Ray Romano’s Twin Sons Reflect on Growing Up in His Shadow in New Documentary: ‘Pressure Not to Fail’ (Exclusive)

Growing up as the sons of Ray Romano comes with perks and insecurities.

In their new documentary Romano Twins, Matt and Greg Romano, 31, explore the unique challenges and rewards of being twins with a famous father as they navigated their mid-twenties while searching for their purpose in life.

The documentary premiered at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival on Nov. 9 but is currently without a distributor or a release date. Made when they were 26, the film covers the difficulties the identical twins had leaving their parents’ nest (they’ve both moved out since filming, and Matt is now married) and also forging their own identities separate from each other.

“We were 3 years old when my dad’s show started,” Greg tells PEOPLE, referring to Ray, 66, and his hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, which ran for nine seasons, from 1996–2005. “I wasn’t around for his early struggles — having to learn stand-up and all that. What I’ve seen is the success of being able to create your own show and have it be so successful.”

In the documentary, the brothers set out on separate journeys, each documenting their adventure on camera. Matt embarked on a wilderness trip, while Greg traveled the country performing stand-up at small dive bars and restaurants. Now, five years later, as Greg reflects on his journey, he admits he has let go of his dream of becoming a stand-up comedian.

“I know that my dad went through it when he was doing stand-up for 11 years before the show, and I’ve heard his stories, but emotionally, it’s kind of tough,” Greg explains. “I put too much pressure on myself, and I think that could be a universal feeling no matter how you grew up — people don’t like to fail. I feel this pressure not to fail.”

Ray, who appears in the documentary, says it’s tough to see his son take failure so hard. He also believes Greg’s perspective is “a little skewed” due to Ray’s success. “You see him go to these horrible dives to try and do stand-up, and not be so successful, and it kills me. I just want to grab you by the shirt and say, ‘You’re not supposed to do well for the first five years,’ ” Ray tells PEOPLE. 

He adds, “They didn’t see the years and years of me going on in front of drunks and late-night people — I gave up stand-up for four years because it was so hard. If you saw my stand-up in the beginning, I was horrible. I was horrible. Everybody gets better. Everybody grows at their craft.”

Admittedly, the identical twins, who are now working on a movie script with their younger brother Joe, 26, don’t know if they would have pursued entertainment if it weren’t for their dad. (Joe appears in the documentary, along with their mom Anna, 61, and their sister Alexandra, 34.)

“Matt and I, all of us really, love entertainment — going to events, reading the scripts, making people laugh,” Greg says. “I’ve wondered if I would feel the same if my dad wasn’t who he is. I think it would’ve always been a dream, but him being in the business and having connections makes it feel achievable.”

Matt adds, “It is also a testament to how thankful and privileged we are to be in this position, having a dad who has gone from not having the connections to doing it. To know that things are possible, I think that comes from having this upbringing as well.”

While Ray is heartened to see his sons following in his showbiz footsteps, he admits it’s equally distressing. “It’s an industry full of failure,” he says, “but if you haven’t failed, it means you haven’t tried.”