'Switched at Birth' star Lea Thompson: 'My kids are my friends'

"Switched at Birth" actress Lea Thompson recently starred as Rene in the UP Original Movie "My Mother’s Future Husband." In the movie, the former "Back to the Future" star plays a widowed mom whose daughter works to find her a new husband.

Lea recently caught up with Celebrity Baby Scoop about her role in the “romantic and really sweet” movie. The mother to daughters Madelyn, 23, and Zoey, 19, discussed the joys and challenges of working on the "Back to the Future" movies, her daughter Zoey’s acting career and the advice she’s given her along the way.

Q. Considering you have two daughters of your own, can you relate to Rene and her relationship with her daughter Headly?

Yes, I can! It’s very similar in that I’m super close to them. There is always a lot of interesting and intense talk about whether kids should be your friends or not. It’s a very personal thing and it’s all about how you interpret the word ‘friend.’ My kids are my friends. If your interpretation of a friend is someone you go out and drink with, that’s not my interpretation of friend, in this instance. They are my friends in the sense that I really respect them as people, and I always have. I tell them the truth when I think they’re being jerks or whatever. I’m sure I hang around my kids more than they want to hang around me, that’s for sure.

Q. We loved you as Lorraine Baines in the "Back to the Future" movies! Tell us about the joys/challenges of working on that trilogy.

You know, the joy is that it is still so beloved as a movie. It still resonates with people and it’s obvious people got something really profound out of it. The difficult part of it was that it took so long; it took half a year to make each movie. That was hard. The makeup took a long time when they made me look old. It’s really great that new generations, like grandparents, are showing grandkids the movie. It’s really a neat feeling.

Q. Do you still keep in touch with your co-stars, such as Michael J. Fox?

No, we don’t keep in touch, but if I bump into them we get along.

Q. Do you think there would be any chance of a "Back to the Future" reunion show?

We’ll probably get together for a 30th anniversary, but I don’t think we’ll make another movie.

Q. Tell us about your two daughters Madelyn and Zoey.

Maddy is 22 and she is a musician, actress and writer. She’s busy all of the time. She’s making an album right now and she just had a movie come out called "50 to 1." She also wrote a movie called "Fear of Spectacular Men" and I’m trying to gather the money to make that movie. My daughter, Zoey, was just the star of the "Vampire Academy" movie. She’s also auditioning and taking art classes. We’re all going to sing together at a benefit called ‘What A Pair’ on my birthday, May 31, to raise money for breast cancer. We had our first rehearsal [recently] and it was really fun. We’re going to have a great time.

Q. Tell us a bit about your daughter Zoey’s acting career. Did she catch the acting bug quite young? Did you discourage or encourage her to follow that path?

Kind of, but I didn’t let her start acting until she was 15. I couldn’t take driving her around and I just wanted her to be older. They are both really good actresses.  I work with them a lot on their auditions and stuff like that, which is a really fun way to spend time with your kids. It’s fun to have something to do and actually accomplish something.

Q. What advice have you given her along the way?

All kinds of advice. Mostly about ensuring that she enjoys the process and not just the results, because life goes by so fast and it’s important to have a good time working.

Q. What’s up next for you?

I’m shooting season 3b of "Switched at Birth" on ABC Family and I hope to do more directing of these shows. I also hope to direct the movie "Fear of Spectacular Men." I have a small part in the movie "Left Behind," which should come out at the end of summer and I have another movie called "The Trouble with The Truth" on Video On Demand, HULU, Netflix and all of that. I also have another movie called "Ping-Pong Summer" that will come out in the fall.

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