Milo Ventimiglia is starring in the new Netflix holiday movie A Dog’s Perfect Christmas.
The Gilmore Girls alum opened up to Good Housekeeping about his latest role and how he’s tapping into fatherhood.
Milo has a daughter, Ke’ala, born in January 2025, and a son, Rock-Anthony, born in June 2026, with his wife, Jarah Mariano.
Milo Ventimiglia is officially in his dad era—and he’s bringing it to work, too.
The Gilmore Girls alum famously played Jack Pearson, a TV dad, on This Is Us. Back then, he wasn’t a dad himself yet. Now, he’s a father in real life and playing one again in A Dog’s Perfect Christmas, out on November 4 on Netflix.
In the film, Milo plays Hunter Goss, a dad trying to balance his workaholic ways while helping his family (and pets!) through a personal crisis during the holidays. In real life, Milo is also a family man, raising daughter Ke’ala, born in January 2025, and son Rock-Anthony, born in June 2026, with his wife, Jarah Mariano. And as he told Good Housekeeping, he’s excited to bring this new chapter of his personal life to his career.
“It's kind of fun,” he told us over Zoom. “I did it for, you know, several years on This Is Us and kind of other random jobs and movies and everything. But I'm nearly 50, and I'm now a dad. It makes sense to step into that dad role and whatnot. And who doesn't love a dad with puppies and dogs?”
While he notes that he tries to achieve a “balance of realism” as an actor, he’s big on making sure his characters can stand on their own before digging into his real-life experiences.
“I wouldn't completely rip my own experience from my own life, and I don't know that I have to have had a parallel experience to what Hunter has,” he noted. “But I think, kind of subconsciously, it helps and it works. For me, it’s really just figuring out who these men are that I play, and then just letting them live. While I try not to really plug myself into it, I can't get away from who I am. So there's just going to be notes and beats of who I am in guys like Hunter.”
He also appreciates that it’s a family-friendly movie.
“I think it will be nice at some point for my kids to go back and watch what Dad does,” he said. “I think we’re still a long way away from that, but I’m sure when I’m 65, my daughter will be like, ‘This is great.’ I’m excited for that.”
We’re excited to watch!
