James Marsden is letting the world in on his kids’ thoughts and feelings toward his Hollywood career, and it’s fair to say that the way we see The Notebook actor is not how his kids view him.

During a conversation with PEOPLE at Saturday’s Directors Guild of America Awards, Marsden joked, “My kids have always been, in the best way, kind of wonderfully underwhelmed with what I do.” He continued, “They think it’s cool and they’re proud of me, but… I’m Dad. They like me to be Dad.”