I am very excited to promote the new movie “Motherhood” starring Uma Thurman, Anthony Edwards and Minnie Driver which is due to hit theaters this month. While I have not previewed this comedy, I did have the opportunity to participate in a conference call with Anthony Edwards (formerly Dr. Mark Greene of ER) to ask questions about his parenting views and hear him speak about his role in the upcoming movie.
Anthony’s character Avery is married to Eliza (played by Uma Thurman) who is a mom blogger and a stay at home mom (SAHM) to two young children. Avery is a good-natured but absent-minded husband who is tuned out to his wife’s conflicts and basic domestic reality.
Anthony apologized for being a few minutes late joining the call because he was taking his daughter’s bike to the shop for a tire repair. It was quite evident how much he cherishes his role as dad in real life which definitely helped him prepare and identify with his character Avery. When asked how he manages his career with four children and chaos, he discussed how his first priority is hanging out with his kids and how thankful he is for his success on ER which has allowed him to spend a lot of time with them.
Anthony was asked “what is the hardest part of being a parent”. He believes the hardest part is reminding yourself you have a lot to learn about it and that it is ok to ask questions and figure out a better way to do things. Parenting doesn’t come with a handbook.
His response to the question “what kind of parent are you” is something many of us can relate to. He tries to be a parent that doesn’t lose his temper. Parenting can be frusterating at times, sometimes you have to take a breath and walk away.
The question “how did it feel to work with so many women in the film and so few men?” was asked. Anthony explained it felt “normal” since he has three daughters and only one son. His house has been nothing but women and “fashion strong opinionated women”. Being on set was like being at the dinner table for him.
A blogger asked whether the movie changed his perception or made him more compassionate about his wife. Anthony shared that his mom ran the household growing up and he has experienced the birth of four children, so he cannot have anything but respect for mothers and that critical role. He explained the movie Motherhood deals with the complexity of being a mother in a funny way.
Lastly, Anthony openly shared that he is training for the New York City Marathon which takes place on November 1. He is helping spearhead the efforts for Shoe4Africa, an organization dedicated to empowering women in Africa through running. They are planning to build the first public children’s hospital in Kenya. 100% charitable donations are accepted via PayPal from the Shoe4Africa website. To learn more about Anthony’s charity, please visit Shoe4Africa.