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James Denton shares why he believes raising his children outside of Los Angeles ultimately benefited them.
During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, the 63-year-old actor discussed his one-man play “A General’s Prayer,” at the Museum of the Bible, in which he portrays George Washington as he contemplates the next steps in the American Revolution.
He also touched on the reasons he moved from Los Angeles to the Midwest, and the positive effect that move had on his kids’ lives.
The actor noted that he sees his friends’ kids who are growing up in Los Angeles and can “watch the social media impact and the desire to keep up with the other people,” something he doesn’t see in his kids.
Denton shared the positive benefits of moving his children out of Los Angeles at an early age. (Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)
JOSH DUHAMEL SAYS MIDWEST LIFESTYLE ALLOWS HIM TO TEACH KIDS LESSONS THEY CAN’T LEARN IN LA
“Whether it’s the plastic surgery or the nails or the hair or all that. It’s really interesting to me and something my daughter didn’t really go through in the Midwest to that degree. So that was interesting to see. Wow, that is a different culture for kids.”
He continued: “Some parents handle it great and do a wonderful job. But I thought it was easier just to get out of it. And we had a great reason with all the family there. But, L.A. is a tougher place because of, I think just that whole, the emphasis on image, which really is hard to escape in L.A.”
WATCH HERE: JAMES DENTON DIDN’T THINK LOS ANGELES WAS A GOOD PLACE TO RAISE HIS TWO KIDS
Denton famously starred as Mike Delphino on “Desperate Housewives” for eight seasons from 2004 to 2012, telling Fox News Digital he chose to move when the show came to an end because, “it’s not a great place to raise kids.”
The “Good Witch” star shares son Sheppard, 23, and daughter, Malin, 21, who were only 10 and eight years old when Denton and his wife, Erin O’Brien, decided to move.
Denton and his wife chose to move out of Los Angeles when he wrapped up the final season of “Desperate Housewives.” (Matt Petit/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
“Their mom and I were like, ‘Look, all of her family was up in Minnesota, great place to raise kids, in the Midwest, great public schools, let’s get them out of LA. Let them grow up somewhere a little more healthy and then I’ll figure it out,'” he said. “And there’s a good example Providence, whatever. I immediately got a job on the Hallmark Channel in Toronto. So I was only two hours away and I flew home every weekend.”
He explained that now that he has moved back to Los Angeles, he has met a lot of kids who are “fantastic,” but for him, having his kids “around their cousins and grandparents” in their youth, “was a better place for them to grow up.”
WATCH HERE: JAMES DENTON SHARES WHAT GEORGE WASHINGTON WISHES FOR AMERICA WERE
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The actor recently starred in the one-man theatrical experience, “A General’s Prayer,” which explores the role of prayer in some of President George Washington’s toughest moments while leading the colonies during the Revolutionary War.
“It’s set at Valley Forge, the beautiful set with tents, and it even snows,” he shared. “But he was at the end of his rope. I mean, that was when Washington, really did seriously have doubts if we would survive. That’s the all starved, dissolved, dispersed speech which we use. And so it’s interesting to see him that vulnerable because you never get to see it. He’s so stoic and he’s so revered and you never to see that vulnerability. It’s interesting too how he had so many names for God.”
Denton found it interesting to explore Washington’s more vulnerable moments in his new play. (Museum of the Bible)
The play began its run at the World Stage Theater at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., on June 12, and will continue until July 19.
Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence, Denton urges Americans to remember Washington’s words, saying “this play is full of that,” and that probably the last “25% of it is what I wish for this nation.”
WATCH HERE: JAMES DENTON FOUND IT INTERESTING TO DELVE INTO GEORGE WASHINGTON’S VUNERABLE SIDE IN NEW PLAY, ‘A GENERAL’S PRAYER’
“Almost every word of it is taken from Washington’s speeches and written and oral,” he said. “But one thing he says that really sticks with me is that this country be bound by a familial affection. So we’re not characterized by geographical distinctions, northern, southern, western, can all have a unity. That doesn’t enable cunning and unprincipled men to subvert the power of the people.”
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Denton shared what Washington’s hopes for the future of America was. (Museum of the Bible)
He continued. “That’s not a political statement about anything. It’s just a general statement that our leaders have to live up to a certain standard. And if we are united, we can sort of manifest that. So that’s the big one, the geographical thing. He really wanted to pull the country together. And of course, you know, his real aversion to international entanglements. So I would love to hear what he thinks of the MOU, but we’re never gonna know.”
Tickets to the show can be found on the Museum of the Bible website.
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