Tate Donovan on ‘Embarrassing’ Moment He Had on O.C. Set (Exclusive)

Tate Donovan is reflecting on the continued popularity of The O.C., 18 years after its finale aired — and sharing a time on set when he felt “so embarassed.”

Speaking to PEOPLE at the Hollywood premiere of his film Proof of Concept, the 61-year-old actor said he’s “thrilled” that younger generations are discovering The O.C. via clips on TikTok and Instagram.

“I’m thrilled that they’re rediscovering it because when we were making it, we thought it was pretty cool and [creator and executive producer] Josh Schwartz was such a young guy, and it was pretty fun to make,” Donovan said.

He continued: “I’m psyched. I hope that it continues, all this nostalgia for The O.C., because it’s a great show.”

Donovan added that the show also had a “personal” impact on him, as it allowed him to direct for the first time in his career.

“I just hold that as a very special place. I shadowed there, and they basically taught me how to direct and gave me my first opportunity to get behind the camera,” he added.

Donovan then recalled the “very first scene” he directed — which didn’t go quite as planned.

“I’m so psyched. I’ve been preparing for weeks, and I’m just absolutely excited and thrilled, and they’re set and rolling, and I totally forgot to call ‘action’ ,” he said. “I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ And I’m waiting for it to start and the assistant director goes, ‘Call action.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh s—. Action.’ “

Donovan continued: “I don’t remember what scene it was, but I just remember being so embarrassed. Here it is — my big shot — and I can’t even remember to call ‘action.’ And then of course I called ‘cut’ way too early.”

“That’s another thing,” he said. “As soon as the dialogue’s over, you’re like, ‘Cut. Okay, so we’re going to do this.’ And they’re like, ‘Hey, no, no, no. Holy. Give it a couple seconds. You might get something from the actor.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry.’ So learning when to say ‘action’ and when to say ‘cut’ is vital.”

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The actor and his wife, Corry Scheuerman, recently celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary.

Speaking to PEOPLE, the actor revealed his plans to go on a family vacation to mark the milestone celebration.

“We’ve got a son in college right now, so we are kind of focused on what does he want to do. We’d love to take a trip with him, that would be great,” Donovan said, referencing the couple’s 19-year-old son, Luc.

Donovan added that he and his wife are “big fans” of Europe and that he would love to go there as a family to celebrate, after having visited many times before.

“Europe just blows our mind,” he said. “Almost every country in Europe is just like we’re big fans of. So hopefully I think I might have a job in France this year, and hopefully we’ll sort of segue a little trip into France. That would be amazing.”