

NM: What’s the worst part?

JTT: It’s difficult when you want to go out somewhere. It makes it tough on the family.

NM: Do you have a good luck charm?

JTT: My family. I have a great mom. She gives so much of herself to others. I couldn’t do anything without her. My brother is also incredibly supportive. They are the whole reason why I am here.

P.S.

Birthday: September 8, 1981

Pets: Two cats, Simba and Sami, and a dog, Mac

Favorite snack: Green olives

Favorite sock color: White

Favorite dessert: Apple pie á la mode

Innie or outie? Innie

Crunchy or smooth peanut butter? Smooth

Favorite cheese: Feta