Cuba Gooding Jr. and his kids Mason Gooding and Spencer Gooding arrive at the premiere of “The Amazing Spider-Man” on June 28, 2012 in Westwood, California. Photo:

Cuba Gooding Jr. may be famous for his acting roles in Jerry Maguire and The People v. O.J. Simpson, but he didn’t want his kids — Spencer, Mason and Piper — to immediately follow in his footsteps.

“It’s an adult responsibility to be an actor — it really is,” Cuba told The Press Association in 2007, adding that he would be “horrified” if his 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren wanted to enter the industry at a young age. “They have to grow up and become adults first [before] all of this praise and money and adult responsibility.”

The Selma star and then-wife Sara Kapfer started a family when Spencer was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in 1994. Mason followed in 1996 and Piper joined the Gooding crew in 2005. Cuba and Kapfer split after 20 years of marriage in 2014 — the actor then filed for divorce three years later.

Now, middle 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 Mason is the first to become an actor like his dad, having starred in notable films like Booksmart and Scream 5. Still, Cuba feels that Mason and his siblings have remained grounded.

“A lot of times, celebrities’ kids can get special treatment,” he said on The No Judgement Zone podcast in 2014. Cuba added that he was proud of how he and Kapfer “raised real good kids that” navigate life in the spotlight “pretty well.”

Cuba Gooding Jr. and kids Spencer and Mason during the world premiere of “Superman Returns”.

Spencer Gooding, 30Cuba Gooding Jr.’s son Spencer Gooding.

Cuba Gooding Jr. with sons Mason Gooding and Spencer Gooding at the Los Angeles premiere of “Avatar” on December 16, 2009.

Spencer got his degree in 2018, and his father beamed with pride. “I cried like a little girl,” Cuba told PEOPLE Now of watching his son get his diploma. “And now he’s got this executive position working with a company, so I’m very proud of him.”

Mason Gooding, 29Cuba Gooding Jr.’s son Mason Gooding attends the Loewe Menswear Spring/Summer 2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 24, 2023 in Paris, France.

Though Cuba expressed concern about his kids following him into acting at a young age, Mason eventually got his big break in the HBO comedy Ballers after a short time at New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

“My youngest son Mason just did a stint on Ballers with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as one of the characters in that,” Cuba proudly shared with PEOPLE Now in 2018. “He’s got a new indie movie that he’s starring in, [too.]”

Mason’s acting career only skyrocketed from there, including the Netflix holiday movie Let It Snow, coming-of-age comedy Booksmart and Hulu’s Love, Victor. But one of his biggest achievements came in 2020 when he was announced as part of the cast of Scream 5.

Cuba Gooding Jr. and son Mason Gooding at Madison Square Garden on December 23, 2016 in New York City.

“I couldn’t be more grateful to live in a time in which someone — man, woman, anyone — would feel comfortable speaking about their experiences,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I also love my father, and given who he is and how he raised me, I’m happy to say, nothing I’ve read, heard or had discussed with me has been in line with any way I’ve known him to behave.”

Piper Gooding, 19Cuba Gooding Jr. with his daughter Piper Gooding at the 4th Annual Kidstock Music and Arts Festival on June 6, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.

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