Owen Wilson's sons already "gang up" on him.

Owen Wilson

Owen Wilson

The 'Cars 3' actor thinks he's well prepared for dealing with six-year-old Ford and three-year-old Finn when they become teenagers because they're not afraid to challenge him or express their opinions.

Owen - who has Ford with ex-girlfriend Jade Duell, and Finn with his former personal trainer Caroline Lindqvist - told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres: "Anything Ford says is just the funniest thing ever. And I can make a joke and it's, like, crickets. It's like nothing from those guys."

"Sometimes it feels more like I'm already seeing how they're going to be as teenagers where they're sort of ganging up on me.

"We went to Sequoia National Park and they have the biggest tree in the world. Ford's like, 'I've seen bigger.' I'm like, 'Well no, Ford, actually you haven't seen bigger, this is the biggest tree in the world. He's like, 'If you say so.'

"And I'm like, 'No, it's not if I say so, there's the plaque right here,' and he's like, 'I can't read.' "

But while Owen's sons don't find him funny, they're pleased he's reprised his voice role as Lightning McQueen in 'Cars 3'.

He said: "I think they get excited, I get some street cred with their classmates and stuff, though you'll get one classmate like, 'Oh I thought Lightning McQueen would be taller.' "

The 48-year-old actor doesn't think he's as "easy-going" as his parents were when he was a child, but thinks that's more to do with times changing than him being particularly strict.

Asked if he's a strict dad, he said: "I'm sort-of, I'm not as easy-going as my parents were, but no one is as easy going as parents in the 70s when there was no seatbelts and stuff.

"Now you wouldn't dream of going anywhere without your car seat, it was just a different time, no sunscreen or bike helmets.

"My parents would drop you off at the pool in the morning and pick you up at the end of the day. You'd be burned like a lobster and they'd be like 'Oh you've got great colour, you look so good.' "

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