For Eugene Levy, the worlds of entertainment and fatherhood have certainly collided.
The actor has worked with his son, Daniel, and daughter, Sarah, on the hit show “Schitt’s Creek” (which won a record-setting nine Emmy Awards this year).
Over the years, Levy has shared glimpses into his life as a dad ― from parenting little ones to working with his grown children. In honor of his birthday, here are eight quotes about parenthood from Levy
On Discipline
“It was a standard relationship. Yes, I would ground him. The thing was for us, if you crossed the line, there was going to be some sort of punishment. It’s the way I was brought up, and it’s the way I brought up my kids ... It worked! Because honestly we’ve never had a problem with our kids.”
On Choosing To Raise His Kids In Canada
“There’s something about raising kids in a show-bizzy kind of environment that’s a little scary. Toronto is just a very normal town. They could grow up with all options open to them of what they wanted to do. We didn’t want them to be locked into show business. Of course the irony is they both went into acting ― and now we’re all on a show together.”
On Working With His Kids On ‘Schitt’s Creek’
“It’s pretty amazing, it’s kind of surreal. I’m in front of the camera in scenes with my kids, and that line blurs between: Where am I now? Am I at home? Am I in somebody’s apartment? Oh, no, I’m in front of the camera. It’s weird, but it’s great.”
On The Joy Of Watching Kids Grow Up
“It was fun as they got older, because then they’d start making us laugh. There were more times that Daniel had us laughing that I ever had anybody laughing.”
On His Advice For Working With Your Kids
“Don’t think you’re better than your kid. Your kids usually have ideas that are better than your[s], that you may not understand.”
On Appearing In Raunchy Work
“The truth is I’ve never had to turn anything down because I thought it was too much for the family, or I wouldn’t want my kids to see it. The closest it came to that was when we had the premiere for the first ‘American Pie’ — my daughter was a little too young, she was about 12, and my son was about 15. He was going to go to the opening with us, and I was a little nervous about it. But then he talked to a friend of his on the phone the day before the premiere who said, ‘Don’t go see it with your parents!’ And [my son] got kind of nervous about it. So he came up to us and said, ‘I don’t think I’ll go tomorrow night to the premiere. I think I’ll wait to see it with my friends.’ I said, ‘Aw, really? Are you sure you want to do that?’ [But I was] feeling a little relieved inside. I just thought that it was going to be an awkward movie to see with your kid.”
On Proud Parenting Moments
“The thing that makes it surreal to me is that every now and then I stop and realize that I’m working with my son. When I think about that, I think of him as a kid. I don’t picture him in his twenties, I think of him when he was six or seven. That’s what makes it a little weird. We’re partners in this show and it’s this little kid! But he’s only that to me. I won’t go on about how proud I am, but I relish those moments as a dad.”
On His Daughter’s Decision To Pursue Acting
“When my daughter majored in theater in college I was very happy about that. I went to see the work she was doing, and I knew she was really good. She came through in a big way in this show. I’m just one proud dad.”
