Actor Jerry O'Connell, now starring in "Carter" on WGN America, has been making audiences laugh since his breakout role at age 11 in the 1987 Rob Reiner classic "Stand By Me." At the time, O'Connell's father told him the little indie film would never be released, the actor tells SalonTV. That all changed when he later heard fans talking about it a Chinese food restaurant in Greenwich Village. O'Connell joined "Salon Talks" to look back on his nostalgic New York City roots and how his role on the new series "Carter" has informed his parenting a bit and changed how he views himself.

"Carter," a comedic take on the classic detective show, premieres August 7 on WGN America at 10 p.m. ET. "It's been a lot of fun to make," O'Connell told SalonTV's Alli Joseph. "It's about a guy who plays a cop on a pretty cheesy television show in Hollywood, a guy who takes himself a little too seriously, who has a chip on his shoulder. He moves back to his hometown where he thinks because he plays a cop on TV, he can tell the police how to do their job."

O'Connell references his character Carter, who is quite vain, when talking about the life lessons that he's learned from his nine-year-old twin daughters. Parenthood, O'Connell says, has taught him to let go of vanity. "I don't want my children to see me behaving like that. It's been good in not being so obsessed with myself."

Watch the full interview above to learn about O'Connell's early years growing up in 1980s New York City and why he says it's the most intimidating city in the world. Plus, O'Connell opens up about his wife Rebecca Romijn's crazy love for pet adoption and their obsession with "Real Housewives" shows on Bravo, which has led O'Connell to his next project, a highlight show called "Bravo's Play by Play" which O'Connell calls " a 'SportsCenter' for Bravo highlights."