After 4 sons, Heaton a wiser mother now
LOS ANGELES — Patricia Heaton, producer and star of “Mom’s Night Out,” says there are four people in her household who don’t care if Mom needs a night out. They are her four sons. “The other day I invited all of them to come to the premiere, and my own sons were like, ‘Ummmmm, no.’ They don’t even watch my show,” she reports. “I said, ‘Sit down and watch it.’ I hear the standard teenage reply. Silence. Followed by, ‘Ummmm, no.’ ”
She’s not above playing the guilt card. “I said to my boys, ‘You need to watch my show. What do you think is paying for everything in this house? Just pretend to be interested!’ ”
All these years after she loved Raymond, Heaton remains an upfront mother who doesn’t hold back. These days she’s juggling life on the ABC hit “The Middle” with the movie, opening Friday. She plays the harried wife of the town’s preacher, while “Grey’s Anatomy’s” Sarah Drew is a mom blogger who also needs a little R&R.
For the 56-year-old Ohio native who spent nine seasons on “Everybody Loves Raymond,” life on the big screen offered some nice twists.
Q. What was it about this script that made you and your husband come on board as producers, too?
A. My husband and I wanted to be involved in a way that went beyond me just acting in this project. We wanted to massage the script and give something more to my character Sondra. She’s the preacher’s wife, and I wanted to know about her inner life and her struggles. I did research on preacher’s wives, and the No. 1 word they use to describe themselves is lonely. Their husband gets to be the star. They’re doing all of this work behind the scenes. Everyone comes to them for advice, but they can’t go to anyone and say, “My husband is driving me crazy.” When she’s invited out, she’s so grateful. No one ever invites the preacher’s wife for a night on the town.
Q. Do your boys think you’re a cool mom?
A. Please! My boys don’t utter a word to me. Several of my friends have daughters, and it’s worse. They fight, so I’d rather have boys. It is very nice to have a pretend TV daughter on “The Middle.” I’m paid to be her mother for four weeks, and then I get a break and go back to my silent boys. Also, I’m not really responsible for her.
Q. I’m sure you’re asked for mom advice all of the time. What’s your best tip?
A. I wish I would have been more present when they were little. In fact, I wish I would have hired a professional videographer, because I can’t honestly remember anything from the early days.
Q. What is the biggest mistake you think moms make these days?
A. We do too many activities — Mommy & Me and Singing in the Womb. Who cares if your child can speak French by the time you give birth to him? My 3-year-old was in a body cast because I put him in freaking gymnastics. Why did I put him in gymnastics? So he could break his leg?
Q. Any other dumb stuff you did? It makes moms feel better to hear it from someone on TV!
A. We wasted so much money on big family vacations when the boys were little. They don’t remember one minute of it. Basically, we were exhausted because as adults you spend a lot of money to take all of your crap and your kids just to sit in a hotel that’s too pricy, and then you go back home again. I wish we just did local trips when they were young and that my husband and I got away once in awhile. Oh yeah, don’t forget your husband!