Goosebumps' Sam McCarthy Believes He Would've Become an Actor Even If His Dad Wasn't Andrew McCarthy (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Sam McCarthy.Photo:Unique Nicole/FilmMagicActorSam McCarthy, now starring in theGoosebumps: The Vanishingseries, might be the son of ’80s superstarAndrew McCarthy, but he says it was inevitable he’d have a career in the arts — regardless of what his father did.“I suppose there’s that ‘sins of the father’ thing where I don’t like to say I’m following in my dad’s footsteps,” Sam, 22, tells PEOPLE with a laugh.“But I do think I’d probably still be an actor, just from the way I grew up. I was raised in two different households where everybody in one way or another was interested in drama,” he adds. “I was that kid who did improvisation games for fun. Theater has been around me my whole life.“The actor’s mom is actress and playwright Carol Schneider, who was married to Andrew between 1999 and 2005. His step-father, Joe Cacaci, is a screenwriter who teaches film studies at Wesleyan.His dad, of course, rose to fame in his early 20s starring in movies likeSt. Elmo’s Fire,Pretty in Pink,andLess Than Zero. (He also recently directed the documentaryBrats,about being partof theinfamous “Brat Pack"in the ’80s.)Andrew McCarthy (left) and Sam McCarthy attend the ‘Dead To Me’ season 3 premiere in November 2022.Charley Gallay/Getty ImagesBut Sam, who also starred inDead to Meas Christina Applegate’s son Charlie Harding, says he’s enjoying finding his own footing in the performing arts world.“I took two years off afterDead to Meto go to drama school, andGoosebumpsis the first thing I’ve done since graduating,” he explains, noting that he’s OK not having the overwhelming fame his dad had at the same age.“I wouldn’t say I’mgunningto be swarmed at the mall like he was,” he says laughing. “Then again, I obviously do like attention in some capacity — I love being on camera, and if I’m telling a joke at dinner I’m of course happy when everyone laughs at it. I just want to work in as many things that I think are good, with people I respect, as much as possible.“Sam McCarthy in ‘Goosebumps’.Disney +Which is why he was thrilled to be part of the newGoosebumps: The Vanishing,a supernatural thriller that follows a group of teens investigating the cold case disappearance of two teenagers in 1994. The show, which is out Friday on Disney +, also starsDavid Schwimmeras his onscreen dad.“It was so much fun to shoot,” he recalls of the series, noting that it’s “the kind of show the whole family can watch together, similar toWednesday.““It’s definitely not as scary asStranger Things.My younger brother, who is 11, can watch it,” he adds.From left: Sam McCarthy, Jayden Bartels and David Schwimmer in ‘Goosebumps’.Disney +As for what’s next afterGoosebumps, Sam says he’s taking things as they come.And as for having a famous dad? It didn’t really register.“It was perfectly normal,” he says. “By the time I came around, he wasn’t getting swamped at the mall anymore. But every kid thinks their dad is a superhero, and I was no different.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Goosebumps: The Vanishingis streaming now on Disney+.

Sam McCarthy.Photo:Unique Nicole/FilmMagic

Unique Nicole/FilmMagic

ActorSam McCarthy, now starring in theGoosebumps: The Vanishingseries, might be the son of ’80s superstarAndrew McCarthy, but he says it was inevitable he’d have a career in the arts — regardless of what his father did.“I suppose there’s that ‘sins of the father’ thing where I don’t like to say I’m following in my dad’s footsteps,” Sam, 22, tells PEOPLE with a laugh.“But I do think I’d probably still be an actor, just from the way I grew up. I was raised in two different households where everybody in one way or another was interested in drama,” he adds. “I was that kid who did improvisation games for fun. Theater has been around me my whole life.“The actor’s mom is actress and playwright Carol Schneider, who was married to Andrew between 1999 and 2005. His step-father, Joe Cacaci, is a screenwriter who teaches film studies at Wesleyan.His dad, of course, rose to fame in his early 20s starring in movies likeSt. Elmo’s Fire,Pretty in Pink,andLess Than Zero. (He also recently directed the documentaryBrats,about being partof theinfamous “Brat Pack"in the ’80s.)Andrew McCarthy (left) and Sam McCarthy attend the ‘Dead To Me’ season 3 premiere in November 2022.Charley Gallay/Getty ImagesBut Sam, who also starred inDead to Meas Christina Applegate’s son Charlie Harding, says he’s enjoying finding his own footing in the performing arts world.“I took two years off afterDead to Meto go to drama school, andGoosebumpsis the first thing I’ve done since graduating,” he explains, noting that he’s OK not having the overwhelming fame his dad had at the same age.“I wouldn’t say I’mgunningto be swarmed at the mall like he was,” he says laughing. “Then again, I obviously do like attention in some capacity — I love being on camera, and if I’m telling a joke at dinner I’m of course happy when everyone laughs at it. I just want to work in as many things that I think are good, with people I respect, as much as possible.“Sam McCarthy in ‘Goosebumps’.Disney +Which is why he was thrilled to be part of the newGoosebumps: The Vanishing,a supernatural thriller that follows a group of teens investigating the cold case disappearance of two teenagers in 1994. The show, which is out Friday on Disney +, also starsDavid Schwimmeras his onscreen dad.“It was so much fun to shoot,” he recalls of the series, noting that it’s “the kind of show the whole family can watch together, similar toWednesday.““It’s definitely not as scary asStranger Things.My younger brother, who is 11, can watch it,” he adds.From left: Sam McCarthy, Jayden Bartels and David Schwimmer in ‘Goosebumps’.Disney +As for what’s next afterGoosebumps, Sam says he’s taking things as they come.And as for having a famous dad? It didn’t really register.“It was perfectly normal,” he says. “By the time I came around, he wasn’t getting swamped at the mall anymore. But every kid thinks their dad is a superhero, and I was no different.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Goosebumps: The Vanishingis streaming now on Disney+.

ActorSam McCarthy, now starring in theGoosebumps: The Vanishingseries, might be the son of ’80s superstarAndrew McCarthy, but he says it was inevitable he’d have a career in the arts — regardless of what his father did.

“I suppose there’s that ‘sins of the father’ thing where I don’t like to say I’m following in my dad’s footsteps,” Sam, 22, tells PEOPLE with a laugh.

“But I do think I’d probably still be an actor, just from the way I grew up. I was raised in two different households where everybody in one way or another was interested in drama,” he adds. “I was that kid who did improvisation games for fun. Theater has been around me my whole life.”

The actor’s mom is actress and playwright Carol Schneider, who was married to Andrew between 1999 and 2005. His step-father, Joe Cacaci, is a screenwriter who teaches film studies at Wesleyan.

His dad, of course, rose to fame in his early 20s starring in movies likeSt. Elmo’s Fire,Pretty in Pink,andLess Than Zero. (He also recently directed the documentaryBrats,about being partof theinfamous “Brat Pack"in the ’80s.)

Andrew McCarthy (left) and Sam McCarthy attend the ‘Dead To Me’ season 3 premiere in November 2022.Charley Gallay/Getty Images

Charley Gallay/Getty Images

But Sam, who also starred inDead to Meas Christina Applegate’s son Charlie Harding, says he’s enjoying finding his own footing in the performing arts world.

“I took two years off afterDead to Meto go to drama school, andGoosebumpsis the first thing I’ve done since graduating,” he explains, noting that he’s OK not having the overwhelming fame his dad had at the same age.

“I wouldn’t say I’mgunningto be swarmed at the mall like he was,” he says laughing. “Then again, I obviously do like attention in some capacity — I love being on camera, and if I’m telling a joke at dinner I’m of course happy when everyone laughs at it. I just want to work in as many things that I think are good, with people I respect, as much as possible.”

Sam McCarthy in ‘Goosebumps’.Disney +

Disney +

Which is why he was thrilled to be part of the newGoosebumps: The Vanishing,a supernatural thriller that follows a group of teens investigating the cold case disappearance of two teenagers in 1994. The show, which is out Friday on Disney +, also starsDavid Schwimmeras his onscreen dad.

“It was so much fun to shoot,” he recalls of the series, noting that it’s “the kind of show the whole family can watch together, similar toWednesday.”

“It’s definitely not as scary asStranger Things.My younger brother, who is 11, can watch it,” he adds.

From left: Sam McCarthy, Jayden Bartels and David Schwimmer in ‘Goosebumps’.Disney +

As for what’s next afterGoosebumps, Sam says he’s taking things as they come.

And as for having a famous dad? It didn’t really register.

“It was perfectly normal,” he says. “By the time I came around, he wasn’t getting swamped at the mall anymore. But every kid thinks their dad is a superhero, and I was no different.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Goosebumps: The Vanishingis streaming now on Disney+.

source: people.com