Rob Lowe's Son John Owen Says He 'Wanted to Move Far Away' from Acting After Comparisons to His Dad

Angela Andaloro
·2 min read
Men's Health, Rob Lowe's Son John Owen Is Aware — and 'Grateful' — He Got His 'Foot in the Door That Most People Don't'
Men's Health, Rob Lowe's Son John Owen Is Aware — and 'Grateful' — He Got His 'Foot in the Door That Most People Don't'

Mark Williams & Sara Hirakawa for Men’s Health John Owen Lowe and Rob Lowe

Rob Lowe and his son are entering new territory: as costars.

John Owen, 28, is co-creator, co-executive producer, co-writer, and star of Netflix's Unstable, his first time working with his famous father, 58. They play father and son on the show, with John Owen's character described by Men's Health as a "son who rolls his eyes a lot at his father" in their conversation with the Lowes.

"Your parents, no matter who they are, always just bug you. Always. Even when you're an adult," John Owen told the outlet. "Your relationship changes as you get older and your parents become more like your friends — but they still bug you. As they should."

Agreeing, Rob — who is also dad to Matthew, 30, both of whom he shares with wife Sheryl Berkoff — says, "neither one of us could have made this show without the other. I couldn't have gone off and said, 'Hey, I wanna do a father-son show without John Owen.'"

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Men's Health, Rob Lowe's Son John Owen Is Aware — and 'Grateful' — He Got His 'Foot in the Door That Most People Don't'
Men's Health, Rob Lowe's Son John Owen Is Aware — and 'Grateful' — He Got His 'Foot in the Door That Most People Don't'

Mark Williams & Sara Hirakawa for Men’s Health Rob Lowe and John Owen Lowe

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"That's because he can't write," John Owen quipped.

Following somewhat in his dad's footsteps also means accepting the comparisons between them, which was hard for John Owen at first.

"The number of times I got compared to my dad, and the number of times he was brought up in conversation, made me so uncomfortable that I wanted to move as far away from that as possible," John Owen admitted.

Though he did heed his parents' suggestion to try other career paths, the draw to writing "just kept bubbling up," he said.

Men's Health, Rob Lowe's Son John Owen Is Aware — and 'Grateful' — He Got His 'Foot in the Door That Most People Don't'
Men's Health, Rob Lowe's Son John Owen Is Aware — and 'Grateful' — He Got His 'Foot in the Door That Most People Don't'

Mark Williams & Sara Hirakawa for Men’s Health John Owen Lowe and Rob Lowe

As the venture into show business for the children of stars is a much-discussed topic, John Owen offered his take on the idea of being a "nepo baby."

"My take is, there is a healthy conversation in there somewhere. I'm always more than willing—and I think it's important—to acknowledge that I did have opportunities that other people didn't have. I did get that foot in the door that most people don't, and for that I'm grateful," the writer shares.

"And what is also true is that after getting that foot in the door, you do have to prove yourself. There's a difference between children of nepotism who have just been platformed and coasted on that and the ones who have worked hard and care about what they do."