Kevin Keegan, Father of Olivia Rose Keegan (Claire)

What was Olivia like as a child?

“She was absolutely adorable and very, very active. If I was holding her, she’d push away and want to get down on the ground, explore things on her own and be independent. We had to chase her around all the time. She was very active and independent from the get-go.”

Is there a famous story about Olivia from when she was little?

“When she was 9 years old, she got off the school bus and looked kind of hot and flustered from riding on it on a summer day. She looked really angry, stomped her foot down, and said in a very exasperated tone, ‘Dad, school is getting in the way of my career!’ It just cracked me up.”

Do you have any special Father’s Day memories of Olivia from her childhood?

“For a couple of years in a row, Olivia and [older sister] Jessica got up and actually made me breakfast in bed. They’d make really sad-looking chocolate chip pancakes. They were dilapidated, misshapen and caved in. But it’s the thought that counts and they made them with all their heart and soul. It was so sweet and really cute.”

When did Olivia first show an interest in performing?

“She used to draw scenes from plays and shows, her favorite scenes and characters. She used to draw fashion, dresses all the time, too. She used to draw a lot about theater arts and talked about it a lot. Then we put her in this play, Charlotte’s Web, when she was 7. Ever since then, she was all about getting into the next play. It was kind of full-speed ahead.”

Did she take the initiative to make an acting career happen?

“At 9 years old, she was telling my wife and me that she wanted an agent. At the time, she was in several community plays. We would look at each other and just kind of roll our eyes. We’d tell her, ‘Maybe in the future. Just enjoy what you’re doing, relax and have fun.’ When Olivia was 10, she

went on the Internet and Googled ‘San Francisco acting agents’, printed an application and filled it out all by herself. Then she came to us and asked us to sign it.”

What was your reaction to Olivia’s choice of acting as a career?

“We were always supportive of it. In the beginning, we just figured we’d give her all the support necessary and, like a lot of kids’ passions, it would just play itself out and maybe turn into something else. Then she became 16, 17, 18 and, to the contrary, it just became more a part of her life. Then she somehow convinced our family of four to move from Northern California to Southern California and take up full-time residence. She indoctrinated us into her career choice over a long period of time, as she became more and more involved.” Do you watch Olivia on DAYS? “All the

time. Every episode.”

Is it hard to watch her playing the demented bad girl?

“It’s actually become very entertaining. I’ve enjoyed the arc of the character, seeing the different shades, and watching her change and develop over time.”

Do you have a favorite role that Olivia has played?

“Claire has been the biggest. I’ve gotten to know that character more than anybody. Right up there with that is when she played Sandy in Grease. That was in San Rafael, a community theater production. Seeing her sing, at a young age, so many of those great Sandy songs onstage, some solo and some with the ensemble, was really fun.”

What’s your relationship like now that Olivia is an adult?

“It’s excellent. It couldn’t be better. We have a really good relationship and are really close.”

Are there any father/daughter things you like to do together?

“We go on hikes. I’m a builder, so we go look at open houses a lot. We go to my job sites. From when she was very little, I used to put her in work boots and bring her to work with me. We cook and eat a lot together, and we go out to eat. We’ve had this long kick of making homemade pizzas on the outdoor barbecue. We sit around and watch all her episodes of DAYS together, too.”

What are you like as a dad? “Pretty over-protective. I give her a lot of freedom, but I also probably hover and am very concerned about her all the time. My nieces and nephews call me Uncle Safety. My two daughters refer to me as that sometimes, too: Dad Safety.”

How does Olivia take after you?

“I think with [her] work ethic. Both of us work a lot and really like what we do.

She was lucky, like me, to be able to find something that she’s really passionate about and enjoys, so work doesn’t seem like work. It’s something you get up every day and like to do.”

What makes you most proud to be Olivia’s dad?

“She’s a really grounded, beautiful human being. She’s got a really good head on her shoulders and her heart is in the right place. She’s stable and really bright, really motivated, and she has a great work ethic.”