The ‘Chicago Med’ actor, who last returned to Broadway in ‘The Shark Is Broken,’ opens up to PEOPLE about juggling acting with his parenting duties
Colin Donnell loves life as a father-of-two.
The Chicago Med alum, 41, tells PEOPLE that his family life is “the best,” raving about his two daughters, Cecily, 3, and 7-month-old Lorelai, whom he shares with wife and fellow actor Patti Murin.
“They’re just the greatest,” gushes Donnell, who wrapped up his run in Broadway’s The Shark Is Broken earlier this month. “I cannot imagine my life anymore without being a dad. It’s just.. they’re my world.”
“It sounds cliché to say, but parenthood changed everything for me, it really has,” Donnell adds. “Putting it into the context of work, especially, it’s made me take things simultaneously more seriously and less seriously because on the one hand, I see what I need to do and the type of work that I should be doing to be able to provide for them.”
At the same time, though, the actor feels like a weight has been taken off his shoulders when it comes to his career — because now, there are people at home who matter far more.
“In a much more freeing way, it doesn’t really matter,” he explains. “Auditions come around and we get it done and we forget about it, because somebody [has to be] picked up from daycare or dinner has to be made. It reminds you daily about what really matters.”
Seeing his kids grow in front of his eyes has been “powerful” for Donnell, especially watching his 3-year-old is transitioning into life as a sibling.
“Cecily is the best big sister,” he says. “Thank God she loves Lorelai and wants to hold her and read to her. And it’s especially nice now that Lorelai is becoming more aware of her, now that Cecily can make her laugh — she laughs in those baby giggles and it’s awesome. They’re so sweet.’
“Lorelai may be still in the blob phase, but she’s getting more and more personality every day now,” he jokes. “It’s just so fun to see the little girl she’s already becoming.”
In August, the Chicago Med star returned to the Broadway stage to star in a limited-run of The Shark is Broken, a play that pokes fun at speculative behind-the-scenes moments during the filming of 1975’s Jaws.
Donnell says he was keeping his “fingers crossed” on getting the role “because getting to do a play on Broadway was one of those bucket list items.” But notes that juggling the play and his family life has been a lot, especially when he had to get in shape for the play’s big Speedo scene.
Related: Colin Donnell on Stripping Down for Broadway’s The Shark Is Broken: ‘The Gym Was My Friend’ (Exclusive)
“Thankfully, my wife [Patti Murin] was so supportive of me; I’d be totally remiss if I didn’t shout her out from the rooftops,” he says, adding that his new responsibilities meant he needed to be on a stricter schedule so he could help with getting his daughters ready in the morning and Cecily off to school. “The fact that she was able to hold it down and give me the space to do what I needed to do and focus on the work was just incredible. So I have to give credit where credit is due because her help was everything.”
“She’s just f—— awesome,” he says.
Overall, becoming a father has made a profound impact not just on Donnell’s everyday life — but on his way of life, too.
“It shifted the perspective and shifted the focus from being — Patti will attest to this — I’m a bit of a workaholic, because I love it and I love what I do,” he admits. “Being a dad doesn’t allow for as much of that, and that’s really a good thing for me.”
And now that The Shark Is Broken is wrapped, and the holidays are now over, Donnell is looking forward to creating those special memories with his family.
“We love the holidays in our house,” Donnell says. “Christmas especially, for us it’s really about soaking up all the time together and just enjoying every bit of it that we can.”
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