Jack Black Says His Teen Sons 'Want to Get as Far Away from Me as Possible': 'That's Natural'

"I'm not one of those parents that forces them to watch my movies or anything like that," Black tells PEOPLE of Sammy, 16, and Tommy, 14

Jack Black's kids aren't immune to the "embarrassing parent" phase.

The actor and rocker, 53, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue that while his sons Thomas "Tommy" David, 14, and Samuel "Sammy" Jason, 16, "like some of the stuff I do, for the most part, they're teenagers like any teenager: They want to get as far away from me as possible."

That being said, the Super Mario Bros. Movie voice actor knows it's "natural" and "part of the leaving-the-nest instinct" for his boys to want some distance from Dad at the moment.

"I'm not one of those parents that forces them to watch my movies," Black explains. "I'm like, 'They'll discover it later if they want to.' I'm not going to make that an issue, like, 'You need to watch all my films.'"

However, Sammy and Tommy are both "stoked about The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and they're looking forward to coming to that premiere," Black says. "So that should be fun."

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Related:Jack Black Opens Up About What "Surprised" Him Most as a Dad: "How Much I Worry" [Exclusive]

In fact, his kids are the ones who "introduced" Black to Bowser in the first place, as he wasn't previously familiar with the villainous character he voices — or, really, the Mario games much at all — despite being a big fan of the original Nintendo Universe.

"Donkey Kong was such a huge part of my childhood. But my boys first introduced me to Bowser because I didn't even play that until they were playing their Nintendo Switches," he tells PEOPLE. "That's when I really got into Super Mario Bros. with them."

"Bowser was obviously the coolest character in the universe. And when I got the offer, it was an instant no-brainer. Like, 'Yes.' Stoked to play that character," adds the Tenacious D rocker.

And there's one game series in the Mario franchise that he's "pretty darn good at, if I don't say so myself": Mario Kart.

"There is a level above me. I'm not the top crème de la crème," Black admits. "But for the average player, I will clean up. I will win."

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The Kung Fu Panda voice actor also opens up about being part of a musical family, which includes his wife of 17 years: singer and cellist Tanya Haden, who's also the daughter of late jazz legend Charlie Haden.

Asked whether Sammy and Tommy have any musical prowess, Black — who is set to kick off an international tour with his longtime bandmate, Kyle Gass, on May 6 at the Shaky Knees Music Festival in Atlanta — tells PEOPLE, "I always encourage my boys to pursue their musical passions."

"They don't like me to talk about it, though. They don't want me to spill the beans on their adventures in that arena," he adds. "But yeah, I'm very proud of them whenever they flex their creativity muscles."

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is in theaters now.

For more from Black, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

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