Ben Stiller is getting candid about parenthood and how it compares to the upbringing he received from his legendary parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.
Speaking to RadarOnline.com, the actor and filmmaker admitted that he hasn’t always gotten parenting right.
“You want to do better than your parents, but then in some places you do better, sometimes you do worse,” Stiller confessed.
“I probably f**** up more with my kids than my parents did with us.”
The Meet the Parents star’s comments come ahead of his new documentary Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost, which explores the behind-the-scenes life of his parents while also offering glimpses into his relationship with his own children, Ella, and Quinlin, whom he shares with wife Christine Taylor.
In the film, Ella opens up about feeling her father was not around much during her childhood.
“I literally can’t ever remember you being around when I was growing up,” she told him.
When Stiller asks his son if he felt the same, Quinlin replies, “After a tough day, you can kind of get into your own head, and when you get into that place, it’s hard to get you out of it.”
Despite the difficult admissions, the documentary highlighted Stiller’s efforts to reconnect and grow.
“It’s that struggle we all go through,” he said in conclusion.
