Oliver Hudson tears up over son Wilder’s ‘Merry Little Ex-Mas’ debut

Oliver Hudson, the American TV mainstay, is gushing over his son Wilder’s movie debut in Netflix’s A Merry Little Ex-Mas.

Speaking to PEOPLE, the actor reflected on his eldest child’s first acting gig in a feature film, noting that Wilder “had never done anything before.”

The 17-year-old “had just finished an acting class outside of school” when he landed the role of Gabriel, the son of Oliver Everett, in the Netflix rom-com, according to Hudson.

Toward the end of A Merry Little Ex-Mas, Wilder’s Gabriel takes center stage with an emotional monologue. “He was super nervous; it was a big speech,” Oliver recalled.

“I’m sitting there listening in the movie, and after his first take, I, for the first time, just started crying. Because I couldn’t believe that this was my son,” he said.

Reflecting on the emotional moment, Oliver shared, “I stepped out of myself a little bit, and I’m like, ‘This is my son who is doing great and who has never done this before. He’s just going headfirst into the fire, and he’s in my world now, and I’m just so proud of him.’”

“I just swelled with this pride that I’d never felt before, and it was overwhelming,” he added. “That was a moment for me that I will never, ever forget.”

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