Jason Ritter admits his late father John Ritter helped him land first acting job

By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

Jason Ritter, the son of the late beloved sitcom icon John Ritter, isn’t afraid to admit his dad helped him land his first acting gig.

The “Parenthood” actor played the role of Acorn in the 1991 animated movie “The Real Story of O Christmas Tree” alongside John Ritter, who starred as Uncle Piney.

“I will say, without any hesitation, that this was a full-on nepotism hire,” Ritter joked while appearing on Thursday’s episode of SiriusXM’s “The Jess Cagle Show.”

Jason Ritter, who was a young child when he began acting, is also credited for appearing alongside his father in the 1990 TV movie “The Dreamer of Oz.”

While he admits that his dad, who died in 2003, “for sure got me the job” on “O Christmas Tree,” he went on to say that he did “try to stay away from that” as his acting career progressed.

Turns out, Jason Ritter went on to have a successful career in Hollywood in his own right.

After starring in iconic thriller movies of the early aughts, such as “Freddy vs. Jason” and “Swimfan,” Jason Ritter went on to star as a series regular on various television shows including “A Million Little Things” and the NBC drama “Parenthood.”

Jason Ritter is a father himself now, sharing a 4-year-old daughter with his wife, “Yellowjackets” star Melanie Lynskey. And while he may have tried to avoid the perception that all of his Hollywood successes are the result of nepotism, he is still taking cues from his father when it comes to parenting.

“The main thing I continue to pass down, which was a huge thing from my dad and mom, is how they always made sure we knew we were loved,” he told “ET Canada” in 2020, adding that “the feeling of being loved, unconditionally, is so important.”

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