Dennis Quaid Wouldn’t Let Son Jack Be A Child Actor: ‘I Wanted Him to Grow Up As A Kid’

Parents Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan know that being an actor can be very hard, so when their son, Jack Quaid, expressed interest in their profession at a young age, Dennis told him to wait until he was an adult. 

“I wanted him to grow up as a kid and have his childhood and life experience apart from being on a set, which he will be on for the rest of his life,” Dennis, 64, recently told Us Weekly. “But, I wasn’t really nervous about his ability. It was very obvious that he had a lot of talent and drive to begin with.”

Dennis and Jack in 2005. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

When Jack, 26, became a young adult, he later broke out into acting and portrayed Marvel in The Hunger Games. “I told him to learn his lines and don’t bump into the furniture,” Dennis said to his son. “But, Jack and I have a very close relationship and he always wanted [to be an actor]. Just seeing it be a part of him from being a child. We didn’t let him be a child actor.” 

Dennis knew that Jack wanted to take acting seriously once he started to participate in his school’s plays. “He did it in high school, a play in high school. He did it the right way, I think,” Dennis explained. And when Jack was old enough, he felt proud that his son didn’t need his help to find a job and get an agent. 

“I told him, ‘Oh, my agent wants to represent you, always has.’ He said, ‘No, dad, by myself,’ which is what he did,” Dennis recalled. Now the Footloose actor can’t wait to work with his son in the future. In fact, the father-son duo was already “offered a movie contract together.”

Dennis and Meg. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

“I would have done that but he was kind of against that,” Dennis revealed. “I don’t blame him because… he is making a persona, a screen persona of his own. That’s what he’s building and I understand that. But since then… I think we will do something together.”