John Owen Lowe and Rob Lowe have a very playful father-son relationship.
Although his father can push his buttons, John Owen told Fox News Digital that the personal and professional relationship he has with his father has grown since working together on the television series.
“Professionally, I would say we found a groove, so we understood how to navigate each other’s behavior on set, which was not something we had ever experienced before,” John Owen said.
Rob and John Owen both star in the Netflix series “Unstable.”
“So, I think there was less frustration in that regard,” he continued. “I won’t speak for him, but I will say for me, and I think that with that sort of additional respect for each other professionally, came some personal respect, just a modicum, just a tiny bit, but, it is very fun working with him. My dad, he is a complete idiot in the best way.”
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“I think he’d be thrilled that I’m saying that. He would take that as a compliment because he knows what I mean. He’s not stupid, but he is a fool,” John Owen added.
John Owen has grown to “respect” his father even more after working with him for over a year on their drama series – but the Brat Pack star still knows how to get under his 29-year-old’s skin.
WATCH: Rob Lowe’s son says he’s a ‘complete idiot in the best way’
John Owen shared that it would be a universal experience for children to “go insane” when working with their parents, and he’s no exception.
“I mean, who wouldn’t go insane working with their parents? It’s like that, you know? I think we all can relate to that in some way and my dad drives me insane,” John Owen said. “He is so annoying. Yeah, I get it. He’s a beloved, you know, person to many. I have unconditional love for him as my father, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say beloved.”
John Owen continued, “This is the least articulate I’ll be, but he’s just annoying. He’s really annoying. He comments on my hair and my clothes and how puffy my eyes are and why there are bags under my eyes in the morning and wants to know why I was up late and what I was doing. He’s nosy, and he wants to know about my personal life and who I’m dating and blah blah blah. He’s annoying.”
The first season of Netflix’s “Unstable” was released in March 2023 and the second season debuted this month.
In the drama series, John Owen plays Jackson, an introverted man who is always compared to his successful father.
WATCH: Rob Lowe’s son has ‘unconditional love’ for Brat Pack dad, but admits he drives him ‘insane’
In the second season, John Owen’s character says, “I’ll never have my own identity and 30 years from now, I could win the Nobel Peace Prize and somebody in the audience is going to say, ‘That guy got help from his dad.’”
John Owen told Fox News Digital that he relates a lot to his on-screen character in that way.
“That was probably one of my favorite lines of the entire show because it’s something that I’ve wrestled with internally my entire life,” John Owen began. “I grapple with that with ‘Unstable.’ You know, I co-created it and executive produce it and wrote it and act on it. And I still have these insecurities that I wouldn’t be there unless it were for Rob, which are technically true.”
He continued, “But I also do know that you can have a door opened for you, but you have to walk through it. The insecurities tend to win out a lot of the time. It just felt very cathartic, very empowering to say that on screen, because I haven’t said that out loud in my real life.”
WATCH: John Owen Lowe relied on therapy to get him through Rob Lowe comparisons
John Owen told Fox News Digital that he could see himself winning an Emmy “15 years from now” and someone from the audience calling him a “f–king Nepo baby.”
When it comes to being compared to Rob, John Owen says “therapy” was what helped him the most during the pivotal years.
“I have a healthy relationship with my family and friends that I get to vent with them and I think also just surrounding yourself with people that you trust, professionally and personally,” John Owen began. “I have a team around me that will tell me if I’m deserving of a compliment and when I’m not. So, that does help you sort of ground your perspective so that you know how to keep a healthy head on your shoulders and not let comments get to you.”
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John Owen added, “Either way, not let your head get too big or too small.”
The 29-year-old actor reflected on his childhood with Fox News Digital and recalled it being “weird” growing up with a famous parent.
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“Rob Lowe loves being Rob Lowe. That’s the truth. He loves it and I think he would tell you that. I think because he had a good perspective about it. He didn’t take it too seriously. I will credit him and my mom in saying that I think I have a good head on my shoulders about the byproducts of success in the entertainment industry, like fame and, and, but it’s weird,” he said.
“Truthfully, it’s weird growing up with a famous parent. It’s strange going to dinners when you’re a kid and people come over and want a photo or an autograph and then getting old enough that people are interested in you as their byproducts,” John Owen continued. “It’s a funky feeling at times, but, you learn how to deal with it, and, it’s never that serious. It’s just not that deep.”
A key part of John Owen’s childhood was his father being known as a “heartthrob.” According to the rising star, Rob being coined with that nickname was “the thing that wakes him up in the morning.”
“That’s what he goes to sleep thinking about is how he can be even more, quote unquote, dreamy or whatever,” John Owen joked. “I think as the son of that, it’s a little haunting at times when you’re in middle school or high school and people want to talk about your handsome father and discuss a shirtless scene, they’ve seen him. That’s never fun, but I know he likes it.”
The second season of “Unstable” is now streaming on Netflix.
