Emily Blunt may have spoken candidly in the past about experiencing “mom guilt” when she has to leave her kids for work, but John Krasinski is proving that the experience extends to dads too.
The actor and filmmaker, 44, appeared on the latest iteration of the podcast Pop Culture Moms, the first dad to feature on the show, ahead of Father’s Day this Sunday.
He spoke about making his latest film, If, as a tribute to his daughters with Emily, 10-year-old Hazel and seven-year-old Violet, to capture and bottle their sense of imagination and wonder.
John was then asked whether he experienced “dad guilt” in the same way Emily experienced “mom guilt,” and he responded: “Yeah, a hundred percent!”
“And the fact that it’s dad guilt versus mom guilt is the beauty of being married to someone like Em,” he said of his wife, 41. “There is no ‘mom’ or ‘dad’ guilt. It’s us, you know, as a family, we’re all in it together.”
He admitted, though, that it does get harder to leave the kids at home to go away for work, as their jobs often do, and they make an effort to speak with their kids and reassure them that they will remain as present as always, even if they’re not, geographically speaking.
© Getty Images“But I will say that it is difficult,” John continued. “And we’ve had many conversations with our kids, first and foremost being that when we have to go away for work, there are some people who don’t geographically go away, but their parents’ jobs take them away till 8 PM or 10 PM or you go on business trips over the weekend.”
“So we’re all in it together, just in different aspects as parents.”
MORE: John Krasinski reveals rare details about two daughters he shares with wife Emily Blunt
He added, though, that he took it as an opportunity to show their children that he and Emily lead their lives doing something they’re passionate about and can have wonderful experiences with, thereby inspiring their daughters.
© Getty Images“When they see why you go away is because it’s something you love, then that’ll inspire them to do the most important thing, I think,” the A Quiet Place star explained.
GALLERY: 8 celebrity couples who prove long-distance relationships work out
“And if you love it, then you get to have experiences like Emily and I get to have, and that would be the biggest bonus of going away all the time for work.” He did celebrate the fact that he got to film most of If in Brooklyn, which is where they live.
© ShutterstockThe Oscar-nominated actress has said in the past that she experiences guilt as well for leaving her daughters for work, and intended to take a break from acting to devote more time to motherhood and being at home.
Speaking of her latest projects on the podcast Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi last year, Emily said: “I had a beautiful time on the projects I did last year. Some were more tense than others, some were harder than others. Some were more time consuming than others.”
© Getty Images“The ones that are time consuming, I think for me are becoming few and further between because of just the emotional cost on me, on the kids, on balance. And I’m very prone to guilt, I think all mothers are. You’re just prone to feeling bad for, god forbid, wanting something outside of being a mother.”
