Owen goes on the set with actor Tony Hale. The star of Arrested Development and Stranger than Fiction is also a dad. Who knew? Actors can have children, too! DadLabs Ep. 60 Daditude.
Daddy Owen: Hi. This Owen Egerton with DadLabs and I’m here with actor, writer and dad Tony Hale.
Tony: It sounds like you are trying to remember my name. I’m here with, um, actor, um, writer.
Daddy Owen: He’s this guy, you’ve seen him. Anyway, so Tony’s a father of a beautiful little girl. She’s seventeen months?
Tony: Sixteen.
Daddy Owen: Sixteen months, okay. She’s just so mature for her age.
Tony: Good research…
Daddy Owen: Thank you. So you live out in Los Angeles.
Tony: I do.
Daddy Owen: And your celebrity’s grown.
Tony: Huge.
Daddy Owen: Huge – you’re big, you’re blowing up all over the place. So, recently you starred with Will Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction, of course Arrested Development which is a brilliant show. And you’re here now in Austin, Texas filming The Farkles. So tell us, with celebrity – with being a celebrity and being a father, what’s the challenge there?
Tony: A challenge? I think it can be a challenge if you go away for two or three months for a shoot or something. But a lot of the times it’s really good because you’ve got a lot of time in between to spend with her because when you’re not working you’re home and both of us are parenting. And if I do go on location they’ll – this one I was just here for about a week and a half so they didn’t need to come. But if I’m gone for a long time I’ll try to get them to come with me. Because that’s when it becomes difficult with families, when there is just too much separation.
Daddy Owen: Yeah. And you’re also though getting recognized in places…
Tony: Everywhere.
Daddy Owen: Yeah, yeah – because you’re blowing up, you’re huge. I can’t believe I’m here. Is that strange? Does that put a strange pressure on you as a dad?
Tony: No. Because quirky sidekicks don’t get that much attention. Fans are really kind if they’re fans of the show and I get recognized or something like that it’s not a big deal.
Daddy Owen: Yeah.
Tony: If anything you might get some free food out of it, so that helps.
Daddy Owen: I heard you got some free sushi.
Tony: I did the other night.
Daddy Owen: I don’t trust free sushi.
Tony: Yeah.
Daddy Owen: I think I need to pay for it.
Tony: I should get an ad plug for that, should I? Uchi was their name, and they were very good.
Daddy Owen: That’s what I’ve been told. Now, the different parts that you’ve played – Buster on Arrested Development and other characters they are not ideal father figures.
Tony: Right, right, right.
Daddy Owen: So, are you that person or…
Tony: What if I was?
Daddy Owen: What would I say? I don’t know.
Tony: Mother hot – I just have to put that out there.
Daddy Owen: Yeah, it is hot. This is Texas.
Tony: They are – yeah, I kind of have this thru line of playing neurotic, kind of nervous characters. Something my daughter will love to watch when she gets older.
Daddy Owen: Yeah.
Tony: But like this character for instance. He’s nervous, but he’s just kind of an innocent, naïve dad and so this will probably be along the lines of what she’ll watch. Arrested Development – she probably needs to get a little older before she’ll watch that.
Daddy Owen: To wait…
Tony: Yeah.
Daddy Owen: Has she seen anything yet of you on TV or in a film and said – daddy…
Tony: No. No, no, no… She’s all about Baby Einstein right now so Baby Einstein trumps dad.
Daddy Owen: Yeah. Well maybe you can get a cameo.
Tony: Yeah, yeah yeah.
Daddy Owen: Next to a bulldozer.
Tony: This interview is probably sucking because I’m like, the worst dad.
Daddy Owen: No, I think its okay.
Tony: He’s got the worst answers, he’s a horrible father.
Daddy Owen: Well, that’s okay. We’re all horrible fathers in one way or another. But I want you to know that.
Tony: Thank you, Owen. Thank you.
Daddy Owen: Well, thanks so much Tony for being here on DadLabs and sharing some your experiences with us.
Tony: Yeah…I’m trying to think of a piece of advice for dad.
Daddy Owen: Yeah, give us some advice.
Tony: Let me think. I think, this sounds cheesy, but a really good piece of advice but if you have other men who are fathers that you know that you can be honest about stuff. That you can like ask questions, and you can talk about stuff that comes with the family, you know. I just think that’s nice to have because everybody kind of goes through the same stuff.
Daddy Owen: Yeah...
Tony: Because especially, I was – the first three months with the baby – hell. That is just like, your psyche is just totally knocked away. So if you can have other people to talk to that’s pretty cool.
Daddy Owen: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Well, thanks Tony, appreciate it.
