Steve Martin Says He Thought His Dad Was 'a Little Embarrassed' by Him

Steve Martin reflects on his difficult relationship with his father.

In his new two-part documentary on Apple TV+ — STEVE! (Martin) Documentary in 2 parts — that Just the murders in the building star, 78, opened up about how his father, Glenn Martin, viewed his career choice.

I always thought my father was a little embarrassed for me, said Steve, who was the narrator in the film. “He couldn’t be proud of an unconventional showbiz act he didn’t quite understand.”

The Father of the bride Starr said that by the middle of his career he had learned to use his father’s criticism as motivation. “By this time, my father was so estranged from me that the negative comments were actually an encouragement to me,” he explained via footage of himself behind the camera, interviewing Glenn.

Steve Martin.

Apple TV

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When speaking about her early childhood at the beginning of the film, Steve’s sister Melinda Dobbs recalled that her brother received “no affection” from their father, and instead endured most of his anger and criticism.

Steve recalled a happy childhood – but only “outside the house”.

His friend, musician John McEuen, recalled seeing Glenn criticize his son backstage one night after a performance. When Steve walked into the room, McEuen recalled, his father said, “You know what was wrong with that show?”

“Anyway, I snuck out. Because there was nothing wrong with that show,” McEuen said.

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Young Steve Martin plays the banjo.

Apple TV

Glenn did not hold back from criticizing Steve at industry events such as premieres of films in which his son starred.

At the premiere in 1979 Moron, which also starred Bernadette Peters, Steve recalled how his father was relatively quiet at the end of the film. But at a dinner afterward, when a friend of Steve’s urged him to consider his son’s performance, Glenn said, “Well, he’s not Charlie Chaplin,” Steve recalled in the second part of the film.

Selena Gomez and Steve Martin at the AFI Awards Luncheon on January 12, 2024.

Frazer Harrison/Getty

Towards the end of the film, Steve admits that much of his career has been driven by the need to have his father’s approval.

The actor told how later in life he listened to a friend’s advice to tell his parents everything they needed before they died, and he never had the chance again.

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He understood his father better and realized that he was under tremendous “stress” to provide for his family. “You realize what he’s been through — it’s a life full of hopes and dreams,” he said. – I have great sympathy for my father.

These days, Steve said, he has a different opinion of his father than he did most of his life.

“I like him,” the comedian said of Glenn, who died in 1997.

STEVE! (Martin) Documentary in 2 parts is now available to stream on Apple TV+

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Source: HIS Education