Rob Lowe knows how to play the game . Over the course of his 40-year Hollywood career, the former Brat Pack member has literally seen it all.
Just before Father’s Day, Rob sat down for a Zoom interview with E! News . During their conversation, Rob revealed his own approach to parenting and reiterated that in his house — personal privacy doesn’t exist .
Rob Lowe has always been a man in motion.
The former founding member of the Brat Pack has been a certified movie star and sex symbol since he first appeared in The Outsiders at only 18 years of age.
Since then, Rob has gone on to appear in some of the most beloved films and series of his generation.
’90s kids will no doubt recall Rob from his work in such classic comedies as Tommy Boy and Wayne’s World . But to me, he will literally always be Chris Traeger from Parks and Recreation .
Just before Father’s Day, Rob sat down for a Zoom meeting with ‘E! News’ to discuss the highs as well as the pitfalls of parenting.
Rob shares two adult sons with his wife, Sheryl Berkoff. There’s Matthew who’s recently turned 28 and John Owen, 26.
Rob was asked to name the best piece of advice he ever received from his own father.
“A lot of advice is leading by example , right?” Rob answered. “My father is 83, he still works, still goes to the office, is still practicing law.”
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“I inherited that work ethic and drive. That’s my biggest takeaway, for sure,” Rob replied.
E! then turned the tables on Rob and asked him to choose the one piece of advice that he would bestow upon fellow fathers, like himself.
“There’s different advice for different ages because it really is a different job at different times,” he explained.
“For me, the hardest part was 15, 16, 17, 18 ; teenagers. Not a big shocker,” Rob said with a smile spreading across his face.
The most important thing for any parent, according to Rob, is to help children navigate their own relationship with drugs and alcohol.
“Your kids are out there and they’re partying,” Rob said bluntly. ” Get real . And every parent is like, ‘My kids aren’t, but their friends are.'”
Rob believes that parents can’t afford to live in a state of denial or blissful ignorance.
” Your job is literally to keep them alive and to not do something stupid while they hopefully figure out how to navigate that part of their lives,” Lowe said thoughtfully.
“And my other thing is, personal privacy does not exist in my house until you’re paying the bills,” he proclaimed.
Given Rob’s history and his own checkered past with substance abuse, it’s not hard to understand why he takes a hard line.
In May of 2021, Rob celebrated 31 years of sobriety.
“Today I have 31 years drug and alcohol free[sic],” Rob wrote via Instagram. “I want to give thanks to everyone walking this path with me , and welcome anyone thinking about joining us; the free and the happy.”
Rob also made sure to thank his wife and family for putting up with him for all those years.
For those looking to add a little more Lowe to their life, you can watch him in the Mike Myer’s comedy series The Pentaverate , currently streaming on Netflix.
