Dads sometimes know best. In time for Father’s Day on June 21 several artists from film, television and music have shared the most valuable lessons from their own dads.
Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman director: "Perseverance and focus. You just have to put one foot in front of the other, figuratively speaking, to get things done and to deal with whatever comes up."
James Taylor, music legend: “Just to be there for your family. I’ve tried to be there as much as possible. If there is a struggle, that’s it, trying to balance family life and life on the road.”
Hugh Jackman, Logan star: "Education. He preached education. And passion, like find whatever you're good at then do everything you can to learn every bit of it, and don't go out into the world until you've studied."
Ashley Campbell, daughter of American singer Glen Campbell, who is battling Alzheimer’s: “We were on tour and it was toward the end of the tour, so he was definitely not as with it. So moments of clarity were very noticeable. He looked at me and said: ‘How’s your music going?’ I, joking, said, ‘It’s going well. I am going to be a superstar.’ Very self-deprecatingly. And he got really serious and he said: ‘Be a super person and the superstar will follow.’ That’s Glen wisdom.”
Connie Nielsen, Hippolyta in Wonder Woman: "My father always said: 'You belong in that room. You can do whatever you want'."
Kate Mara, star of the film Megan Leavey: "The one that I use every day is just a good handshake because in this business, specifically, but I'm sure everybody meets new people on a daily basis, a firm handshake, I think, goes a long way."
Mayim Bialik, co-star of The Big Bang Theory: "He taught me a lot of lessons. My dad had a really big personality, and he was a really gracious person. I don't know if it's a lesson in particular but it was a way that he was. He wasn't afraid to let his big personality show. When he walked into a room you knew it. That's a powerful lesson, to see the presence of a person."
Matt Smith, star of The Crown on Netflix: "My dad said to me very early on: 'It's not the disappointments, son. It's how you get over them'."
Lucy Davis, Etta in Wonder Woman: "One of the things he said to me was, 'If you give, you get. But not if you give to get.' And I love that. And it made you realise that you just have to be the person you want to be just because that's what you want to be, not because you think there's going to be a reward at the end."
* Associated Press
