Not every parent wants their children to follow them into the family business, and screen star Rob Lowe said that he did all he could to direct his two sons away from acting.
But now both John, 20, and Matthew, 22, are following in their dad’s footsteps and even guest-starring alongside him in several episodes of his new Fox sitcom, “The Grinder” – much to dad’s dismay.
“I studiously kept my kids away from the business and even moved us out of Los Angeles for that reason,” Rob Lowe said, speaking at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills at a launch event for the sitcom, in which he plays an actor who gives up playing a lawyer on TV to try and become a lawyer in real life.
“When John got into Stanford and became one of the youngest published writers on stem cell research I was so happy,” Lowe said. “Then he told me, ‘Dad, I want to be an actor.’ I said, ‘Kill me now!’”
A second blow came when, right after landing a place at law school, Matthew said he also wanted to give acting a go before starting his legal studies, despite his father’s plea that it was an insecure profession.
Rob Lowe, 51, got his sons auditions for “Grinder” and both won small parts in the show – entirely on merit, according to the show’s producers.
“Now my kids wear makeup for a living,” Lowe said.
Handsome Tuesdays
Fox is betting on the audience-pulling power of aging heartthrobs, screening Lowe’s new sitcom directly after a new John Stamos comedy series Tuesday nights, starting Sept. 29.
“Grandfathered” finds Stamos, 52, best known for his roll on sitcom “Full House,” seeing his character’s swinging bachelor lifestyle interrupted by suddenly discovering he’s both a dad and a grandfather.
“I’m playing someone dating the third-most-famous stomach model on Instagram. He’s kind of like George Clooney before he abandoned everything he stood for,” Stamos joked. “Life goes by in the blink of an eye. I’ve gone from being a teen idol and now I’m playing a grandfather.”
The in-demand actor is also busy shooting a “Full House” sequel series, “Fuller House,” for Netflix and he said fans of the original will love it.
“Netflix is the right place for the show. They have let us make it just like we used to make it and I’m really proud of the series.”
Media Moves
The Hollywood Reporter has looked beyond the traditional entertainment press for two of its latest hires: New features editor Peter Flax joins from Bicycling Magazine, where he was editor in chief, while new film writer Mia Galuppo was previously a contributor to Hello Giggles, a lifestyle website co-founded by actress Zooey Deschanel. “I’m always thrilled to have new talent join as we grow and expand,” said Hollywood Reporter Chief Creative Officer Janice Min in a statement. … Nina Tassler has decided to step down after 11 years as CBS Entertainment chairwoman – a successful period during which there was only one year when CBS wasn’t the most-watched network. Programming chief Glen Geller has been appointed from within to succeed her, and Tassler will stay on at least through the end of this year. … Sandra Stern has been promoted to president of Lionsgate Television Group which is behind current hits like “Orange Is the New Black” and “Nashville.” The TV group, part of Santa Monica’s Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., has seen revenue grow from $8 million in 2000 to nearly $600 million last year. Stern had been chief operating officer.
Coming Attractions
Santa Monica’s Entravision Communications Corp. is expanding its sports coverage, having signed a three-year Spanish-language radio deal with the National Football League to broadcast live all of the regular season’s Sunday-night games, all American Football Conference playoff games and the Super Bowl. … Oct. 3 will mark the 20th anniversary of the O.J. Simpson trial verdict, and that day will also see the premiere of “Watching O.J.,” a play about the reactions to his acquittal by the people of Los Angeles. The play will open at the Atwater Village Theatre. The playwright of “Watching O.J.” is L.A. screenwriter David McMillan, whose credits include Fox series “Sleepy Hollow.” “Maybe in remembering that trial, we’ll appreciate how much race relations have improved since 1995, or how much they haven’t,” McMillan said. … A 93-year-old L.A. woman who spied on the Nazis for the Polish resistance during World War II is getting her Hollywood moment. Magdalena Kasprzycki will attend the premiere of a documentary movie about her daring spying missions when “Magda,” made by Beverly Hills production company REM Entertainment, will screen at the ArcLight Hollywood theater Sept. 26 as part of the Hollywood Film Festival. … Daughters of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg and other leading business figures will be saddling up to ride in a show-jumping event next month at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Riders Eve Jobs, Jennifer Gates and Destry Spielberg will be among the equestrian enthusiasts taking part in the Longines Masters of Los Angeles on Oct. 1-4.
Staff reporter Sandro Monetti can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 549-5225, ext 226.
