Erika Christensen and Sam Jaeger may not have seen ‘Parenthood’ when the movie first came out in 1989, but they are big fans of it now — especially since landing roles in the re-imagined version for the NBC TV series from exec producers Jason Katims, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer.

“It was made 20 years ago, but it is so relevant,” Erika, who plays attorney Julia Braverman-Graham, tells ET. “Even not being a parent, I relate to it so much. It doesn’t turn me off from being a parent, while at the same time, giving me fair warning.”

Sam, who plays Erika’s stay-at-home-husband Joel Graham, says he can relate to the show, because in real life, he comes from a large extended family.

“My mom’s sister married my dad’s brother,” he explains. “There is no incest involved. It creates a huge family dynamic. My cousins look more like me than my sisters do, but it is just this large family where the dinner table is always packed with people, so ‘Parenthood’ feels very comfortable to me. It is the kind of family dynamic I grew up with.”

Not to mention, Sam’s real-life wife Amber Jaeger is expecting a baby next month.

“[Amber] likes it a lot, because there are so many characters on the show, I am home a lot, and I can actually be a stay-at-home dad,” he jokes.

And while Erika is not yet a mom, she says she can relate to her character in some ways: “I will freely admit she is not the best mom. I am pretty easy going, and she is pretty tightly wound. But I am ambitious, I love my job, I love working, and I definitely want to make career and family work. Julia is going through some real trials, and, hopefully, I can learn from her mistakes and be a better mother than she is. But I adore her. I love the relationship that Julia and Joel have. You don’t see too many stay-at-home fathers.”

“Parenthood” airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC.

From ET Online

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