Why Actor Chris O’Donnell Loves Father-Daughter Pedicures

Actor Chris O’Donnell confesses to his love of pedicures and borrowing beauty products for his wife. (Photo: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson).

On NCIS: Los Angeles, star Chris O’Donnell is known for playing a hunky, naval criminal investigative officer who is ready to take on the bad guys. In real life, he tries to keep up the action and stay as healthy as possible—after all, the star has five kids. The actor recently teamed up with John Hancock to show others how to get #5MoreNow (years, that is) – encouraging small steps to live longer – like going for routine checkups, eating right, and exercising. “It’s important, as you get older, to make those small choices every day,” he says. For Chris, that means doing yoga and taming his sweet tooth. 

When it comes to grooming, Chris relies on the makeup artists on set who hook him up with eye cream and his wife who makes sure he’s got on sunblock that actually works. “My wife has always got some fancy sunblock I’ve never heard of. It always works better than the junk I buy at the grocery store,” laughs O’Donnell.

Here the father of five talks about the beauty hazing he experienced growing up from his older sisters, and why he’s down for a pedicure with his daughters.

Yahoo Beauty: How do you stay healthy? 

Chris O’Donnell: I have a trainer that I work out with a couple times each week if I can. Historically, I’ve had a bad back, so, yoga has been a real big help for me.

How often are you doing yoga? Do you bring the kids?

My daughter Lily comes with me to yoga. I don’t get there as much as I’d like, probably every other week. I see the trainer a lot more, and worse case: I’ll jump on the treadmill in the basement.

Do you play any sports?

I play a lot of beach volleyball. I play a lot of golf. The biggest challenge, in my life, is finding the time to do it. I work 14 hours a day on a TV show, and I have five kids at home. It’s important to try to find a balance.

Are there any foods that you eat or avoid to stay healthy?

I eat like a fifth grader! I’m joking. My wife is a really good eater. I definitely have a sweet tooth, and I love to eat. I really appreciate good food and wine. I watch myself.

Are you regularly tempted to eat unhealthily?

There are times when you’re on the set, and you’ve been working for eight hours, and you’re exhausted. They bring out the big meatball sandwich platter, and you’re like, “Give me one of those things!” Those little ice cream bars: “Let me have one of those!” While I should wait until I get home and have a light dinner, you just get worn down.

Do you ever borrow or steal beauty products from your wife’s stash? 

She’s got these nice lotions – I don’t even know who makes them! She pays more attention to that stuff than I do.

You have four sisters. Did they ever attempt to give you a makeover growing up?

My sister Angela cut all my hair off when I was about six. I was the guinea pig. It did not look good! A 7-year-old cutting a 6-year-old’s hair is never going to end up good.

What does your grooming regimen entail?

I’m pretty simple about it. I use Dove soap, but there’s a certain type of makeup remover in a little red package. It has Japanese writing on it. They’re the best wipes. I love when the makeup artists put eye creams on me.

How do you define beauty, and how do you explain it to your children?

There’s physical beauty, as soon as you see somebody it’s hard to deny they’re beautiful, but there are so many other attributes to people that determine beauty. It’s their spirit and their heart and their character. There’s so much more to it, and different ways of looking at it.

Do you participate in any beauty rituals with your kids?

I’m a big fan of going with my daughters to get manicures/pedicures and shoulder massages. It’s always a nice day. My daughter Lily is 15 and little Maeve is 7. We’ll sneak uptown. They’ll get their nails painted with little designs on them. I’ll sit there and get a foot massage or get my shoulders rubbed.

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