Malcolm McDowell Says Son Finn, 18, Doesn’t Ask Career Advice (Exclusive)

Malcolm McDowell’s teenage son has no desire to get any career advice from his actor father while carving out his own career path in the entertainment industry.

“He’s just starting, and to see the longing, and also the nervousness of doing it, and getting out for one of the first times, it was really fantastic for me to see it, [but] he doesn’t hear anything from me,” the Golden Globe and SAG Award nominee tells PEOPLE exclusively of son Finnian “Finn” McDowell.

“In fact, I said, ‘Look, do you want me to help you with this audition?’ ‘No.’ ‘Okay.’ And then he’ll go, ‘Dad, could you just watch the audition I did?’ So I’ll watch it. If he asks me, I’ll watch it,” Malcolm continues of the 18-year-old.

“Once they ask, if they ask, I’m happy to do it,” adds the Et Tu star. “But I’m their dad. They don’t look at me like I’m this actor who’s got 300 credits and has been doing it for 60 years. I’m just dad, and dad doesn’t know diddly squat, you know?”

Malcolm shares sons Finn, Beckett, 21, and Seamus, 16, with Kelley Kuhr. He is also a dad to daughter Lilly, 44, and son Charlie, 42, with ex Mary Steenburgen.

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According to Malcolm, he holds no grudges against his kids for making a name for themselves without his guidance.

“They’ve got to do that. They’ve got to find their own way and do their own thing. That’s just the way it is,” he tells PEOPLE.

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And even though his five children don’t rush to him for professional advice, Malcom admits, “I totally understand it and step back.”

“But I’m pretty proud of them, because my only advice to all of them is — just make sure you do something in life that you absolutely love,” continues the proud father. “Most people are stuck in jobs that they hate or that they’re just going through the motions, and that’s not living a life for me. So if there’s anything I can imbue in them, it is that they have to find something that they just love, and I don’t care what it is.”

Et Tu is available to stream and purchase now.