ANDREW MCCARTHY: Life's a JOURNEY

The Brat Pack alum shares thoughts about fatherhood, what he’s learned, and his new travel memoir

- Lucille Barilla

He was among the 1980s’ most successful young actors. A member of the so-called “Brat Pack,” Andrew McCarthy starred in some of the era’s most popular youth-oriented films, including Class, Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero and St. Elmo’s Fire. “It was just like being on a roller coaster,” Andrew, 60, tells Closer. “Most of the time when I opened my eyes, it was thrilling.”

Andrew’s still acting today. He stars in the 2023 thriller Grace Point, available on Prime Video. He’s also a husband, father, travel writer, director and bestselling author. His latest memoir, Walking With Sam: A Father, a Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain, chronicles his one-month trek along the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route with his 21-year-old son, actor Sam McCarthy, in the summer of 2022.

What were you looking for when you started this pilgrimage with your son? 

Just spending quality time together. I found it valuable for him getting to see me not as his dad but as a person, and for me to see him as my son but also as someone existing in the larger world. It really is outside the dynamic of a regular father-and-son relationship. I think we forget as parents that our kids need to see us as people. Sometimes we need to take ourselves down off that pedestal.

As a parent, it can be hard to reveal your insecurities and weaknesses to your child.