‘Sandlot’ Actor Patrick Renna Has Already Watched the Classic Family Film With His Son, 2: ‘He Was Into It!’
“You’re killing me, Smalls!” That is just one of the iconic lines that Patrick Renna says in the classic film The Sandlot — a movie that everyone has watched, even the actor’s son!
“Absolutely,” the 40-year-old exclusively told Closer Weekly when asked if he has made his son aware of his legendary baseball movie. “I feel like the age for that is like 5? I did already show him it a little bit and he was into it and I think he recognized me. I think he went, wait a minute, that guy looks a little like dad. But I feel like the age he is really going to get it is you know, that sort of 4-5 kind of thing.”
However, the Big Green star has plans when it comes to showing his son the entire film. “Maybe we will have to do it on a Worldmark by Wyndham location and make it a whole thing you know. A bunch of 5 year olds together and get the cast or something and make it a whole thing.”
He added, “A lot of [my costars] started a little earlier than me, so their kids are all grown up by now so it will just have to be for Flynn — but they will be there with their adult kids and they will show them the ropes.”
Patrick — who recently partnered with WorldMark by Wyndham on a how-to-video in honor of National S’mores Day — also got to film a commercial with his only child, Flynn, who he shares with his wife, Jasmine. “To get to teach my 2.5 year old how to make a s’more was pretty special,” he gushed. “I was worried. I wasn’t sure how he was going to do because he is not even 2.5, he is just over 2, almost 2.5 at this point, but I just wasn’t sure if he was going to be into it — and then he was fascinated by the s’mores and it was completely perfect.”
“He wouldn’t eat it, but I guess that is his mom’s teaching there — not to eat too much sugar, so I am sure he will eat one later on when he gets a little taste — he will want them non-stop I am sure,” he continued.
While Patrick is fairly new to the dad life, he is already seeing the incredible aspects of it. “Everything is a surprise,” he explained. “Luckily, I have a pretty spectacular wife and mother and she does most of the hard work. I am just eye candy and just kind of there to have one once in a while, but I think since 2, it has been a lot of fun because he is really starting to — when he was younger, it was all about mom. I mean, when a baby is born, they are so small and they are so dependent on mom and now that he is growing and walking and running and playing and talking, I think he can start to appreciate maybe some of the good things about me too.”
“He is starting to enjoy me a bit more,” Patrick continued. “I actually got home the other night, it was midnight one night, I was coming back from Chicago for something I was doing there and I wanted to go in — wake him up a little and I leaned over and gave him a little kiss and he like jumped, looked at me and went, ‘oh missed you!’ Gave me a hug and pretty much ripped my heart out, so that was pretty sweet. So, things like that are starting to happen, you know, that is pretty special.”
The former child actor is of course known for his numerous roles that he took on as a kid — and he would have Flynn’s back if he wanted to take the same career route. “I guess I am cautious about it only in the sense of, I would want to know that that is what he wants to do obviously until I do,” Patrick explained. We can’t have a full conversation about it, so I think once he is a little older, it’s something he wants to do, of course I will support it, you know. As long as it’s not driving to the west side in LA in rush hour traffic for an audition, that might have to wait until he’s old enough to drive himself.”
Aside from acting, if there is one thing Patrick can teach his little boy about it’s sports. “I am looking forward to throwing a baseball around, things like that. Just spending time with him as a family and getting to know him as he gets older,” he said. “I am really looking forward to which is also why I think that this partnership is so perfect because it is all about family and you know, being s’mores and around campfires and you know, family trips and family vacations, these are all things that are really important to me.”
“The values that I grew up with — to have a part of your worldwide Worldmark by Wyndham — to have this place that you can go with the family and they are able to cater towards that and to have those moments because I think that is why people love Sandlot so much — because it’s about those moments. It’s about friendship and inclusion and things like that, and sometimes in this fast moving world, we lose sight of it and those are the things that I think are most important — that I want to pass onto my son. Sure, use the iPhone and the iPad once in a while, but please don’t expect to — I don’t need you to be in front of a TV screen for 12 hours a day, you know.”
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