The joys of parenting! David Arquette and wife Christina, who have been working together on the documentary Survivor’s Guide to Prison, opened up to Us Weekly at the L.A. premiere on Tuesday, February 20, about what collaborating professionally was like and how they’re parenting their kids.
“It’s a lot of energy. It’s a lot of sleepless nights. There are a lot of early mornings,” the Scream star told Us about fatherhood. “But it’s really grounded me, and Christina is an incredible mother. All of it has been a real joy.”
Their son Augustus turns 1 on March 8, but the actor said a simple party is all he and his wife have planned. “Once you have a couple kids, you know the first birthday is literally balloons, cake, dig into the cake. That’s all you need,” he told Us. “You don’t go extravagant.”
Motherhood has taught the 36-year-old reporter a lot about patience. “I have two kids, then I have David, then I have three basset hounds. And I have a stepdaughter, so I essentially have a circus full of kids and dogs. My car looks like a clown car,” she told Us. “I get out, and it’s like one person after the next. David loves clowns and puppets, so there are actually puppets in my car as well. It’s no joke. It’s a real test of human nature and how much patience I can have. It’s hard.”
The producer used to have doubts about having children since she was so busy with her career. “You work all the time and don’t think about children. Then when you have kids, it’s literally the greatest,” she gushed to Us. “It’s like what every parent always says: It’s the most rewarding experience you’ll ever have in your life. It’s hard as hell. Kids are growing up in a different generation, with iPhones, and Internet and presidents, it’s all a mess. I hope I’m able to navigate them through life in a beautiful way.”
Arquette shared what it was like working with his wife in the film, which is about inmates who are wrongly convicted. “It was my favorite part, obviously,” he said. “It’s my first time working with her as a producer in the trenches. She is the best producer I have ever worked with. She went to school for journalism at NYU, and has been on this side of the red carpet so many times.”
“She’s just a great producer. I’m just so impressed by it,” the actor continued. “If you’re going to be working, and if you can make it work working with your spouse, it’s a great thing, so then you have more time together.”
The pair make an effort to unwind together with date nights. “Now most of the time it’s like romantic dinner, just getting alone and date night,” the actor told Us. “Just planning it and being able to do it is an accomplishment in itself.”
The couple welcomed son Charlie, now 3, in April 2014 and tied the knot one year later in L.A. The actor, 46, and the entertainment reporter announced that they welcomed their second child together in March 2017. The star also shares daughter Coco, 13, with ex-wife Courteney Cox.
The actor was previously married to the actress for 11 years and separated in October 2010. He spoke about coparenting with the Friends alum, 53, during an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show in February 2014.
“She’s an amazing mother and a dear friend,” he said at the time. “We are great coparenters together.”
Survivor’s Guide to Prison hits theaters on Friday, February 23.
