Jeffrey Dean Morgan Says Son Is ‘Ready’ to Drop Out of School to Pursue Acting — Here’s Why He’s ‘Holding’ Him Back (Exclusive)

Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton’s 15-year-old son Augustus is ready to follow in his famous parents’ footsteps.

“He’s ready to drop out of school and be an actor,” Morgan, 59, exclusively tells PEOPLE. “I think that he’s known that since we took him to Hamilton when he was 3 years old.”

“We went backstage after the show, and he went out on stage dressed up like Hamilton,” the Walking Dead star recalls of taking his son to the Broadway hit. “I just remember watching him and going, ‘He knows exactly what he’s going to do right now.’ He’s really good.”

Gus put his skills to the test in 2021 when he joined his father in the final season of the apocalyptic drama to make his acting debut. He appears briefly in the fifth episode of The Walking Dead‘s final season as a young walker.

At the time, Morgan showed off some behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram of his son in full zombie makeup, writing he was “super proud.”

Recently, it’s been a bit tougher for the two to be together on a set. Morgan’s work has taken him from the family’s 100-acre farm in Rhinebeck, New York, to Europe to host NBC’s reality series, Destination X.

Based on a Belgian competition series, the competition follows 10 players traveling across Europe on a windowless bus as they try to solve their location each week through a series of challenges.

“I find a way to get home every weekend if I can,” Morgan said of making time for Burton, 42, and their children Gus and George, 7. “With this show, it was a bit harder when you’re across the world, and they didn’t come out.”

Still, Morgan managed to round up the family to bring them to Canneseries in April. Not only did they join him for the season 2 world premiere of The Walking Dead: Dead City, but also to see his hands memorialized on the Cannes Walk of Fame.

“It was awesome,” Morgan said of having the whole family tag along. “It was George’s first red carpet. They stole the show. I thought Gus was going to walk away with a three-picture deal. It was cool.”

But don’t expect to see Gus land any projects just yet.

“We’re holding him back just because I want him to have an education; his mom wants him to have an education,” Morgan says of Burton, whom he quietly married in 2019 after a decade together.

Their caution also stems from broader concerns within the Hollywood industry.

“We want him to be real sure about this choice because it’s not the easiest path, even if there’s nepotism involved, and the business is changing so much,” Morgan says of acting in Hollywood.

“Years ago, when I came up, there were a lot more low-budget films to do. In the last 20 years, there have been so many TV jobs available, and now it’s a ghost town,” Morgan says. “L.A.’s a ghost town. A lot of the states are a ghost town. Even Georgia was so busy when we were doing The Walking Dead there. I don’t know if all the tariffs are going to happen, but it’s not going to work well for our business. So I’m trying to prep Gus for this the best I can.”

That preparation includes Burton taking Gus to musicals and plays. Morgan shares that he could see his son on Broadway. “He’s that kind of talent. Stuff I could never do, he already shines at.”

It also includes Gus attending a new school that focuses on the arts.

“This year, we’re changing schools so he can have the opportunity to really focus in on what he wants to do,” Morgan says. “He can take classes from the other side of the camera — writing, directing, set builds, film acting and theater acting.”

Recently, Burton shared on Instagram that Gus, a freshman, was inducted into his current school’s theater society.

“Watch out world. Gus Morgan (who still has ZERO social media, ya weirdos) is gonna dazzle you. #proudmama 🎭🎉💖.”

Of setting their son up for success, Morgan adds, “He’s going to have a really cool opportunity that I never got [and] Hillary never got.”

Destination X airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Episodes stream the following day on Peacock. TWD: Dead City airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT.