United Kingdom, Oct. 11 -- Alessandro Nivola "tried to talk" his son Sam Nivola out of pursuing an acting career.

The Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale star has admitted that he wasn't best pleased when Sam, 22, told him that he was dropping out of Columbia University to try his luck in the acting profession.

Alessandro, who has Sam with his wife Emily Mortimer, told People: "I didn't want him to leave. I tried to talk him out of it and he would have none of it.

"And I think it was really the moment that I just threw up my hands and said, 'Sam, you know, I just want you to be happy', that we really started to get along."

Alessandro has recalled how Sam - who starred in the third season of The White Lotus - dropping out of college was th...