James Caan’s Son Says His Father Told Him To ‘Stay Away’ From Hollywood

James Caan’s son, Scott Caan, said his father warned him about the “goofy” ways of Hollywood and told him to “stay away from it” when he was younger.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, the 47-year-old actor said that before he even dreamed about having an acting career, the late Hollywood legend tried to steer him away from show business.

“Not until I was a late teen, like 18 or 19 years old,” Scott said of his dad’s advice. “I was always an athlete, and my old man told me that this business was goofy and [to] stay away from it.”

“I would do anything to not go to school, so I had all these different creative ideas,” he added. “Anything to not finish high school and go to college. I sort of got lucky and met a director and ended up on a set somehow.”

Now Scott said he looks back at his Academy Award-winning father’s career advice and remembers him saying things like, “Don’t take it too seriously, but then he also took it very seriously.”

James Caan warned son Scott Caan about Hollywood: A ‘goofy’ business https://t.co/KNbR7Cvba0

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“He always just said, ‘Look, work’s not your life,’ and I think it’s a good lesson,” Caan’s son said. “You gotta be passionate about what you do and love what you do, but, at the same time, it can’t be the most important thing. You’ll die in it.”

Despite his father’s warning, Scott ended up in Hollywood appearing in numerous movies and TV shows like “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Gone In 60 Seconds,” and “Hawaii Five-O.”

He is currently getting ready for the second season of Fox’s “Alert: Missing Persons Unit,” in which he plays Jason Grant.

“Each episode features a heart-pounding, life-or-death search for a missing person headed by detectives Jason Grant and Nikki Batista,” a summary of the show reads. “Jason and Nikki, once married, have a very personal connection to these cases as their own young son went missing and was never found.”

“The emotional toll of their son’s disappearance blew up their marriage, but even though they’ve moved on, their bond remains,” it added.

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James Caan became a legend on the big screen after landing his breakout role as Sonny Corleone in “The Godfather” in 1972. The role earned him an Academy Award and sparked a long career in Hollywood. 

Caan died in 2022 from a heart attack and coronary artery disease at the age of 82, as previously reported.