Malcolm McDowell says teen son Finn never asks for acting advice

Malcolm McDowell is letting his son Finnian "Finn" McDowell carve out his own path in the acting industry.

The Golden Globe and SAG Award nominee, 81, recently revealed that his 18-year-old son Finn has been out there with little input from him.

"In fact, I said, 'Look, do you want me to help you with this audition?' 'No.' 'Okay.' And then he'll go, 'Dad, could you just watch the audition I did?' So I'll watch it. If he asks me, I'll watch it," Malcolm told People Magazine.

The Et Tu star added, "Once they ask, if they ask, I'm happy to do it. But I'm their dad. They don't look at me like I'm this actor who's got 300 credits and has been doing it for 60 years. I'm just dad, and dad doesn't know diddly squat, you know?"

Despite his children’s independence, the veteran actor says he couldn’t be prouder.

"They’ve got to do that. They’ve got to find their own way and do their own thing. That’s just the way it is," he explained.

"And even though they don’t come to me for advice, I totally understand it and step back," McDowell continued.

"But I’m pretty proud of them, because my only advice to all of them is — just make sure you do something in life that you absolutely love. Most people are stuck in jobs that they hate or that they’re just going through the motions, and that’s not living a life for me."

McDowell shares Finn, Beckett, 21, and Seamus, 16, with wife Kelley Kuhr. He is also father to daughter Lilly, 44, and son Charlie, 42, from his previous marriage to actress Mary Steenburgen.