Steve Martin got candid about his troubled relationship with his father, especially when it came to his career choices.

In his new two-part documentary film STEVE! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Piecesthe actor, 78, opened up about his father, Glenn Martin, and his thoughts on his career.

“I always thought my father was a little embarrassed by me,” said Steve, who served as a narrator in the film. “He couldn’t quite be proud of an unconventional showbiz act that he didn’t quite understand.”

Steve explained, as footage of him interviewing Glenn played on-screen, that once he was in the middle of his career, he learned to use his father’s criticism as motivation.

“By that time, I had been so sort of alienated by my father that negative comments were actually my encouragement.”

Steve’s sister Melinda Dobbs recalled of her brother’s early childhood that he received “no affection” from their father, and instead endured most of his anger and criticism.

To that, the Only Murders in the Building star shared that he only recalls having a happy childhood “outside the house.”

Despite detailing his father’s criticism at 1979’s The Jerkswhere he told a friend that “he’s no Charlie Chaplin,” Steve still has sympathy for his old man.

Steve said that his father was under tremendous “stress” to provide for his family. “You realize what he went through — it’s a life of hopes and dreams,” he said. “I have great sympathy for my father.”

“I like him,” he said of Glenn, who died in 1997.