John Candy’s children, Jennifer and Christopher, are reflecting on learning about the “maddening” fatphobia their father faced while making their new documentary, John Candy: I Like Me. 

The film, which was released on Prime Video Friday, October 10, serves as a look back at Candy’s life and legacy before his death from a heart attack at age 43 in 1994. The project, directed by Colin Hanks, features an endless list of A-list stars  — from Tom Hanks to Martin Short — praising the comedian’s unbelievable talent and giant heart, but it also peels back the curtain on the darker aspects of Candy’s story.

Old interviews with Candy are some of I Like Me’s hardest moments to witness, as journalists would routinely grill him over his weight and health. While speaking exclusively to Us Weekly, Jennifer, 45, and Christopher, 41, revealed that they were unaware of the brutal press cycles their father endured throughout his career.

“It was maddening, really, to see some of those interviews and to see what he put up with, because in the scope of time, we know the full story,” Christopher exclusively told Us ahead of the doc’s release. “And I heard a story that didn’t make it in the documentary, but it was that he was so uncomfortable eating in front of people because of the paparazzi, so it forced him to not eat. Like, ‘OK, but I can have a drink, or I can have a cigarette, and then when I get home at the end of the day, at the hotel room or whatever, then I’ll eat.’ And we all know just from simple metabolic rate, that’s terrible for you.”

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He continued, “So, when you hear what he was negotiating in his own mind and how he was working, that stuff’s upsetting. Because I really wish any of us [had been] old enough to be like, ‘Man, that sucks for you. No, come on, just eat, we’ll block the cameras, who cares?’ That’s the stuff where I wanted to be there and have his back and give him a big hug and be like, ‘Dude, screw those guys.’”

Jennifer echoed her brother’s sentiments, saying that growing up, she and Christopher only witnessed their dad’s “fun” interview appearances on talk shows. They also saw the finished product, so watching behind-the-scenes clips was a jarring experience.

“I was just like, ‘Wow.’ So, that was hurtful, because people know better,” she told Us. “You don’t comment on people’s weight in that way, or just anything that someone is struggling with that’s clearly challenging. To revisit that was hard.”

She also shared another aspect of Candy’s personality that didn’t make it into the documentary: the party-thrower, which would often get twisted against him. Jennifer explained that while his dad loved to host events, “a lot of food” would be ordered, causing people to claim that Candy was “eating all of it.”

“And like, no, he ordered sandwiches for [everyone]. You don’t realize there’s a hotel room filled with family and friends, and we’re all having a celebration,” she said. “So, once again, he didn’t necessarily eat in front of [people]. He maybe had a sandwich, but it was so people [wouldn’t] misinterpret or put their own narrative on stuff like that. I think that was always challenging, because people are going to think what they’re going to think, and you can say it, but it’s like, ‘OK, well, that’s your take on it, it’s not the reality of it.’”

The documentary makes it clear that while Candy often pushed back against anyone who criticized his health — Eugene Levy claims that Candy took one friend “out of his Rolodex” after they wrote him a letter about his weight — he also made strides to take care of himself, particularly toward the end of his life. Candy spent time at a weight loss center, worked out routinely with a trainer and had a nutritionist before his death.

Still, he often felt that the public and powers that be “wanted him big,” so he “stayed big.”

Candy also suffered a myriad of mental health issues, including panic attacks, which are highlighted in the documentary. Jennifer and Christopher explained that when director Colin and producer Ryan Reynolds approached them about the project, they wanted to ensure the film didn’t hold back on their dad’s struggles.

“We didn’t want this to be a softball film of just a highlight reel or a Wikipedia entry,” Christopher told Us. “We wanted to make sure that we talked about the trauma that he went through. And really, our observations on it was that he had a lot of psychological baggage that he was beginning to work through at the end of his life. We wanted to make sure that got out.”

Jennifer agreed, saying it was important they didn’t “candy-coat” who their dad was.

“You want to make sure that there’s some depth to it, because no one’s interested [otherwise],” she said. “Because then everyone’s going to come out going, ‘Well, why didn’t they [talk about this]?’ Like, we wanted someone to come out of it [saying], ‘Oh, I learned something,’ or, ‘I felt something.’”

It was also about exploring the circumstances that led to their dad’s anxieties. “Yes, our dad was a larger-than-life, overweight actor. OK, but that’s been said. The question is, why? It goes deeper than that,” she said. “So let’s get to that, as opposed to just pointing out the obvious. It’s just like with anyone in life, you don’t know what they’re going through, what they’re dealing with, so you just kind of have to just step back and let that story unfold and be told.”

Candy’s story has certainly affected both of his kids. Jennifer and Christopher were quick to agree that their dad’s health battles have “entirely” influenced how they live their own lives as adults.

“I had a heart condition when I was younger that I’ve monitored ever since I was little,” Jennifer told Us. “I’m at the doctor all the time. And you try not to want to replicate, but then you also still want to live and have a life and all that. But you know that there are consequences. And you just want to better understand how things work too.”

Christopher, who reveals in the documentary that he’s “proud” to say he’s been to “treatment” thanks to his dad, said he was alerted from a “very young age” to take care of his health after realizing his paternal grandfather, uncle and dad battled similar issues.

“I remember just looking around going, ‘What’s up with the men in our family? Like, they’re all having heart attacks,’” he recalled. “And that got me to go, ‘OK, maybe at 24 it’s a good idea to have a cardiologist and keep a good relationship with a cardiologist, and go and check under the hood.’”

That doesn’t mean he’s necessarily fated to experience the same thing his relatives did. “As time goes on, you realize, ‘Oh, those genetics maybe aren’t inherited, maybe it was behavior,’” Christopher explained. “It gives you a lot more confidence moving forward. I don’t have that sword of Damocles over my head, where I’m afraid of getting older. I’m actually excited about it.”

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Ultimately, both siblings said that revisiting their father’s death is something they’ve been dealing with in therapy for years — “it comes and goes in waves,” Jennifer shared — but the overall experience of making I Like Me was a positive one.

“You kind of forget how big of a star [our dad] was, until you see Tom Hanks just talking so candidly about SCTV,” Christopher said. “And I think for both Jen and I, we were huge Conan O’Brien fans, so to know that our dad was a direct influence on him, and then he’s an influence on us, it’s like, ‘Whoa. That’s remarkable.’”

“It’s surreal,” Jennifer added. “Like, in small doses, I can handle it, but all of a sudden you’ve got two hours of [praise] and you’re like, ‘Oh, this is overwhelming!’”

John Candy: I Like Me is streaming on Prime Video now.