Justin Cooper has revealed the disturbing side of becoming famous as a child - saying prisoners sent him fan letters describing him as a "cute kid" after he found fame alongside Jim Carrey in Liar Liar.

The actor, 37, was eight when he played Max Reede, the son of Jim's compulsively dishonest lawyer Fletcher Reede, in the hit 1997 comedy.

Nearly three decades later, the former child actor has spoken about the unwanted attention that accompanied his success, telling the Not So Little Rascals podcast his mother protected him from some of the more troubling correspondence sent to their home.

Justin now works away from Hollywood as an executive producer on The Ben Maller Show on Fox Sports Radio.

Asked by podcast hosts Jordan Warkol and Blake Collins whether there had been any "overwhelming" or "scary" moments during his childhood career, Justin said: "My mom did a really good job of kind of, like, shielding me from stuff, you know."

He also said it was only later that his mother told him about letters she had deliberately kept from him.

Justin added: "She would tell me later on about, like, prison mail that I would get that she never showed me."

He added: "Like, letters from people in jail, like, talking about… you know… dudes in jail talking about how they're such big fans of me and, like, I'm such a cute kid."

Jordan and Blake, who both appeared in the 1994 comedy The Little Rascals, described the correspondence as "next level" and "wild".

Justin also credited his mother with protecting him while he was working in Hollywood, saying she would not leave him alone with other people on film or television sets.

His biggest success came with Liar Liar, the Tom Shadyac-directed comedy in which Max makes a birthday wish that his father cannot tell a lie for 24 hours - leaving Fletcher desperately attempting to navigate his career as a lawyer while physically incapable of dishonesty.

The film also starred Maura Tierney as Max's mother Audrey, Cary Elwes as her boyfriend Jerry, and Jennifer Tilly as Fletcher's client Samantha Cole.

Jim was already one of Hollywood's biggest comedy stars following films including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber.

Liar Liar became another major success, grossing more than $300 million worldwide, while Jim received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.

For Justin, however, playing Max transformed everyday life.

He said: "I couldn't really go anywhere in public. I enjoyed it. I thought it was cool."

Justin said the attention "probably annoyed" his family "a little bit more", recalling strangers lining up at a buffet in his hometown to ask for his autograph.

His performance earned him a Young Artist Award nomination, and he continued acting throughout the late 1990s.

A year after Liar Liar, Justin took the title role of Dennis Mitchell in the direct-to-video sequel Dennis the Menace Strikes Again.

He also had substantial television roles as Nicky Hansen in The Boys Are Back and Oscar Waide in Brother's Keeper.

His other childhood appearances included some of the biggest American television programmes of the era.

Justin played Linus Plankin in an episode of Full House, appeared in ER, played Lucas Jones in General Hospital and had a guest role as Ryan in Boy Meets World. His final credited acting appearance was as Timothy Graham in a 2003 episode of the legal drama The Practice.

He subsequently left acting and moved into sports radio. Justin is now an executive producer of The Ben Maller Show on Fox Sports Radio and has also worked as an on-air commentator.

His former screen father has remained firmly in the public eye. Jim returned as Dr Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and is due to reprise the role in Sonic the Hedgehog 4, scheduled for release in 2028.