Film director Charlie McDowell, whose latest film The Summer Book is receiving rave reviews, has revealed he does not show his famous family his work until it is already out in the world and "there is nothing I can do about it."
The 43-year-old, married to Emily in Paris star Lily Collins, has a rich showbiz heritage. His father is acclaimed actor Malcolm McDowell, his mother is actress Mary Steenburgen, his sister is actress and interior designer Lilly McDowell, his stepfather is Cheers legend Ted Danson, and his father-in-law is music legend and actor Phil Collins.
Family Critique Comes Too Late
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk via Zoom from his home, he laughed, "I'm someone who doesn't show them anything until it's done. So if they do have a critique of it, there's nothing I can do about it at that point."
That is not to say he does not respect his heritage. "I think it certainly shaped who I am as an artist, of course, and I've learned so much over the years from them. But I don't have the relationship where I bring them into the process. I'm kind of off in my career and I have been working for over a decade," he continued. "So I think [now] it's more like sharing it with them in a way of like: 'Okay, this is what I created now, and I spent the last couple years of my life on. I hope you enjoy it,' instead of like getting notes along the way."
One Exception: His Wife
There is one exception to this, he admits. "Of course, it's different with my wife because she lives and breathes what I live and breathe, and so she goes through a communal experience, as do I with her. But I think it's more of an amazing thing to be surrounded by creatives, and also something that's exciting to pass along to our daughter. That there's so many creative people around you, you can think of anything, you can dream of anything, because the people around you have done that."
Charlie, who welcomed his daughter with Lily in 2025, has been steadily building a name for himself since his directorial debut with the romantic thriller The One I Love in 2014. He has since written and directed the Netflix drama films The Discovery (2017) and Windfall (2022).
Making a More Thoughtful Movie
His latest film The Summer Book stars eight-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close and is a gentle, moving adaptation of Tove Jansson's 1972 novel of the same name, exploring the nature and effect of grief on a family. It has received rave reviews, and he admitted he consciously wanted to make a more thoughtful movie. "I'm sort of terrified by how quickly we're moving forward as humans with this digital world and how quickly we adapt and experience things, and so I really wanted to make something that reminded people of a simpler time, a simpler life, and a time that you could slow down and actually observe," he smiled. The Summer Book is in cinemas now.
