Ryan Phillippe is looking forward to seeing his son, Deacon, forge his own path in the entertainment industry.
The actor’s 18-year-old son, whom he shares with ex-wife Reese Witherspoon, is making his acting debut in Season Three of “Never Have I Ever,” set to drop Aug. 12. While it might appear as if the teen is following in his parents’ footsteps, Ryan says Deacon is mainly focused on being a musician.
“I am so proud. He’s about to go to college for music. That’s his primary focus,” Ryan told Entertainment Tonight. “The acting thing he likes to do, and he will do according to what his appetite for it is, but his focus is primarily music.”
Last month, it was revealed that Deacon will guest-star as a character named Parker on the Netflix series created by Mindy Kaling. Not much else is known about his role, only that he will appear in the third season’s eighth episode.
During his interview, Ryan couldn’t help but plug his son’s upcoming musical project.
“The music, he’s actually dropping a mixtape this Friday on SoundCloud. It’s incredible,” he said. “I’m so excited for people to hear. It’s really good stuff. I’m super proud.”
On Wednesday, Deacon teased his mixtape on his Instagram.
“Droppin a little project Friday, hope u like it,” he wrote alongside a clip of a song.
Ryan and Reese are also parents to 22-year-old Ava. The “Morning Show” star also shares 9-year-old son Tennessee with husband Jim Toth. Ryan has an 11-year-old daughter named Kai from a previous relationship.
The friendly exes, meanwhile, reunited in June to celebrate Deacon’s “homeschool graduation.” Ryan posted a slideshow on Instagram with him and Reese proudly standing next to the high school graduate.
Reese also shared her own post celebrating her son's major milestone.
“Congrats to you @deaconphillippe on Graduating High School! 💫So proud of the thoughtful, talented, kind & generous young man you have become. You light up our hearts and make us proud everyday. We 🧡you!” she captioned an Instagram slideshow filled with photos of his celebration.
Fans frequently note on Reese and Ryan’s social media how much Ava and Deacon look like their famous parents. Last year, Ryan was quick to note that his son resembles his ex’s family more than him.
“Obviously, there is a father-son resemblance,” Ryan told E! News. “But he actually looks a lot more like Reese’s side of the family. Ava looks more like mine.”
“Quite often, the interpretation in the media is that she looks exactly like her mom and he looks exactly like me, but I think we both feel differently about it,” the “Cruel Intentions” actor said.