Steve Martin sheds light on strained relationship with Father

Steve Martin recently detailed his relationship with father Glenn Martin and his criticism regarding his career choices.

Talking in his new documentary STEVE! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces, the 8-year-old comedian reflected on his bond with his father and revealed that he thought his dad was a ‘little embarrassed’ by him.

Providing narration to the documentary, he noted, “I always thought my father was a little embarrassed by me. He couldn’t quite be proud of an unconventional showbiz act that he didn’t quite understand.”

Steve also confessed to have found a way to turn his father’s criticism into motivation, during the course of his career.

“By that time, I had been so sort of alienated by my father that negative comments were actually my encouragement”, he added.

The Only Murders In The Building actor also reflected on his childhood while his sister Melinda Dobbs shared that he received the 'shorter end of the stick' when it came to his father’s affection and mostly endured anger.

To this, Steve shared that his only memory of a happy childhood is of being “outside the house”.

The five-time Grammy Award winner also admitted that his career was driven by the need to seek his father’s approval and later took a friend’s advice and communicated everything with his parents.

After this happened he claims to have developed a better understanding of his father because he was visibly under tremendous ‘stress’ to provide for his family.

“You realize what he went through — it’s a life of hopes and dreams. I have great sympathy for my father," he said.

Now though, “I like him”, Steve said as he developed a different opinion of his father who died in 1997.

It is worth mentioning here that the father-of-one had previously highlighted his contentious relationship with his own father Martin in his 2007 book Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life.

In it he revealed that after his father died, people came to him and said, "Your father was so much fun," and he thought, "Really?! Who are they talking about?".

Nonetheless, Steve also talked about his parents' deaths in the book and also admitted to being able to reconnect afterwards.