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In an interview with PEOPLE at the Think Apple TV Immersive Takeover event, Michael Angarano reflects on balancing acting and a normal childhood
He recalls a moment when he was 14 and a producer asked him to get emancipated so he could work longer hours
Now a father of two, Angarano says he would like to “protect” his children from entering the spotlight at a young age like he did
Michael Angarano recalls being faced with a shocking request as a child star.
The actor, 38, recently caught up with PEOPLE at the Think Apple TV Immersive Takeover at the Westfield Century City in Los Angeles, which features interactive fan experiences from the streaming service’s hit shows. Angarano’s career began at just five years old, the same age as his son Leon Frederick, but he says he wouldn’t want that for his kids.
“I would never say never. Every person has their own path, but also, if he wanted to do it at such a young age, I think I would say go to a school play,” he explains, noting that Elle Fanning, with whom he stars in the new Apple TV dramedy Margo’s Got Money Troubles, began acting when she was a toddler and “she’s doing okay.”
Michael Angarano at the Think Apple TV Emmy activation at Westfield Century City on April 23
Credit: Courtesy of Apple TV
“I’m lucky. I had a great family who supported me all throughout my life. But ultimately, it was very important for me growing up as a kid actor to have a normal life, meaning a life outside of the movie industry, because it’s an insane industry. So I would, of course, protect my son or daughter from that,” adds the Sky High alum, who shares both Leon, 5, and a daughter, 1, with wife Maya Erskine.
Reflecting on how he was able to have both a job and a childhood, Angarano reveals he had to push back against people who weren’t as supportive of that balance.
“I remember I was really young — I was 14 or 15 — and a producer on a movie I was in wanted me to get emancipated so I could work longer hours,” he shares. “So I would have to get my GED and be able to work as an adult, because when you’re a kid, there’s a limitation on how many hours you could work. And not only did my parents not want that, I did not want that.”
“I always went to a normal school,” Angarano continues. “It was very important to me to finish school. I was basically never physically there, but some of my longest relationships now that I have are with my friends from high school. I’m really glad that I stuck to it, because this world isn’t a real world. It’s intangible, and that’s the stuff that’s formative.”
Michael Angarano in 2002
Credit: Steve Grayson/WireImage
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Now a father himself, the Emmy nominee gushes over how much his two kids “love each other,” although he admits that dad life isn’t always easy.
“I was just talking to Mark Duplass about it,” Angarano says. “It’s amazing. It’s amazing, and it’s hard.”
Acknowledging that there are times when he and Erskine, 38, are “just trying to keep them alive,” Angarano says they never take any moments as a family for granted.
“We’re so happy, and we look at each other sometimes and laugh at how crazy our lives get from time to time,” he says, further sharing how parenthood has changed his perspective on his career. “I’ve always lived to work, and now, there’s a real distinction that I am working to live, and I’m working to provide for my family and be there for my family. I don’t want to be anywhere else than with my family, so I think there was a major change for me.
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