Though Ben’s relationship with Timothy was rocky throughout his youth, the Gone Girl actor came to recognize that the “principal lesson and legacy” of his dad’s life is that he “dramatically improved it” through his sobriety journey.

“Part of being an adult is learning that your parents are just people,” he told People in February 2020. “They’re not perfect. They were just doing their best.”

And though Ben realized that “we expect perfection out of our parents” when we’re kids, he grew to understand his parents better.

“I learned to be able to look at things that I wish were different about my childhood and say they did their best,” he continued. “They were dealing with their own stuff and their own childhood trauma. The goal is to try and break some of these painful cycles.”