Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan's Son Jack Quaid Knows "The Way That I Grew Up Was Not Normal"

The 23-year-old actor reflects on growing up as the son of two major Hollywood movie stars

The year was 2001. Jack Quaid was 8 years old and his parents—arguably two of the most recognizable actors in Hollywood—had just finalized their divorce. 

As the only child of the former celebrity pair, 23-year-old Quaid reflects on his childhood as the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan as anything but ordinary. 

"I acknowledge fully that the way that I grew up was not normal," he acknowledged during an interview on the Allegedly with Theo Von & Matthew Cole Weiss podcast. 

However, despite his famous upbringing, Jack maintains he didn't feel like he was living under a stranger's roof. 

"Despite what my parents do, they're still a mom and a dad," he added. "They're not like their characters at the dinner table."

However, much like any other child, Jack says he wasn't oblivious to his parents' split regardless of his young age. 

"You're old enough to know what's going on, but young enough to be kind of naïve about it. It's a whole deal," he said. 

While his parents' breakup happened early, being the only child of two movie stars taught him one very important skill. 

"I kind of know who is a bulls--t artist immediately," he said. 

As the spitting image of his father, the young actor-who has since forged his own film career with roles in The Hunger Games and HBO's Vinyl-undoubtedly fields comparisons in the industry to his parents. However, he isn't bothered by his lineage. Instead, he celebrates it.  

"It's not that I want to escape from it," he admitted. "I'm a huge fan of both of their work."

While he's thankful to have built a film career in his own right, Jack realizes the intrigue of his gene pool is unavoidable. 

"I also get that it's interesting. People ask me about it all the time and it's one of those things...I get it," he said. "I understand."

Quaid would like to make one thing clear—he's not in this business to be a copycat of his mom and dad. In fact, Dennis and Meg wouldn't even let him audition for a film until he was 18 years old. 

"If I had just parents that weren't actors, I would still be over the moon to have this job."