Tyler Ritter says his late father John inspired him to become an actor

TORONTO – Tyler Ritter says his late father John “absolutely” inspired him to pursue acting.

The 29-year-old stars in the new comedy “The McCarthys” as the black sheep of a sports-crazed Boston family. But in his real household growing up, he was surrounded by performers: his brother, sister and mother also acted. Even his grandfather, Tex Ritter, was an actor as well as being a country music star.

“I know that my dad growing up was told by his father about how tough it can be and that nobody really makes it. He wanted my dad to be happy. He was a lot about, ‘It’s not a secure job.’ And it isn’t,” said Ritter in a summer interview.

“But these days no job is secure, so you might as well go with what you love doing. And that’s what my dad passed down to me — not the insecurity of the nation’s job situation, but just that if you love it, try it. You have to try it. Because if you don’t try it, even if you take the safe route, the last thing you want to have is a regret.”

“The McCarthys” premieres Thursday on CTV. Ritter plays Ronny, the athletically challenged member of the sports-obsessed family. When he tells his parents he plans to leave Boston, his father hires him as his assistant high school basketball coach — a gig coveted by his older brother Sean (Jimmy Dunn), a former star athlete.

Ritter is clearly following in the footsteps of his father, who got his start on the hit 1970s series “Three’s Company,” by starring in a sitcom. But the young actor said that he tried a few other career paths first.

“I lived in Argentina for a few years and I taught English and did some volunteer work. I got to dabble in a few other realms of life before ultimately coming back. There’s strong genes in there, I guess, that don’t let us go,” he said with a laugh.

Meanwhile Dunn, a standup comedian who hails from Beverly, Mass., said his father gave him very different advice on acting.

“My dad was a house painter, and he told me, ‘Kid, you don’t want to do this. You gotta figure something (else) out.’”

The series also stars Laurie Metcalf of “Roseanne” as Marjorie, the matriarch of the family and Ronny’s self-proclaimed “best friend.” Jack McGee plays Arthur, her husband and father to the four kids. Kelen Coleman and Joey McIntyre round out the sibling roles.

When Ronny comes out as gay — told in a flashback sequence — his parents react by pouring themselves stiff drinks. They continue to wrestle with the particulars of his sexual orientation, but they mean well, said Ritter.

“You see from just the get-go that they’re there, they support me. They just don’t understand it. All the other siblings share so many common interests that the fact that I want to watch a musical or ‘The Good Wife’ is just perplexing,” he said.

Dunn said the family learns more about Ronny’s lifestyle as the show goes on. They’re “learning along with him,” he said.

“I just want my little brother to be happy. If he wants to find a guy, I hope he gets the best guy in the world,” he joked.

For the Massachusetts-born funnyman, the series hits close to home. He said his real family is so similar to the colourful, loud McCarthys that it’s “spooky.”

“Jack McGee, who plays my dad, looks like my dad. This is very authentic Boston. And it’s because it’s based on the guy who wrote the show and created it, Brian Gallivan. It’s based on his family and his real-life story,” he said. “Oh yeah, it’s real.”

Meanwhile Ritter, who has appeared on “Modern Family” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” said his real-life sports skills are slightly better than Ronny’s — although he did have to practise in order to shoot a scene where his character sinks a three-pointer.

Ritter said the McCarthys love each other and want to communicate that, but the only language they have is that of sports.

“I think it makes sense with sports and families that are trying to find ways to communicate feelings and complications they don’t really have the words for. You leave it out on the field. That’s an expression we say. You leave it out on the field, you get some frustrations out.

“And growing up playing sports, that’s where I got my frustrations out. Growing up and becoming a man and not really knowing what is going on around you, you get to go out on the field or play some pick-up basketball and take it out on a complete stranger. It seems civilized to me.”

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