IamA Son of an Oscar Winning Actor, AMA!

Are you friends with other children of actors or did you decide to make friends with people who weren't in some way connected to Hollywood? Do you feel like once people find out who your parents are they completely change toward you? I feel like it would be hard for me to trust people if I had famous parents, just because I wouldn't know if they liked me for me or for what they could possibly get out of being my friend or SO.

Great Question. So for one I grew up in New York, which immediately separates me from most of the "young hollywood" culture. And although I have not taken an active position in not befriending other celebrity kids, I tend to not get along with the majority that embraces the "young hollywood" thing, both because that's just not my scene, and also because I just didn't grow up around many of those kids. I think that celebrity kids fall on two sides of the spectrum, one side being prepared for nepotism and excited to propel themselves immediately into the disney channel/etc. and the other side being more interested in distancing themselves from their parents, not because of any fault of the parent but because nepotism and the idea of being forever associated with a "dynasty" is unappealing. I think that someone who did this very well is Duncan Jones, Director of Moon. It is more of a trivia question that his father is David Bowie, they never made a TV show or anything. I also have known the kids of Robin Williams, they are FUCKING GREAT. Independent, intelligent people uninterested in taking free rides or exploiting their father's fame for their benefit. I think that people on this side of the spectrum, we have a little bit of an advantage in friend-making, in that it is incredibly easy for us to identify who is genuine or not, depending on how they react to our parent's fame. the people who treat my parents as my parents the same way that I do, tend to be my close friends. The people who don't care who my parents are, and treat me as they would anyone, these are the people that I associate with. SO's is like a hyperbolic version of this. the sexiest thing anyone has ever said to me is "i don't know who your parents are"

I don't know who your parents are.

do me

when you see your parent in a movie do you see them as themselves or the character ?

It depends on if they're doing a good job. Its always difficult to separate, especially when I was a kid it was nearly impossible... but there are certainly times when I am able to allow them to be a character rather than themselves. Especially in films when they were younger.

Piggybacking off of this, were there films that you were shielded from because of your parent's performance being potentially upsetting?

Oh man... this is kinda hard to do without being too specific... but there are movies that I avoid for sure, to this day, because of Nudie Bits. I'm not trying to watch my parents fuck. Simulated or otherwise. Also there are some movies that I couldn't watch when I was younger because my parents died. One of which is pretty much a whole movie of my mom dying slowly from a terminal illness. I saw that one more recently in my life and it was pretty rough to watch to say the least.

Who's the biggest jerk you've encountered?

Who was the nicest?

WAIT I REALIZED... there's only one person I am happy to talk shit about: Martha Stewart is the worst... like, Slave-Owner bad.

She talked shit about reddit on Seth Meyers, so she's deserving of being shit talked herself I guess.

Seth Meyers seems all right i'll take his side on this one... I had the displeasure of being in Martha's house once and she had dogs that matched her tiles, had a seemingly terrified staff in full maid costume and way too many spoons... also she was very hypocritical in a conversation on the ethics of stealing. I got some BAD vibes.

Also she's just kinda a dick.... straight up.

I have met many people through my parents, almost all of which are super solid. I'm not interested in shit-talking any people, especially those who I don't know very well. But here are people who I can confirm are good dudes:

First off Tommy Cruise is literally the nicest guy in the world. Almost to a fault he is an incredibly warm and friendly person, very genuinely. He doesn't talk to you about scientology unless he HAS a talk with you, which I have never experienced first hand but have heard about auxiliary. Matt Fox is the nicest guy. Great dude and family man. John Goodman is lovely. Bob Balaban is fantastic. Catherine Keener is SUPER CHILL I met Benadict Cumberbatch not through my parents, and he was a great guy, very funny and a good listener.

But most interesting for me, is that for the past few years I have become acquainted to the point of an occasional friendship with Sir Ian McKellen, who is a remarkably lovely man. He is someone who I respect and appreciate dearly. And whenever I find myself in London, or he in New York, have a drink and a laugh with. I might see him once or twice a year but he is always reliable for an excellent story or piece of advice... This friendship is one of the reasons that I feel truly blessed to be born into my circumstances, and to have had the opportunity to meet him.

Edit: also Mark Ruffalo is such a dude... reddit would like him a lot. I feel the need to endorse Ruffalo.

I used to think poorly of Tom Cruise, but I feel bad about that now and I have a huge amount of respect for him both as an actor and, from interviews I've seen him give, as a person too. He seems really funny and chilled out. Thanks for doing this AMA!

I feel like I should ask a question. Um... What kind of music do you write/make? Have you considered scoring for video games?

I would love to score for video games. as a side project I make peaceful ambient music under the name Nekosaru... (anonymous anyway and hard to find on the internet at this point so i can share) I will likely release more of that stuff once my other project does it's thing. and it would be an absolute dream of mine to collaborate on a nice peaceful game that i could do the music for.

What's the worst thing about having a dad as an Oscar winner?

I think that being associated with him all too often is one of the biggest drawbacks... it's kind of like having REAALLY big boobs. Its the first two things that anybody is gonna see, it can really help out, and so it's not much to complain about, but a lot of the time you're pretty sure that people are staring at your boobs, and you start to wonder if people are only talking to you cause of your boobs... y'know?

Can you give a couple examples about situations where you were associated with your dad (like at a big party or event or something)?

Oh the worst thing really is being invited to play (music) on tv or the radio and then being asked a bunch of questions about my parents... or when i first got transferred into a new high school, i was referred to as "that guy's kid"

Oh god that is so terrible. Is it hard to make genuine friends at a new school when people know your parents? For lack of a better phrase, would you find yourself as a "popular kid" or possibly "loner?"

I mean I was a goofy nerd in high school... my freshman year i was certainly "That guy's kid" for a while. which sucks.... but I found that in college especially, it was really easy to find the laid back, solid friends, cause they would be the ones who didn't care about who my parents were at all

like if you have big boobs, you want to be good friends with those who maintain eye contact... thats how i met my friends.

You must really like boobs man. Since this is an AMA, who has the best set of knockers in your opinion?

that lovely young woman on Truthful Detectives has really great breasts and she should be proud

Ironic because the sole reason for this AMA is your "boobs"...

totally... but there would totally be an AMA for "I have gigantic award winning boobs AMA"

have u ever bitten into the oscar to see if its actually made of chocolate?

I just tried and now the Oscar has Mono.

Do you have a weird name?

Hahaha... not really. Mine is a little exciting, but standard. And In fact my brother has a super normal name.

No one's asked you about YOUR passion yet... Who are some of your musical influences? What instruments and types of music do you like to play?

I play all sorts of instruments with mediocre skill... I like to play many things rather than one thing well, y'know... everything in moderation... but I mostly see myself as a songwriter, a "lyrics first" kind of musician. I listened to a lot of Folk Classics as a kid (Woody Guthrie, not Bob Dylan) and so I take a lot of inspiration from artists who don't go hiding their lyrics but also provide compelling melodies... I adore Neutral Milk Hotel and Of Montreal for this, as well as the Velvet Underground, LCD Soundsystem, Bob Marley, and Belle and Sebastian, and of course The Beatles... I also really dig certain bands that aren't particularly lyrical... Sigur Ros, Brian Eno's ambient works, Jonsi and Alex, and Stereolab for instance... I think it is my responsibility as a musician to listen to everything, and I tend to like plenty of things that are very different from the music I make. I have written songs for a long time now... when I was in high school I had a band that i was in for all the wrong reasons (I thought it would make me cool, i wanted girls to like me, etc) but as i continued to write (and experiment with psychedelics) I found a comfort in my perspective, i found my voice, found where i might fit in the infinite musical conversation and so songwriting became a very essential part of my strategy in confronting depression and the strangeness of the universe. I write a lot of satirical songs. I got my start in the 'public' eye playing funny songs by myself on the ukulele. Then I started a rock and roll band four years ago. We initially had some interest in our EP we planned to release, but the offers were either not very good, or the offers were for me to sell out and take on songwriters and solidify my place as my parent's kid. Quote from guy with two popped collars: "Wanna make a million dollars?" So over the past 4 years I have been making an LP that was recently finished and mixed, now i'm talking to record labels and hopefully beginning an artistic career of my own. My goal in all of this is for it to be a trivia fact that "that guy from that band is that guy's kid" rather than "that guy's kid released a record" I would share my music with you guys, but I would feel like that was me taking advantage of my parents and so I feel it is best to keep it hidden for now. Hopefully one day I'll have enough of my own clout to reveal that this was me and we can all have a big laugh about it.

How much more popular would this AMA be once your identity was known or discovered?

hahahaha probably a lot... but it would be less interesting i think, I'm not really into talking about myself or them specifically... I am just interested to share what it is like to see celebrity from my POV.

I'm pretty sure I've figured out who you are, but in respect for your desire for privacy, I won't share my theory.

My question, however, is: You clearly grew up in a different type of Hollywood era where it wasn't okay to go after the kids. I know you mentioned the paps calling during your parents' split, but by and large, it feels like the tabloids left you guys alone, where they're staking out playgrounds looking for shots of the Affleck girls.

When and how do you think that changed?

Thank you for not outing me. I imagine it's not that hard to figure out. But yeah it's just not really the point of this y'know? I think that for one, my parents aren't as exciting of a story as the Branjelinas of the world, and so it isn't that exciting to go after their amicable split. But as far as the changing of celebrity culture... I think that this movie that Adrian Grenier made does an amazing job http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232206/ I think it started quite some time ago, when it became beneficial for movies to have stars in them around whom there was a controversy. But especially recently when people started being famous for being famous (Reality TV, Paris Hilton, Kardashians) then it got really really bad. Its a whole industry.. people do it for a job, it's so fucked up. The idea of celebrity used to be "HEY this girl is talented, lets pay her attention because of THE THING THAT SHE DOES WELL" and now its just "Hey PEOPLE ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO HER, SHE MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING" I'm not really sure when that switch happened... but it terrifies me. I think that it has something to do with reality TV and the idea that 'Anyone can be a star' which feeds on people's desire to be acknowledged, strangely forgoing the REASON that they would want to be acknowledged in the first place. This is part of what i don't get, all these girls who want to be famous for being famous's sake. I admit that I would love it if people recognized me for my music, but that is because I am interested in reaching an audience so that my art has found its place in the continuing tradition. But these girls who just want to be famous, They're the ones who are propagating the celebrity stalker culture, because they are absolutely complicit with the paparazzi, they work out deals with them, tell them when they'll be where, because they love that shit. and so the vampiric tabloid culture just keeps getting stronger and stronger and then people are soooo surprised when the fappening happens.

So which Hollywood floozy gave you mono?

I think it was a Karaoke Microphone.

What are the biggest perks from your parents that you take advantage of?

Meeting inspiring people is certainly the best perk. I have received beautiful advice in regards to life and art, from some of the people who have most inspired me in their fields. This also I think has to do with my ability to engage with these people as though they are people and never EVER ask to take a photo with them.

Fans snagging awful trophy shots with celebrities on their shitty cell phone cameras are the contemporary equivalent of a game animal’s mounted head on the wall in your den.

yeah... i one time met Jeff Tweedy and one of his friends asked if i wanted to take a picture with him, and I felt it would be rude to say no, so i took a picture with him and he hated it and I left his tour bus and cried for my whole life.

What is some of the advice they've given you, in regards to art and life?

Gore Vidal told me "if i have one piece of advice it is to always do what surprises you." and that is something i have taken with me and intend to live by.

How well do you feel like you were parented? Did your family have enough time/affection for you as a child, or did you feel like you had to compete with your parents' careers for their attention? Was there anyone in your life who had a profound impact on who you became as an adult?

This is an interesting one, because I think that I am an exception to the rule... My parents are EXCELLENT parents. And I have always been grateful for their effort to be my parents despite the fact that their careers would suggest otherwise. When I was young, my parents made a point of accepting jobs that took them away from home at intervals... so that one of them would be home at any given time. They really did a good job of being there for me considering that their jobs involved them going to islands in Greece and shit like that. This wasn't perfect, and there were certainly times that I was away from both of them, but it was never for very long. There is a woman who has worked for my family since I was a baby. She was a housekeeper/baby sitter, but over time became an essential member of the family. She is like a sister and a mother to me, and she has certainly been important to my life as a child and as an adult. Also through a lot of my childhood, my parents attempted to take longer projects during the summers, which ended up being how I spent summer vacation.

I asked a question that this answers perfectly... Dude I'm not a celebrity child and I had parents that left us kids at home all the time with a nanny... Now i'm jealous.

I'm super sorry man... I have plenty of friends who are from similar situations. I hope your nanny was cool. I think it is an often misunderstood situation for a lot of kids growing up... where it's hard to understand the necessity of their travels to provide you with the comfort that you have at home. As well as it is hard for the parents to understand how leaving for periods of time could feel hurtful to the kids. The bright side of it all is first off it could have definitely been worse, and second you will certainly be a much better parent because of it (if you should choose to procreate)

Have the tabloids been tough on you personally, or just your parents?

The tabloids are evil... I had a band in high school that played a gig when i was 14 that had a famous friend in attendance. the gig was written up calling me a brat and making it into that i was a "privileged teen" who gets to play a show with famous people in attendance just cause of his famous parents. when in reality it was a shitty rock club and I was playing a show i earned just like all the other shitty teen rock bands in new york. and my dad's friend happened to show...

Also my parents had a divorce and it was fucked up the way the papers were CALLING ME ON MY CELL PHONE.

Also when he was in like middle school, my brother dropped out of the school play for some reason, and the paper said that it was because "he didn't get the lead role" which just wasn't true.... and he was like 11.

Did you actually read the tabloids to find out this information? or did friends just bring it us casually. Sorta like:

"Hey Bob did you see what they wrote about you here?"

my parent's people (agents publicists etc.) will tell them about any bullshit going on and my parents will tell me. or my friends will tell me about it. I certainly don't actively look at tabloids cause it would make me want to send them anthrax

One thing I've always wondered is how celebrities like your parents look back at their hometowns and relationships during that time. Do your parents keep any form of contact with friends that they grew up with, or ever return at all?

Edit because of accidental self outing: Both of my parents were relatively "outcast" as young people, and so haven't maintained many of those childhood relationships. my dad however is definitely still good friends with his college buddies, as he still works with them on passion projects.

Have you encountered aggressive paparazzi before or found yourself losing your temper with them?

Some of them are polite, outside of a Hockey game or something where it is expected, and that's ok. But mostly they are the worst, suddenly you turn a corner and they're in your face with flashbulbs blinding you... sometimes they just creep from across the street waiting for you to leave a restaurant... I have flipped many off, I have gone up to them and taken my own pictures, I have then followed them around taking photos of them. I try to fuck with them as much as possible... cause it's funny and I feel compelled to stand up for my parents. But none of this compares to what BIG celebrities have to deal with, like Tom Cruise... he once invited me and my mom to a "casual" dinner where he had to rent out the whole restaurant, a restaurant he chose because there was a garage in the building, so that he could get into his car before going out to the street where there was as zombie horde awaiting him.

chet haze? is that you???

hahaha NOPE

Do you ever find it convenient to look somethng up about your parents on wikipedia? (in case you forgot something) have you ever had to do something like that?

I totally looked up how old my dad was on wikipedia once cause I wasn't quite sure. It made me facepalm but it had to be done.

You seem like a really genuinely dude. It's nice to see, as I really didn't think there would be a celeb kid out there who was even slightly attached to reality.

Have you had any awkward/bad experiences with social climbers so far, trying to use you (not just your parents) to get through to other people? Do you and your genuine friends have certain places that you go to hang out where you know you won't have to deal with a crowd like that?

I know that's pretty deep so I hope it's okay to ask, but it's always interested me.

No worries, thanks for detecting my human heart. I have a pretty good radar for bullshit at this point, and so nobody is using me (i'm pretty sure) I don't really go out all that much to be honest... I'm not into the club scene... and I alone don't have many problems with being recognized... yet (perhaps this will change when I release my record) But I do know that there are certain places my parents like going to for dinner or drinks etc, because they know that they won't be hassled. There are definitely events like sports games that are hell on earth for a famous person. Disneyland as a kid must have been tragic. I am incredibly grateful that they put up with that when I was a kid so I could have that classic childhood experience. (although we were accompanied by body guard/staff) But definitely most of my going to amusement parks and other places like that were with parental figures who were less recognizable.

Great AMA. Really been enjoying your answers. You stated that your goal isn't to make money from your music. Is that because of a goal not to "sell out" or you don't want to have to deal with the issues of being famous that your parents went through? (Or just a great inheritance?). Have your parents made any similar choices like what Bill Gates stated about doing with his kids?

I just don't see my music as a means of making money... both because the music i want to make doesn't make much money, and also because if making money is my aim then it loses its appeal to me. music for me is a very personal experience. writing songs is literally my therapy... i have been manic depressive since i was a teenager and writing songs has actually saved my life and given me a process through which to address the problems i see in the world/myself. that being said my music is almost always funny... the music itself isn't depressing... I kind of see myself as someone a bit like Kurt Vonnegut, astounded by the fucked-up-ness of everything but compelled then to laugh about it.

also thank you, I appreciate your appreciation... and in terms of "Selling out" i would be happy to "sell out" if it meant putting my music in car commercials... whatever... unfortunately "selling out" usually means changing your artistic output to cater to a specific audience, which sounds horrible to me.

Do you use, or plan to use, a pseudonym as an actor to avoid the immediate connection to your parents? Some (Nic Cage, Emilion Estevez) chose to do that.

Any good stories with a friend or girlfriend are hanging out with you, not knowing who your famous parents are, and then are surprised to meet them?

I don't really care too much for changing my name, I go by my middle name (instead of last name) occasionally, and for my own artistic endeavors (I am a musician) luckily band names/personal monikers are pretty standard in that industry.

One of my closest friends admitted to me that when we first met and she came over to my house, she kinda freaked out when she saw all of our family pictures on the wall... but knew that she shouldn't bring it up cause it would make me uncomfortable, She was right.

Also one time I was with someone who was railing off on how much of a piece of shit this one movie was (that my mom was in) I let them keep going cause I thought it was really funny. I don't get offended by that sort of thing.

Also one time I was with someone who was railing off on how much of a piece of shit this one movie was (that my mom was in) I let them keep going cause I thought it was really funny. I don't get offended by that sort of thing.

This makes me wonder, were you parents in any movies you actually think were crap?

OH YEAH. i'm the first one to call them out on bad movies.... I am often a bit apologetic, but when something stinks i'll smell it. They're fine with making bad movies occasionally. sometimes it was a good script that got killed in editing, other times it just won't quite come together, other times they will take something they know won't be good because it has a good paycheck and brings them to a good locations... (this is something i actually had to convince my dad to do once when there was a periodwhen he didn't like the scripts he was receiving.. and was getting frustrated) it is a job after all

Are there actually any times when your parents actually feel bad when they are called out on shit acting? I mean that in the nicest way, but they already being successful does it damage them if later on they are told they are not good?

I'm mostly asking because I feel like a lot of celebrities are assholes and hugely confident, so it doesnt seem like they would ever actually pay attention to criticism.

Yeah I think that there are times when they have been upset to acknowledge that they kinda phoned it in on a movie. But after being successful in a terrifying business. it's pretty hard to get down on yourself or think "you just don't have what it takes" anyone who says "you weren't good in that" might have a point, but anyone who says "you can't act" is pretty wrong... as objectively speaking as possible.

btw dude how long have you been at this... i didnt expect you to respond to any of my questions... you actually have responded to all... you're doing a good job, but isnt the cure to mono rest & sleep? not stare at reddit all day long?

dude i'm a Redditor i can't help it i certainly haven't improved but i'm never gonna do this again so tryna do it well.

Are there many kids of famous actors that stay away from show business and creative fields entirely? It seems like if the parent is an actor, the kids often go into acting, fashion, art, music, etc. Are you pursuing a career outside of the art/entertainment industry, or staying in it?

I am a musician, but I am terrified of nepotism and have been very careful to not pimp out my parent's fame, hence the anonymity of this thread. It is certainly true that entertainment seems like the right industry to get into for many celebrity kids, perhaps because of the opportunities presented, but also perhaps because of genetics and a natural tendency towards the arts. But there are plenty who aren't interested at all. It's a lot like anybody "going into dad's business" It might be desirable by default but everybody is different. I for one am not going into acting, I tried it a little bit in high school, but I never had the same passion for it that I do for music. I think it is also the case that parents who have had success in the arts are more likely to encourage their kids to work on artistic endeavors, as it has proven for them to be a sustainable lifestyle.

Have your parents ever tried to use their celeb status as a way to get you ahead in life, only have you turn down their offers?

Yes actually. Nothing on the level of what Will Smith is doing to his kids (Which by the way is probably the most fucked up thing that has happened. like he straight named them JADen and WILLow, that's twisted) They haven't tried to get me to do anything I didn't want to, they would never try to get me to do anything, but I have had to remind them at times that a certain opportunity would make me uncomfortable because it would require us working together. or something like that. I would be very happy to work with them, but I am waiting until I have enough of a career of my own.

Have you ever said "Do you know who my dad/mom is?" to garner favors? Or are you content to be at the back of the line when you are without them?

No I don't play that. they have certainly played that card before, getting a table at a restaurant, much to my embarrassment. Skipping the line is actually a legitimate concern for them however, because if they spend too much time standing in one place in public they start to get harassed. (sometimes friendly, sometimes unfriendly)

Who's your daddy?

I wanna meet that dad

How big is recreational and performance enhancing drug use in the movie industry?

I'd say that writers benefit often from the use of psychotropics. Any writer I have met has been friendly with these sorts of substances.

Do people ever recognize you or approach you in public, when your famous parent isn't around?

Yes and as my own career at the moment is very infantile, and most of my public image is still connected to them, the people who recognize me or ask to take pictures tend to be the WORST... even going as far as to say "what's your name again?"

What is your favorite book?

Do you play super smash bros?

Why do you like reddit?

Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami, is my favorite book. I think it is a beautiful book and i recommend it to everyone. I played a lot of N64 smash when I was younger... I like Samus cause i'm terrified of confrontation and like to handle things from afar... and Reddit is great because it is a space for all sorts of information and interaction to get attention when it slips through the mainstream. also cats.

Aside from the adorably heartbreaking story about the 8 year old that only dated you to see Shrek... Do you have any more interesting stories about the dating world as someone famous?

Yeah right isn't that sad? I totally didn't trust women for a while. Thats probably the most tragic, in my adult life I've been very good at identifying potential partners who are full of shit. My favorite was one time I met a girl at a bar who said "aren't you someone's kid?" and i said "Yeah, aren't you?" and she said "no" and I said "wow did you hatch from an egg?" it was kind of a dick move... but who leads with "aren't you someone's kid?"

I legit LOLed at this. Nice.

thanks that's definitely my best retort in history, glad i could share it with reddit.

what's your take on the children of other fellow famous people who blatantly use nepotism to advance themselves? and why do you differ?

It kinda pisses me off, because it seems very much disrespectful to oneself and one's parents. But the reason I avoid it is that I think it is clear that people who are happy to be "that guy's kid" won't last very long, where directors like Duncan Jones have earned all of their success because of hard work, talent, and failure, which encourages constant self improvement, which leads to the respect of their peers, as well as the respect of time's ability to whittle away at what is worth its place in culture. People won't be listening to 'Blurred Lines' forever, but people will watch "Moon" In science fiction cinema classes for years to come. I think that it's all about this: My parents might be able to open certain doors for me... but I have to be able to walk through those doors on my own, or else I won't do too well once i'm outside.

I saw your reply about meeting Tom Cruise. Have either of your parents been asked to join Scientology and have they ever considered it?

No he never pushed it on them. He is a really nice, respectful dude. and obviously he's full on in the scientology stuff, but you wouldn't know it if it wasn't such a public piece of information.

Denzel Washington said "My closest friends aren't film stars."

Do you consider the social circle one filled with a lot of stars? If so, do you think that's something positive or negative?

And have you starred in any films with your dad/mom? What'd that feel like?

I think it's really weird that there is this thing in hollywood of "Hey you're famous, i'm famous, we know each other right?" I think its really fucking bizarre. Thats how I ended up in the aforementioned Martha Stewart situation. We were invited to her dinner party and spent the whole time looking at each other thinking "this is totally fucking weird right?" Other times it is really great, because "hey i like your work and i'm famous too" can lead to an actual people friendship, or collaboration. There are lots of people who my parents have worked with who they will be forever friendly with, because they got along well on set... but only occasionally will one become an actual friend. That being said, most of my parent's closest friends are not actors, and if they are, they are not very often particularly famous actors. A lot of my dad's best friends are theater actors from when that was what he was mostly doing.

Wow. Multiple people figured out who OP is and yet still, nobody has posted in anywhere on the AMA.

Has The Fappening really scared us away from leaking anything?

Yeah I guess the thread just isn't really about that... Many people have figured it out and had their comments deleted. Mostly to try to preserve the integrity of the thread, but also because if it becomes a big public thing, someone could take the smallest details of one of my answers and make it into something publicly annoying that I and my parents will have to deal with. so in the interest of me being able to be open and truthful, it would best if nobody conducts a witch hunt.

I was 8 when Shrek came out, so it looks like we're around the same age! How was the premiere?
More seriously (though Shrek is very serious, obviously), do you tend to read articles/stuff online about your family or do you try to avoid it?
This is a really cool AMA, thanks for doing it!

Thanks! I always thought it would be interesting, but never had mono and thus a whole day to do it.

I have read articles, mostly when other people say that they heard that my mom or dad said something or did something controversial and I am curious as to what the fallout is... I definitely don't go seeking out their magazine clippings... but I am interested occasionally to see how they act in interviews, as I know the truth behind details they might omit.

Were there any "famous friends" of your parents that were very different from the "public preception" of them?

(if you like PC games check out "The Binding of Isaac", the original is only $5 on steam. The remake is right around the corner and it is basically like an endlessly replayable zelda with adult themes)

Thanks! I heard about that one and i'll give it a try.

I think the only famous friend I can speak about is Sir Ian, who is also a friend of mine... he is really just the funniest, most laid back guy, I think many might assume he is very serious and stoic because he is a knight and a shakespearean legend... but really he is a goofball and a great bit of fun.

Can you recall a moment in your life when you first really truly realized that your parents were celebrities?

I always knew and took for granted that they acted in movies. And I am pretty sure people were stopping them on the street since before I could form memories... so I kind of took their fame for granted... I do remember however, the first time I realized that they were wealthy. Growing up, especially with them being from humble backgrounds, I was not taught to embrace excess or lavishness or anything like that. We did live super comfortably, but never extraordinarily... I had a pretty normal childhood, I played baseball with all the other kids, I wasn't allowed a nintendo, my mom and sister cooked me dinner. I always dreamed of having a McDonalds and a Mansion... I didn't understand that we were wealthy because my parents didn't really live like RICH people. our car was a shitty old volvo... the only thing noticeable is that we had a big house... not a fancy house, no foyer or marble or anything... but it was really big. And one day a kid from my baseball team started giving me shit about being a RICH kid (i was probably 6) and from watching movies growing up I knew that the RICH guy is the bad guy... and so I remember asking my mom... through tears... "Mom..... Are we.... RICH?" and she laughed and said "yeah kinda sweetie." and this was DEVASTATING because I thought that it meant we were evil. This is certainly the best possible reaction I could have had... because obviously it is fantastic to grow up comfortably... but had I been the kinda kid who was excited by and proud of wealth that wasn't his, I would have been major wack-sauce. Edit: spelling

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Thanks for the well wish! My parents are pretty good about making me work. I had part time jobs through high school, and when I left school I was bussing/barbacking for a Bit. I honestly got super lucky as a DJ. Which is what I do for most of my income. I've been doing it for 6 years, and i actually can DJ i'm not just like "that guy's kid is playing his i pod tonight" i'm the most self-abhorring DJ that there is because i hate the whole EDM culture. I got my start DJing doing mostly mixes of West African Funk and Disco, at a club that belonged to a friend of my mom's. Certainly took advantage of a connection there. But i wouldn't be doing it if i didn't think i was actually offering something valuable and unique. That being said... its a total racket and i feel silly any time i get paid to select music.

My mother is an estate manager and she's worked for screen actors in the past (she hates the word "celebrity" so I try to avoid it). She had to sign lifetime non-disclosure agreements, and in the short periods of my life that I worked alongside her to help out, I had to sign them as well. Those were the only instances where I learned who her employers were - other than that, she never told me. She managed a pretty big staff along with a constant flux of contractors, painters, designers, laborers, etc...people with money live in perpetual remodeling for some reason that eludes me.

I remember it being really awkward for me whenever I helped out as part of "the staff". It was always hard to know how to act - shut up and focus on my work was the obvious thing, but there's always some moment where you come into contact with the family and you're not sure whether to acknowledge them and make them feel awkward about being famous, or act like you don't know them and then part of me was worrying about offending them...lemme tell ya, some of them have serious egos.

Sorry for this long preface, but to the question: as you grew up I'm sure your parents had a lot of staff (either fulltime or just contractors) to take care of their house. Which ones made you feel the most at-ease and "normal", and how did they act?

Growing up around it from the side of the help, it's one thing that always eluded me.

edit: By the way, I really respect your goal to make it on your own - thanks again and hope you get to do that AMA as yourself soon!

Sorry I didn't respond sooner to this one... This is very much not the case for me... we never had a staff... the only elaborate thing we have is a very pretty countryside property... and in terms of a "staff" theres just a guy who lives there and trims the grass and lets people in to change the oil and stuff occasionally. We are not a family that is into living "the high life" we have lived very comfortably, but because both of my parents are from humble middle class families... theres no chandeliers going on.

That's actually really cool. I just saw your comment where you said they didn't want to live near Hollywood, maybe that's linked to their desire to have "normal" lives. There's nothing normal about growing up around the entertainment industry in west LA, trust me.

Oh and some obscure movies/games/shows to get through mono:

• Movies: 80's sci-fi! Perfect for sick days. Enemy Mine, The Last Starfighter, and Alien Nation are easily one of the coolest things to come out of the 1980's but don't have the widespread appeal of movies like Blade Runner and E.T.

• Games: Knights of the Old Republic, not obscure but it's heavily replayable. More obscure is the brilliant sequel KotOR 2 with the restored content mod. If you've played it before, dust it off and try it with the HK factory and the droid planet (a whole freaking planet!!) that never made it into the official release. (Warning: the pirated version is much easier to fix and mod, but either way it's an hour-long project.)

• Shows: Shogun is one of the best miniseries ever made, it was a huge hit when it came out but it's been completely forgotten. Haven't met anyone else under the age of 40 who has seen it, and that's a shame because it stands the test of time very well.

edit: added links

Thanks, Gonna check out those sci fi flicks... Kotor was my jams back in the day... and i don't know how i feel about white guy playing japanese guy.. but i'd be down to check it out! i idolize toshiro mifune and he seems to be in it as well... Thanks!

What kind of movies or games do you find yourself most interested in?

I LOVE bad movies... I'm one of the guys who goes in costume to The Room every month. But I also love me a Good Film... some of my favorites are The Life Aquatic, The Samurai Trilogy by Hiroshi Inagaki, Spirited Away, Brazil, Yojimbo, Lost in Translation, The Life of Brian, and more recently Mr. Nobody. As for games... I really like Rpg's and open world games the most.. but am a strong advocate for games as a storytelling medium, The Last of Us was one of the greatest narrative experiences i've had in any medium. I am very excited about what Telltale has been doing, and The Walking Dead games in particular I have found to be quite moving. I want to name my theoretical daughter Clementine.

How do you feel when people freak out over who your parents are?

It bothers me. Unless they get to know me first... and the freak out is in retrospect, while we are sharing a friendly decriminalized substance. I can certainly deal with my friends talking about my parents, many of my friends are friends with my parents as well. I often feel very comfortable in a "Woah dude it's super trippy who your parents are..." or "Someone pretending to be your mom just friended me on Facebook" or "i just saw this movie your dad did a while ago, and it was good/bad" or even a "what is tom cruise like?" kind of thing is fine if they are my friend first. But i REALLY hate it when someone i don't know puts me in a "OH MY GOD YOU'RE PARENTS ARE FAMOUS THATS SO SOOO COOL WHAT IS TOM CRUISE LIKE" situation. because if i don't know someone well, and that is what they want to talk about, it tells me a lot about how they see me not as my own person but as a product of my parents.

Why can't you be both, we all are...

Good point.

What does the Oscar taste like?

It tastes like metal and the unshakable shadow of artistic success in which I shall live out the rest of my days.

You should stick it in mashed potato. I have never seen a picture of an Oscar in mashed potato. Please.

So it's not my Oscar... and I feel like it would be pretty disrespectful to do so... however. I promise here and now to all of Reddit that if I win an Oscar (or any award really) I will stick it in a Mashed Potato

If you could work on any TV show, what would it be and what's your reasoning?

I wanna get hit by an arrow in Game of Thrones so I can Wilhelm Scream

How has being the son of someone big crippled your ability to make friends? Or do you usually lie in the beginning until you know that they're not just friends with you for the connection/money?

I don't lie, but I do avoid talking about it... say things like "my parents work on movies" or i'll say that my dad is a writer because he does that as well, though is not recognized primarily for it. I definitely avoid letting it spoil the early stages of a relationship, but it can also help me know immediately what a person is like based on their reaction to that news.

Would you be willing to let us hear a sample of any of your music? PM me a clip on a throwaway? Where would you like to end up living?

Heres my anonymous side project which is anonymous anyway http://nekosaru.bandcamp.com these are clips from an hourlong psychedelic instrumental album i made in college. I'll hopefully release my record soon and come do a big AMA where everyone can ask me all sorts of specific and embarrassing questions and i can promote my band.

How did you get mono?

a karaoke microphone actually...

Have you met jaden smith?

Man I would love that... I feel terrible for him, I want to just give him a hug and tell him to delete his twitter and make the rest of his adolescent mistakes in private.

On a daily basis, how much time of yours gets wasted by strangers/media who approach you?

Oh I waste way more time on Reddit.

Do you feel pampered from your parents or do they expect you to find your own way? Are you all that close with them?

I'm quite close with them, and they are more or less normal liberal parents. they have been very good about helping me out, but also not trying to let me have things extra easy in life.

Have you ever influenced your Oscar winning parent to vote a particular way? Or have they asked you for your opinion about who was the best actress, best picture, etc?

I totally have tried to do this... I remember when I was young, I LOVED the movie Evolution... and I kept saying "YOU GUYS HAVE TO NOMINATE IT FOR BEST PICTURE" and i was disappointed when they didn't agree with me in regards to the quality of that picture. its a really great recurring joke for me.

What is the best stuff that comes in celebrity gift baskets? New towels? Fancy plane tickets? Small deeds to islands in the tropics?

this is a good one... so back in the day, pre-recession, gift baskets were CRAZY. Especially those given to presenters at award shows. My Mom Presented at the oscars one year and we got a coupon for a free flat screen television, which, at the time was unheard of. It was one of the first flat screen, rear projection, 1080i samsungs. This was actually how my family received many of the gadgets and fancy things that we own.. my parents being completely uninterested in buying TV's and such. We got free TVs, Xbox, TIVO, IPODS, Laptops, and Desktops. Its totally fucked up... but this is certainly the most 'baller' aspect of my life. It is the most interesting misconception... because all of the most expensive shit that I have owned (other than instruments, which are valuable investments of my own) have been given to my family for free. This doesn't happen so much any more, especially after the recession. But occasionally because of some appearance on some talk show, we'll end up with some nice headphones. I am currently typing on a laptop gifted to my mom because of an advertisement she did a while back. These companies have tons of these things lying around, and it's not just celebrities who get free shit. I wouldnt be surprised if the kid of the marketing director at monster energy drink has a free xbox. but yeah... this aspect of my life is the most "Well fuck me that's cool."

What bands and musicians are you currently listening to?

This week i'm diving into Can, getting real deep in there, Listening to a band called The Free Design, a band called The Bees, and for the past month I have been digging really hard on St Vincent's new record. I wish that Prince Johnny would be played on the radio. Oh also I just got Everybody Knows, the Dave Clark Five record, and i like it a lot.

I am a family therapist, so I am interested in how rituals in your family might be different or the same of the typical American family. For example, would you consider your family a normal everyday family in some ways that you still had soccer practice, had to do your homework, got grounded for stuff... etc... or did your parents fame cloud an otherwise normal routine? Of course, having fame means having money, but I wonder if it is really worth it when your dad just can't hang out at your soccer practice (or whatever) just like the other dads because people won't leave you all alone. I guess what I'm asking is, how does your parent's fame truly impact everyday life?

My parents were so normal in a lot of ways. yes i got grounded, yes my dad disagreed with my little league baseball coach. My dad actually coached my youth hockey team for a while. I'd say that more or less everything was 'normal' in terms of chores and such (i cleaned the cat's litter box) but the one thing i think is really funny is as a "Job" when i was maybe 10... i would sort through my mom's fan mail. that's certainly a unique chore.

Best snack and drink to have while watching a movie?

Kettle Flavored Popcorners, Whisky and Canned Beers, the Movie is The Room.

Did he hit her?

no he just emotionally tortured her off camera.

What was the last piece of music you listened to?

I just got a record called "Octopus" by a band called "The Bees" I'm really digging it.. first song is called "who cares what the question is?" and it is currently playing.

I don't know if you're still answering questions, and my apologies if you've already answered this, but I'm curious about what you think of that campaign against publishing unauthorized photos of celebrity children spearheaded by Kristen Bell et al? Also, how does it make you feel to see reality shows with young children in them (e.g. that one with LeeAnn Rimes)?

Yes I think that the use of children in tabloids is probably the most sickening thing. mostly because the kids have no concept of what is going on/who is talking about them, judging them from afar. But the reality shows with little kids are especially gross because those kids aren't being paid or put through the standard scrutiny of child labor laws. There was that show about the couple with the 13 kids or whatever... and those parents are straight EVIL in my opinion. to take advantage of your kids in such a way that leaves them empty handed... that's just twisted.

You made a Tim and Eric reference earlier. You ever meet John C. Reilly? He seems like he's a legit dude. Also I'm not sure if any one asked, but what gear do you use in your band? Whats your set up? Thanks for doing this again.

I would love to meet him, I've heard he is a solid sir. My Band is a more or less standard rock and roll band, drums bass, guitars, but we do use synthesizers and on the recordings there are all sorts of weird instruments. I own a few Moog Synthesizers, One of which I found beat up and restored it and it is my baby. I believe in analog.

Have you ever traveled anywhere interesting with your parents, whether it was for their work or for a vacation. If so where were they? What places were your favorite?

I have travelled and hung about on a few sets here and there. My favorite was shot in Berlin, where I got to hang out for a month as a teenager carrying on with the cast of the film. that was a good time. Also back in the day when studios would spend way more money than they do now promoting films, (surprisingly even hollywood has cut back after the recession) I got to go on a few publicity tours with my parents, these were great because they would be like a vacation for them as well... going to Amsterdam and doing five hours of interviews one day, but having a week to be in Amsterdam. that sort of thing.

Do random people try to get you to show their script to your dad?

hahah yeah that happened once and it was REALLY Awkward... it feels offensive. again like the person sees me not as a person but as a medium for getting a script to a famous person.

Do people ever say "you look just like that guy that was in [movie your parent was in]?" I have been told I look like a couple of famous people, but being the direct offspring would make me think it's pretty common. How do you respond when/if they do?

Good luck with mono! It has to be pretty bad if it makes you want to talk to us.

Honestly it's really funny how my parents are never ever mentioned in a "you totally look like" context. I've gotten everything from "you look exactly like Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance" to straight up "Are you Robert Pattinson" (In Japan, i don't look anything like robert pattinson imo, other than i have lots of eyebrows)

Do you enjoy watching the movies that your parents are in, or is it really weird?

If it's a good movie it's just as enjoyable as it would be to someone else. I probably enjoy it even more because it makes me feel proud of them, same can be said about their bad movies.

What is the most unusual interaction you've had with someone that recognized you?

A woman who didn't speak english was waiting outside of my mom's apartment and kept saying "I can meet your mommy?"

Good lord that is creepy. I don't get the whole freaking out over a celebrity thing, it makes me so embarrassed for people. I think it is so darn rude and cringey to approach a celebrity in public, forget a picture, just an approach is messed up. It's also really weird to me how people think they know someone just because they have seen them on their tv screen or read about them. I must be missing that gene or something.

yeah it was straight terrifying.... Honestly as long as its not during dinner or at a urinal, a friendly "excuse me i like your work and would like to shake your hand" is something anyone would be happy to hear. Autographs and photos are kinda weird but interacting like a human in public is entirely possible and quite appreciated at times. but yeah standing outside someone's house is less cool.

I'm curious, have you heard of /r/twitchplayspokemon and perhaps entered a few commands on Twitch?

I have, didn't stick around for long but I found it quite amusing.