Jeremy Sumpter — who starred in the 2003 film “Peter Pan” by “My Best Friend’s Wedding” director P.J. Hogan — holds another important role in many millennial’s lives, as their first crush.
Over two decades after he first stole hearts as the mischievous boy who never grows up, Sumpter, now 36, still gets stopped daily by fans.
“It happens every day,” Sumpter tells Page Six. “Because the movie came out in ‘03, now I’m their daughter’s first crush. It just keeps going. The movie never really grows up, does it? To be part of that movie, it’s been a blessing.”
(The Post in its review of the filmat the time said its, “raging adolescence adds a new edge,” to the Pan tale — adding that the director, Hogan, “has pushed the Freudian subtext to the forefront.”)
While Sumpter looks back fondly on those “Peter Pan” memories, he kept moving forward — staying busy with high-profile projects from the hit series “Friday Night Lights” to the 2014 action movie, “Into the Storm.”
He slowed down a bit in recent years, taking time off to welcome his first child, a daughter he shares with wife Elizabeth Treadway.
But now, he’s ready to enter the next chapter of his career with several exciting movies on the horizon.
“I had a daughter, so my life was around her. Now it’s time for me to buckle down and go full force into my dreams, continue the career that I’ve had and turn it into something that’s going from a child actor to now being a leading man and director,” Sumpter says.
The first step in that career resurgence comes in the form of “Miami Nights,” a film that will see him star opposite Oscar nominee Terrence Howard, “Black Panther” actor Sydelle Noel and “Entourage” alum Jeremy Piven.
“Miami Nights” follows two decorated war heroes who are dishonorably discharged after saving a high-profile American journalist overseas. As they attempt to rebuild their lives, they become ensnared in a deadly scheme with local criminals, culminating in a high-stakes plot to steal a priceless diamond.
Sumpter relished the opportunity to take notes from Howard as they filmed in Atlanta, Miami and Los Angeles — recalling one particularly salient piece of advice from the decorated actor.
He says that if you come into this world as a man, when you die, you come back as a woman in your next life. So depending on how you treat a woman in this life, it’s how you will be treated in your next life.”
After “Miami Nights,” Sumpter will also star alongside “Lost in Space” star Mina Sundwall.
Sumpter is also taking on another new venture: directing for the first time. He’s set to direct and star in the romantic comedy “Strawberry Roan,” which follows a devoted horse enthusiast and failed stock market trader as they follow their dream of starting a horse sanctuary in Mexico.
“I’ve been wanting to direct my whole entire life. When I was younger, the son of the director of ‘Peter Pan’ and I would make short films,” he says. “Living life on set has taught me a lot of things … I really know exactly how everything works and what it entails to make a movie. I’ve been told by a lot of people that I would be a great director. I just never had the opportunity to.”
As he embarks on the new voyage of directing, he’ll have a familiar face by his side: “Peter Pan” co-star Rachel Hurd-Wood, who played Wendy Darling in the 2003 film.
“I told Rachel, ‘It’s my first time directing, and I would not have it any other way than to have you as my leading lady for my directorial debut,’” Sumpter says, adding that he and Hurd-Wood have remained close in the last two decades.
In fact, he’s shared another dream with Hurd-Wood: creating a “Peter Pan” fan convention in London.
“Anybody who participated in the ‘Peter Pan’ universe would be there, like Dustin Hoffman from ‘Hook,’ Cathy Rigby from the Broadway show, and everyone else in between,” he muses. “The story of Peter Pan has been around for 100 years, over 100 years, and still, to this day, is one of the biggest stories.”
While some grown-up child stars become “too cool” to talk about the projects that once made them famous, Sumpter couldn’t be more different, reminiscing on “Peter Pan” with reverence: “I mean, I was playing the coolest kid in the world. Why would I not think it’s cool to be part of that and talk about it?”
And even as his career expands, Sumpter isn’t losing sight of his roots, from Neverland to the Bluegrass State. “I’m a little country boy. I grew up in Kentucky,” he says. “I’m a very passionate person, and I try to bring love and happiness everybody. It’s been a blessing … I’m very excited. The future is bright.”
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