Ray Romano Wonders If Sons’ ‘Privilege’ Gave Them a ‘Disadvantage' in Life: ‘They Have 11 Bathrooms’ (Exclusive)

Ray Romano reflects on raising his children and the impact his fame may have had on them.

Sitting down with PEOPLE, the 66-year-old actor discusses the upcoming documentary The Romano twinswhich follows his sons Matt and Greg, now 31, as they open up about life at home in their mid-twenties and managing life with their famous father. The documentary premiered at the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival in Florida in November.

As he talks about the difficulties his sons have faced in finding careers, Ray, who appears in the documentary, says he often thinks about what their lives would have been like if the family hadn’t been in the public eye.

“Sometimes I wonder if we are putting them at a disadvantage by giving them so much?” he says. “Necessity is the mother of invention. If you had to go out and find a passion or a job, would you do it?”

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Ray Romano and his twin sons Matt Romano and Greg Romano attend the 39th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival on November 8, 2024.

Manny Hernandez/Wireimage

Although he sometimes fears that his sons’ failure to launch may be the result of his fame, The Everyone loves Raymond the star looks back at its own trajectory for reassurance. “Look at me, and I lived in a one-bathroom house in Queens, and I stayed in that house until I was 29,” he says. “They have 11 bathrooms, so I don’t expect them to want to move, but that was a problem for me until I found a career in stand-up.”

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Reflecting on their father’s perspective, the twins admit they aren’t sure if their “rut” is related to their upbringing. “There’s no denying that if I had to find a way to put food on the table, I’d have no choice,” says Greg. “Maybe it’s a little easier to be stuck in a rut because I’ve been lucky enough not to have to figure out how to survive every day.”

Matt adds, “We’ll never really know — we’ll never know the answer to that question, but at a certain point we can ask as many times as we want or we can just get the ball rolling and get away with it.”

Greg Romano and Matt Romano in their documentary ‘Romano Twins’.

Courtesy of Matt and Greg Romano

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Now both living independently and Matt married, the twins are working on a film script with their younger brother Joe, 26. (Joe appears in the documentary, along with their mother Anna, 61, and sister Alexandra, 34.) They say their father’s success it makes them believe that they too can succeed.

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“I wondered if I would feel the same way if my dad wasn’t who he was,” Greg admits. “I think it would always be a dream, but him being in business and having connections makes it possible.”

Matt continues, “It’s also a testament to how grateful and privileged we are to be in this position, because we have a father who did this and didn’t have a relationship. To know that things are possible, I think that also comes from this kind of upbringing.”

Ray Romano with his twin sons Matt and Greg.

Mathew Imaging/FilmMagic

While Ray admits he’s wary of his sons pursuing careers in the entertainment industry — “It’s an industry full of failures,” he says — he supports them as long as they follow their passions. “I just want them to know that it doesn’t matter what you do. It’s about finding something you love to do, and that will be the solution,” he says.

He adds, “You should take your privilege and use it to give yourself time to find your passion. The river always wins. Persistence.”

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