"Those of us who walked away from the spotlight are often asked to explain why. In 'You Look Like That Girl, ' Lisa Jakub does explain, with her characteristic eloquence and gentle humor, better than anyone else could." -- Mara Wilson, writer and performer By the age of 22, Lisa Jakub had over forty movies and shows to her name, most notably
Mrs. Doubtfire and
Independence Day. But Lisa decided to walk away from the fame and fortune, from the only life she's ever known, in search of her true self.
Lisa had been acting since the age of four, after a man approached her parents at a farmer's market and asked her to audition for a commercial. That chance encounter dictated the next eighteen years of her unusual, and often awkward, life. She met Princess Diana... and almost fell on her while attempting to curtsy. She filmed in exciting locations... and her high school asked her not to come back. She went to fancy parties... and got kind of kidnapped that one time. Success was complicated.
After playing so many different characters, putting on so many different faces, she felt as if she was living someone else's dream. Making movies and traveling the world was fun while it lasted, but it was a life based on momentum and definitions of success that were not her own. She battled severe anxiety and panic attacks throughout her career and left LA to avoid becoming a child actor stereotype.
In her funny and insightful book, Lisa chronicles the adventures of growing up in the film industry and her difficult decision to leave it all behind, exploring the universal question we've all asked ourselves:
What do I want to be when I grow up? 
