AND TYLER, TOO YOUNG VALLEY ACTOR PUTS THE 'MINOR' IN 'MINORITY REPORT'.

Byline: Sandra Barrera Staff Writer

TYLER PATRICK JONES is new to Hollywood, and already the 8-year-old is surrounded by some of its biggest players.

Currently, he is making his motion picture debut in ``Minority Report'' opposite Tom Cruise. Tyler remembers that, when he was selected for the small role, he promptly went berserk.

``I thought it was a joke,'' Tyler says from the entertainment room of his family's Northridge home. He admits that his excitement really had nothing to do with the fact that he'd be appearing opposite Cruise.

At the time, he didn't even know who Cruise was.

Tyler says that he was mostly excited about making his motion picture debut with the director responsible for so many of his favorite movies: ``Jaws,'' ``E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' and ``Raiders of the Lost Ark.'' Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones character in Steven Spielberg's archaeological adventure is emblazoned across a pinball machine in the corner of the room, where Tyler now sits.

Just a regular kid

``Me and my friend watch 'Jaws' all the time,'' Tyler says. ``But I'm sure Steven's made a lot more movies that I just don't know about.''

The one he knows without a doubt is Spielberg's latest, ``Minority Report,'' in which Tyler plays the 6-year-old son of a futuristic Washington, D.C.-based detective. His role is shared with other child actors, who play the character at different ages.

Tyler's most crucial scene is the one in which his character vanishes from a crowded swimming pool while his father is underwater.

He describes watching the scene as ``scary,'' but at the same time takes great pride in seeing himself on the big screen.

``It's weird,'' he says. ``I've seen tons of movies with other people in them and always said, 'I wish that was me.' ''

Tyler began acting three years ago, after he was discovered at a birthday party in a park near his home.

Martin Weiss, a representative of the Santa Monica-based ETS Management, says it was seeing Tyler play with the other kids that piqued his interest.

Tyler has become one of Weiss' most sought-after child actors, starring in a string of commercials and guest appearances on TV shows. He recently completed filming his part in ``Red Dragon,'' the prequel to the Academy Award-winning film ``The Silence of the Lambs.''

Director Brett Ratner has assembled a star-studded cast that includes Anthony Hopkins, who reprises his role as Hannibal Lecter, in this film adaption of Thomas Harris' 1981 novel.

In ``Red Dragon,'' Edward Norton stars as Will Graham, an ex-FBI agent who is called out of early retirement to catch a serial killer known by authorities as the Tooth Fairy. But to catch him he must first get inside the killer's mind.

And so he turns to former psychiatrist Lecter.

The film also stars Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Harvey Keitel and Mary Louise Parker.

In the midst of all this star power is Tyler, who plays Norton's son.

Very intense scenes

``I had tears in my eyes for some of the scenes that I shot,'' Tyler says, refusing at the instruction of his manager to give an explanation as to why. ``Let's just say it was intense; let's just say it was really intense.''

Acting in 30-second commercials, such as the one he shot for Hallmark Greeting Cards, is what Tyler prefers.

His portrayal of a timid grade-school boy called to the front of the class to present the story of his life won Tyler a Young Artist Award back in January.

Tyler keeps the golden statuette that resembles an Oscar hoisting a star overhead next to the rest of his trophies he's won for participating in various sports.

Baseball, basketball, golf, soccer - Tyler is a self-proclaimed sports fanatic second only to his 5-year-old brother, Brandon.

The brothers often slam hockey pucks across the driveway, which Tyler says often ends in an argument over scores.

According to Carrie Jones, her eldest of three boys (including Brady, 1) gets no preferential treatment at home just because he's an actor.

Tyler's family treats his acting like every other hobby in the five-person household.

``We keep it fun; we keep it light; we never take it for more than it is worth,'' Jones says. ``It works out fine as long as we keep it in that frame of reference and remember that school is No. 1. Right, T?''

Tyler seconds his mother's sentiment. He does let on that eighth-graders at the private school he attends often offer him piggyback rides, while classmates bombard him with questions like ``You met Steven Spielberg?'' And ``Who's Tom Cruise?''

It seems Tyler isn't alone on that one.

``I didn't know much about him so I said, 'Mom, who's Tom Cruise?' '' Tyler says, while reenacting the conversation he had with his mom. `` 'Well, he's a famous actor, and everyone wants to work with him, like you get to do.' ''

He paused for a moment.

``Oh.''

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

(color) Tyler Patrick Jones, 8, of Northridge appears in the new release ``Minority Report'' and the upcoming film ``Red Dragon.''