Jack Quaid Says Parents Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan 'Don't Really Give Me Advice' About Acting

Dave Quinn
·4 min read
Jack Quaid Says Parents Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan 'Don't Really Give Me Advice' About Acting

As the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, Jack Quaid has two seasoned actors to turn to for advice, should he ever need it. But the Scream star tells PEOPLE that his parents have been pretty hands off when it comes to chiming in on his acting choices.

"They don't really give me advice," Jack, 29, tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week's issue. "I've never asked them, 'How should I perform this scene?' "

"The way that this business works is so much different than the way that it worked back then for them," he adds. "I'm experiencing some things for the first time, like working on a movie set during COVID."

That doesn't mean his famous folks — who were married from 1991–2001 — aren't supportive of Jack. In fact, the way they've embraced his desire to follow in their footsteps has meant more to Jack than any advice ever could.

"It's lucky that I got to grow up saying, 'Hey I want to be an actor' and they understood that," Jack says. "I didn't grow up in a house that didn't quite understand what that meant or a house that would tell me, 'Oh that probably isn't the wisest choice you should have a backup plan.' Like, I had the privilege and I was lucky to have people that understood what that meant and supported me going into it."

Jack quaid
Jack quaid

Amy Sussman/Getty; Steve Granitz/WireImage

RELATED: Dennis Quaid Says Son Jack Quaid Refused His Help When Getting Into Acting

Jack's may not have gotten advice from his parents, but his dad did once try help him find an agent to start his career in Hollywood — something Jack refused.

"My agent wanted to represent him and he said, 'No I want to do it on my own,' " Dennis, 67, told Kelly Clarkson on the Kelly Clarkson Show in October 2020.

Jack made his big screen acting debut in The Hunger Games franchise and booked a role on Martin Scorsese's HBO series Vinyl before finding his breakout success on Amazon's acclaimed superhero series The Boys.

"So now I'm saying, 'Hey — how 'bout a little help over here?" Dennis joked to Clarkson. "I don't care [about doing it on my own]!"

RELATED: Jack Quaid Gets Surprise Message from His Childhood Crush Vanna White: 'I Am Flattered,' She Says

Jack quaid
Jack quaid

Emma McIntyre/Getty

Dennis went on to explain that Jack caught the acting bug at "a very, very, very young age."

"He had a video camera in his hand when he was like four years old, making little videos and stuff," Dennis recalled. "It was just a very natural thing that he did, it wasn't something we pushed him towards. Ever since he was a kid, it was kinda obvious that he was gonna do that."

RELATED: Dennis Quaid Admits Meg Ryan's Fame Played a Role in Their Split: 'I Disappeared'

It probably didn't help that Jack's mom and dad were taking him on movie sets from a very young age.

"I would go on location with my parents a lot, but it was almost like, you go for a few hours," Jack tells PEOPLE. "I wasn't taking any pointers or anything. A kid can't handle how slow a set moves, so I would watch a couple of takes and then go to the craft service truck and try to steal all the candy I could!"

In fact, the slowness of sets is one of the key takeaways Jack got from his visits. "Get used to waiting," Jack says, when recalling the one thing he did learn from watching them. "You're in your trailer a lot, you're anticipating going to set, and sometimes it just takes a long time. So bring a book, bring a show you like to watch — just chill. It'll give you time to relax."

As for his favorite memory of visiting set as a kid, that one was easy for Jack.

"The Rookie was a good time," he remembers of the 2002 Disney sports drama. "I love Austin, Texas — that's where the shot it and I've gone back since so many times. I miss it, I haven't really gotten to go during the whole pandemic, so I'd love to go again."

For more on Jack Quaid, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE — on newsstands Friday.

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