Enrico Colantoni OF ‘VERONICA MARS’ ON HULU AND CRAVE

As the new “Veronica Mars” episodes play out, how do you view the fatherdaughter relationship between Keith and Veronica, still played by you and Kristen Bell?

I guess the roots of their relationship are still healthy and strong, because she still does have that respect for him. Of course, in a family situation, it doesn’t matter how old or how successful you are; the minute you come home, you just resort to those old roles.

I think I can be bold enough to say that Keith is the smarter of the two as they get older. She’s still involved in things and he’s smart enough to step back, which is what makes him smarter. He just knows, “OK, I know what she’s going to listen to and how she’s going to listen to it. I can’t tell her what to do, so I have to get creative.”

Do you think Keith has developed along with Veronica, or do you feel he still looks at her in the way he always has?

We know Veronica, and like any character you root for, you want her to be happy ... but she is still tortured within herself. And as a dad, you watch someone like that and you’ve got to step back and let them do what they will.

When she was in high school, Keith would smack his forehead and think, “Ugh! I’m an awful father. What am I doing? Why don’t I just get her out of here?” There was a degree of dysfunction in the relationship, I guess ... but now, he’s smacking his forehead for different reasons like, “Is she going to be safe? Is she going to be OK?”