• Jack Quaid said in an interview that his parents, Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, “initially weren’t particularly keen” on him following in their footsteps
• The boys Star said the “real reason” he wanted to get into acting had to do with his personal passion for it
• Ultimately, his parents “understood and supported us a lot, and I’m very grateful for that.”

Jack Quaid’s movie star mother and father Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid didn’t always approve of him following in their Hollywood footsteps.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter The 32-year-old released two films on Friday, December 27, which are scheduled to hit theaters in early 2025. companion And Novocaine – said: “I told my parents I wanted to be an actor and they understood what that meant.”

“They weren’t too keen on it at first because they knew how hard it was for them, so they said, ‘Oh God, of course we’ll have another one,'” Jack added. “But in the end they understood and were very supportive, and I’m very grateful for that.”

He went on to say that the “real reason” he wanted to get into acting was his personal passion for it, explaining, “I don’t know how I would have survived mentally in the entertainment industry if I hadn’t.” really love what I did.

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“If I had done this just to be a famous person or have some kind of influence, I would have been done with it a long time ago. I had to find the love for it before I did it,” Jack said.

The Scream The actor noted of his connection to the profession through Ryan, 63, and Dennis, 70: “Of course a lot of people would assume that I wanted to do it because both of my parents did it, and that didn’t work out.” NO Part.”

But he got “the biggest (career) advantage” from his mother and father, “among many,” Jack said THR“is that they were proof that it was possible to make a living as an actor.”

“I went to drama school and talked to my friends there, and most of them have the same story: They told their parents they wanted to be an actor, and their parents said, ‘I don’t think that’s the right path.’ is.’ “For you” or “Why don’t you have a backup plan?” he added.

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Jack attended Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California, a high school with alumni such as Kate Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black. He later attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for three years.

The boys The actor made his screen debut in 2012 The Hunger Gameswhere he played Marvel, a competitive homage to the wealthy District 1.

Jack grew up with Ryan and Dennis as parents and spent a lot of time on movie sets when he wasn’t watching movies and cartoons at home.

“I grew up with friends whose parents were also in the industry, so it didn’t really feel different,” he told PEOPLE in 2023. “But then you grow up and realize it’s a pretty unique thing that’s like nothing else.” two your parents are actors. You only realize later that things are a little abnormal.”