Rob And Nick Reiner Had A Revealing Interview About Their Father-Son Relationship During Promotion Of Film
In 2015, Rob Reiner made a film called Being Charlie, and the film’s screenplay was co-written by someone very close to the Hollywood filmmaker: his son, Nick Reiner.
For Nick, who was 22 when the film premiered in 2015 before getting a wide release in 2016, this film is inspired by some of his own experiences with addiction, and even homelessness.
“It’s not exactly a documentary, but it’s loosely based on, you know, things that Nick went through and his relationship to me and his mother,” said Rob Reiner in a 2016 interview about the film.
A decade later, in the evening of Sunday, December 14, 2025, reports came through of two deceased individuals being found in the Brentwood, California, home of Hollywood director and actor Rob Reiner.
Hours later, it was confirmed that the bodies that had been found were that of Rob, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, 68.
Just after midnight on December 15, Los Angeles Police revealed it had arrested Reiner’s son, Nick Reiner, now 32, and was holding him on a $4 million bond, with Nick having allegedly killed his parents.
Now, the film Being Charlie, as well as the promotional interviews conducted for the film’s release, are coming back to wide attention as the public seeks answers as to what led to this tragic incident.
The Interview
In that 2016 interview concerning Being Charlie, which was conducted as part of the AOL BUILD Series, Nick Reiner said, “In terms of making it a narrative, of course, it’s not my life, but it needs to be constructed into a story, but I think I can relate to it, of course, and I hope other people can as well.”
The film follows the son of a politician, rather than a filmmaker, as he goes through rehab to try to overcome his addiction.
Rob went on to describe the film Being Charlie as the “most personal” film he’d ever made.
Speaking on working with his dad, Nick said, “It wasn’t very tough. It was a pretty nice experience, for me.”
Chiming in, Rob said, “You know, we did get into fights over things, but, ultimately, it forced us to make the film better … The whole process for me, I can just speak for myself, it did make me understand him a lot more, and I think it made me a better father — hopefully it did — I don’t know.”
Resurfaced Clip From 2016 Illustrates Divide Between Rob And His Son, Nick
At one point during the AOL BUILD Series interview, there’s a somewhat awkward moment where Rob misremembers which of his sons was really into professional wrestling.
While Nick nods affirmatively that he did wrestle with his older brother, Jake, for fun around the house, with Rob noting he bought them a special mat for such activities, Rob goes on to mistakenly say he had taken Nick to a WWE event.
“I took them to some of the WWE events,” said Rob. “They got to get on, you know, the stage–“
Cutting his father off, Nick said, “I didn’t.”
Rob replied, “Oh, you didn’t?”
Nick stated, “It was Jake.”
Rob tries to make up for it, clarifying that the boys did get to meet some wrestlers, but Nick said it was comedy that was his big interest, as opposed to wrestling.
Watch the moment, here:
Interview on AOL with Rob & Nick Reiner promoting their collaborative film, "Being Charlie" discussion a #WWE family memory & casting…
— Saint Chirp (@SaintChirp) December 15, 2025
Nick Reiner *wasn't there.*:
"I didn't. It was Jake. [Anyway, let's move on…]." pic.twitter.com/aQhhMuXJIz
Watch the full interview, here:
Watch the trailer for Being Charlie, here:
