PETER FACINELLI - NEW DIRECTIONS & A NEW BABY

BALANCING THREE GROWN DAUGHTERS, A 1-YEAR-OLD SON AND A THRIVING CAREER, THE TWILIGHT ALUM REFLECTS ON FATHERHOOD AND TURNING 50

- JACK SMART

Of all the skills Peter Facinelli had to relearn when parenting an infant again, there’s one he had no problem with: “Yes,” he confirms with a smile, “I remember how to change a diaper.”

The star, best known for his roles in the Twilight films and on the acclaimed TV series Nurse Jackie, just celebrated his son Jack’s first birthday and is reflecting on which parts of fatherhood feel like déjà vu. “A lot of people ask, ‘Is it easier because you have three other kids?’” he says, referring to Luca, 26, Lola, 20, and Fiona, 17, his daughters with ex-wife Jennie Garth. “I think each kid is different, and every time you have a kid, you’re growing and learning with them.” So what is Jack, whom he welcomed with his fiancée, actress Lily Anne Harrison, 34, teaching Facinelli? 

“Children always teach patience,” he says. “For me, when you have a kid and they’re crying or screaming, as a parent you take on that emotion because it’s hard not to get stressed out. But it’s really a lesson: If you can keep calm yourself and just be there for them, they’ll take on your energy.”