Entertainment TV Jonathan Taylor Thomas: I Don't Regret Walking Away from Fame "I never took the fame too seriously," says the actor, who recently reunited with Tim Allen for a guest spot By Aili Nahas Aili Nahas Aili Nahas is the West Coast Deputy News Editor at PEOPLE. She is also the TV deputy in Los Angeles as well as the Weddings Editor. Aili has spent nearly two decades in the entertainment industry and 12 years at PEOPLE. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 22, 2013 07:30 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Getty; Craig Sjodin/ABC/Getty Jonathan Taylor Thomas, formerly of TV’s Home Improvement, left Hollywood at the height of his career, a decision he’s never second-guessed. “I’d been going nonstop since I was 8 years old,” the 31-year-old actor, who appeared with Tim Allen on that ABC sitcom from 1991-99, tells PEOPLE. “I wanted to go to school, to travel and have a bit of a break.” In the nearly a decade away from the limelight, he attended Harvard, Columbia and St. Andrew’s University in Scotland, and relished his time as a student. “To sit in a big library amongst books and students, that was pretty cool,” says Thomas. “It was a novel experience for me.” Now back in Los Angeles, he’s focused on directing, writing scripts and taking advantage of his free time. “I watch a lot of movies, I hike, I stay up on shows and theater.” After recently getting a reminder of his earlier life by reuniting with Tim Allen for a guest spot on ABC’s Last Man Standing, Thomas insists he has “no regrets” about his time off. “I never took the fame too seriously,” he says. “It was a great period in my life, but it doesn’t define me. When I think back on the time, I look at it with a wink. I focus on the good moments I had, not that I was on a lot of magazine covers.” PHOTOS: ’90s Kids: Then & Now