05-07-2025
John Leguizamo Asked Daughter 'What Could I Have Done Better?' as a Dad During Movie They Filmed Together (Exclusive)
John Leguizamo is sharing how he reflected on his relationship with his daughter while the two filmed a movie together
The actor spoke with PEOPLE and shared that he's hoping to "make up" for the lack of fathering in his own life
Leguizamo shares his daughter Allegra and son Lucas with wife Justine MaurerJohn Leguizamo had a moment of reflection with his daughter when they were filming a movie together.
The actor, who is gearing up for the second season premiere of his MSNBC travel series Leguizamo Does America, spoke with PEOPLE ahead of the show's release and reflected on his experience filming a movie with his daughter Allegra, 26. The two appeared in Tin Soldier, which came out in May.
"My best times with her were just walking around Greece together," the proud dad tells PEOPLE. "Walking around with her and talking about life and asking her big, deep questions like, 'What could I have done better?'"
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"You get these moments with your child and you have to try to go a little deeper when you can," he continues. "Obviously, the superficial ones are great too, but sometimes it's good to just ask some deeper questions, and the questions that my father never asked of me, or maybe the good moments that he did go deeper into that resonate with me for the rest of my life. I try to do that with my kids when I can."
The actor went on, candidly admitting that he hopes he's making up for what he didn't have in his life with his own father.
"I didn't have great fathering, so I'm trying to make up for the lack of fathering that I got," Leguizamo says. "And I guess I'm probably overdoing it, because as a reaction, you kind of overdo things, but I prefer to overdo than to under."
Leguizamo shares daughter Allegra and son Lucas, 24, with wife Justine Maurer.
Back in March, the actor opened up about how he felt about his daughter following him into show business. At the time, Leguizamo shared that he's "so proud" of his daughter.
"We did this movie with [Robert] De Niro and Jamie Foxx called Tin Soldier, and she had to hold up a gun to me. She's never held a gun in her life," he told PEOPLE. "She had it pointed at me, and it was a crazy moment. It was our first moment on-screen together, and here she is putting a gun to her dad's face.
In February 2024, Leguizamo gave PEOPLE an update on how he and his wife spend their days now. Maurer lives in Manhattan, where the actor still performs regularly and she sits on boards focusing on city preservation. Together with their children, they still celebrate their blended worldview.
'I never went to a seder in my life until Justine and I had kids. It was so beautiful,' Leguizamo said.
'So we did seders and then Easter. We would do Christmas and Hanukkah. I think it gave them a strong sense of connection to where they come from," he continued. "You start to see that when you have diversity and a mixed marriage, your wealth is doubled. Our kids felt that — and now live that.'
Leguizamo Does America premieres Sunday, July 6, on MSNBC.
Read the original article on People
