rewrite this title Lizzie McGuire’s Jake Thomas Details Experience Growing Up As a Child Star (Exclusive)

Lizzie McGuire star Jake Thomas started acting as a child, before he got his big break as a young teen in the Disney series, with fans watching the star grow up before their eyes.

And while many former child stars have recalled negative and even traumatic experiences from their time on set from a young age, Thomas’ experience couldn’t have been any more different — in fact, he described growing up on screen as “fantastic.”

Thomas starred as Matt McGuire on the series, which ran on Disney Channel from 2001 until 2004, along with the 2003 film. A few years after Lizzie McGuire ended, Thomas returned to the Disney Channel and starred in the That’s So Raven spinoff, Cory in the House.

In an interview with TooFab, the actor reflected on his time as a child star, expressing his gratitude that he had a “great experience.”

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“I definitely recognize that there have been child actors who have had rough situations, whether that’s through just, you know, the price of fame in a way, or family dynamics,” Thomas explained. “I’m very fortunate in that, you know, all of my experience growing up, you know, acting and being on the Disney Channel and everything, all my experiences were fantastic. I don’t think I ever had to go through any of the kind of tough situations or growing pains or anything like that.  So I feel very fortunate in that.”

“I have a lot of friends that, you know, have also had really great experiences with it,” he continued. “And I think it’s unfortunate that a lot of the stories that are unfortunate get the most attention sometimes.”

The Disney alum noted that he believes there is a “public preconceived notion that that is what child acting is.”

“I had a different experience with it. I never didn’t enjoy it, I would say,” he told TooFab. “It was always just a great experience for me.”

And while he acknowledges that he “definitely missed out” on “typical” milestones, such as going to prom, he was able to have “rare” experiences that regular teenagers did not.

“I do recognize that, you know, I got to do some really extraordinary experiences that are really rare,” Thomas said. “And I wouldn’t trade that for the world. So I’m really appreciative of everything that I got to experience as a child actor.”

A few years ago, Thomas briefly reunited with several of his Lizzie McGuire co-stars — including Hilary Duff, Hallie Todd, and Robert Carradine — when they were set to reprise their roles in the Disney+ revival series, with Thomas even filming two episodes, before the reboot was ultimately axed. (See what he had to say about the canceled revival here.)

And although the revival series didn’t work out, Thomas said he’s still in touch with several members of his Disney Channel family.

When asked if he remains in contact with any of his former co-stars, he told TooFab, “From time to time, you know, the Disney Channel family … we never fall apart, I feel like.”

“Hilary, every once in a while, I’ll see her at the Farmer’s Market,” he said of his on-screen sister. “Bobby Carradine and Hallie Todd, who played my parents, I mean, they’ve always basically just been like an aunt and uncle to me. So they’ll check in with me from time to time, which is great.”

“Jason Dolley, we were on Cory in the House together. He’s been just a super close friend of mine ever since that time, too,” he continued. “He lives down the street, so we’ll see each other from time to time. I mean, we see each other every once in a while, the whole Disney family, and that’s always a very nice thing.”

Lizzie McGuire’s Jake Thomas Spills on Canceled Reboot, Reflects on Disney Show’s Legacy (Exclusive)

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Meanwhile, Thomas has recently stepped into a realm of entertainment: video games, specifically performance capture. (Yes, just like in the Avatar film franchise.) Thomas has been voicing the character Marco Silva in the action-adventure video game, MindsEye, a project he has secretly been working on for years. The game was released earlier this month.

“I mean the whole project was honestly really enjoyable to do,” Thomas told TooFab, “because it’s so far separated from traditional acting that I’ve done in the past because, you know, when you’re on this volume, there’s no camera crew, there’s no hair and makeup, there’s no wardrobe, there’s no lights … it’s really laid back, honestly. It’s very reminiscent of being in a stage play, but without an audience. So it’s even a step down from that. It’s a stage play rehearsal.”

He continued, “It’s really enjoyable to kind of just be there with the other actors and there’s no pressure and really kind of play, a lot of imagination has to go into it too because you’re having to, you know, pretend that, ‘Oh yeah, all these robots are over there’ and … ‘explosions are happening!'”

“I think that whole aspect of it was really, really exciting, and I would love to do more performance capture in the future,” Thomas shared. “I think it really opens up a lot of doors for me as an actor because I feel like, you know, I don’t have to just play me. I mean, in this project I’m scanned in as me, but you can play an alien … the sky’s the limit, which is great.”

See more from Thomas’ interview in the full video, above, and buy MindsEye here!