As a soon-to-be mom of three, Claire Danes is inherently interested in dissecting societal taboos about mothers — and she’s using her latest acting role as a means of doing so.
The pregnant star opened up to People during the FYC event for the Hulu series, Fleishman Is in Trouble, in which she portrays a mom who abandons her children with her ex-husband. Danes admitted to the outlet that she’s been “very happy” to have “played quite unconventional moms” during her career.
The actress mused about “one of the last remaining taboos” being a mom who makes the conscious decision to leave her children. “I think there are very few people who we judge more harshly than that,” Danes asserted. She added, “I think it’s important to consider why that might happen, and there’s probably a much more complex reason than we initially think.”
Elaborating more on what drew her to the role — for which she was a 2023 Golden Globe nominee — the Homeland star explained, “I really love how kind of repelling she seems initially.” She continued, “When I read the book, I was genuinely kind of surprised by how warped my perception initially was and how I’ve got to enter these greater depths of and explore her pain. So I think playing with those different shades was a good challenge,” Danes concluded.
Other ‘Unconventional Moms’ She’s Played
In 2018, Danes starred in A Kid Like Jake, which is a movie about a couple navigating their newfound role as parents of a transgender 4-year-old.
Of the film, she told IndieWire, “The script was so beautiful, and these ideas are immediately relevant to me.” Danes was also able to draw parallels from her own life, as she was the mom of a 4-year-old in real life at the time.
Announcing Her Most Recent Pregnancy
The 43-year-old confirmed her third pregnancy with People in January 2023. She debuted her baby bump the same month at the Golden Globe Awards, where she told Mario Lopez for Access Hollywood, “This one was not intentional, but here we go!” The actress added, “We’re excited, we’re thrilled.”
She and husband Hugh Dancy currently share two sons: Cyrus, 10, and Rowan, 4.
Revealing Her Kids’ ‘Less-Than-Thrilled’ Reaction to Their Little Sibling
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Homeland alum explained that, while she and Dancy are “thrilled” with the unexpected pregnancy, their sons are much less enthusiastic.
The actress described her eldest as “sort of resigned to it,” joking, “I mean, the worst has already happened — his name is Rowan.” Her youngest, on the other hand, “was categorically opposed to the idea.”
Danes shared, “He said, ‘When it comes out of your tummy, we’ll give it to a family that doesn’t have a baby… ‘Cause we’re done.'” She continued the hilarious anecdote, adding, “But then we talked about how when the baby comes out, it’s going to be pretty dumb. Doesn’t know a lot. So, you know, it’s going to need assistance and some educating.”
The pregnant star explained, “That was interesting to him. He liked the idea of being sort of a condescending presence, so now he’s a little more optimistic.” Sounds like the Danes-Dancy household is going to get quite interesting after the arrival of their newest addition!
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