TORONTO - Behind the scenes, Clive Owen is a family man. But on-screen, he's rarely played one, opting instead for more sinister characters in films such as "Closer" and "Inside Man."

So when he was asked to play a father of two sons in "The Boys Are Back," the Oscar-nominated heartthrob was eager to delve into relatable territory.

"I've got two girls and my life, largely -- outside of working on films -- is hanging out with my girls and bringing my girls up," Owen said in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, where "The Boys Are Back" is screening.

"It was like a whole world that I felt I hadn't explored in my work and I wanted to: The world of parenting."

An added bonus: The content is appropriate for his young daughters, Hannah and Eve (he lives with them and his wife, Sarah-Jane Fenton, in London).

"It's one of the few that they can actually see," Owen said with a hearty laugh while sitting in a hotel room, looking dapper in a black shirt and black dress pants.

"They were quite thrilled."

"The Boys Are Back," based on the 2001 memoir by British journalist Simon Carr, stars Owen as Joe Warr, a sports writer grappling with his new role as a single parent after his wife (Laura Fraser) dies of cancer.

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Scott Hicks ("Shine") directed the film in his home state of South Australia to a screenplay from Allan Cubitt.

"I practically cried every time I read the script," said Owen, who earned an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award for playing a sleazy doctor in 2004's "Closer."

"The idea of putting yourself into the place of saying to the children that your mother might not be around for much longer is a killer thing. It's very upsetting so I was always moved by that -- really moved."

Nicholas McAnulty of Sydney, Australia plays Joe's six-year-old son, Artie.

In the role of Joe's teenage son from a former marriage is Brit George MacKay.

"The days were structured around Nicholas and his energy levels -- 'When's the best time to do this scene?' -- because he's seven," said Owen.

"It's an overwhelming, exhausting environment, a film set, and we had to structure everything around that really."

Owen said he and Nicholas spent a lot of time bonding before filming got underway in South Australia.

"I took him for days out," he said. "No parents, nobody from the film -- just me and him went for days out. "

"I just had to get into a place where I felt that he would trust me otherwise we wouldn't be real, you wouldn't buy it."

Owen said his own daughters also visited the set for a few weeks.

"They really did get to sort of know everybody and feel a part of it," he said.

"The Boys Are Back" was to have its world gala premiere on Tuesday at the Toronto International Film Festival, which runs through Saturday.

The film is set to hit theatres in Toronto on Sept. 25 and Vancouver and Montreal on Oct. 2.