Ed Burns Shares His Emotions '3 Weeks In' to Being an Empty Nester: 'Wish They Were Still Home' (Exclusive)

Ed Burns is keeping himself busy to cope with his kids being away from home.

The actor, 56, chatted with PEOPLE at the Toronto International Film Festival following the release of his new film Millers in Marriage, where he opened up about his children Grace, 20, and Finn, 18, whom he shares with supermodel wife Christy Turlington. The couple became empty nesters in August after sending both kids off to college.

"Yeah, we're empty. My kids are in college. They're out of the house. We're three weeks into it. It's fresh," the dad of two tells PEOPLE, adding that he's grateful he and Turlington are keeping themselves busy for the next few months.

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"I'm glad that we're both pretty busy this fall, so we've done that film. She's got a big charity called Every Mother Counts, so she's got a couple of trips planned around fundraising for that, and things like that," he explains. "We'll have to deal with it, I think, in earnest in February."

Burns says he feels the difference the most when he's traveling, and that his emotions actually remind him of those seen by the characters in his new movie.

"It's like when I was traveling, you'd always text like, 'Hi, did everyone get off to school all right?' I think it's like the characters in the film," he says, "You just miss them terribly, you wish that they were still home, but you're also thankful that they're not. Right?"

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"[The goal is to raise] independent kids who are ready to take on the world. Fortunately, our kids are, but you definitely ... the house is quieter," Burns adds.

Back in June, Turlington, 55, shared her own thoughts on empty nesting while celebrating Finn's high school graduation with a rare family snap on Instagram.

"I am officially an 'empty nester' today!" Turlington began her post's caption, adding, "How do I feel about it? Ask me in three months, after my baby has moved out of our home and settled into his college dorm across the country."

"For now, I just want to share how grateful I am. Grateful that me and my child have reached this milestone," she continued.