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

Actor Sam McCarthy, now starring in the Goosebumps: The Vanishing series, might be the son of ’80s superstar Andrew 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 like St. Elmo’s Fire, Pretty in Pink, and Less Than Zero. (He also recently directed the documentary Brats, about being part of the infamous “Brat Pack” in the ’80s.)

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

“I took two years off after Dead to Me to go to drama school, and Goosebumps is 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’m gunning to 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.”

Which is why he was thrilled to be part of the new Goosebumps: 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 stars David Schwimmer as 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 to Wednesday.”

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

As for what’s next after Goosebumps, 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.”

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Goosebumps: The Vanishing is streaming now on Disney+.