Claire Danes, who portrays Aggie Wiggs, a mother recently bereft of her son in "The Beast in Me," expressed a profound dread at tapping into her maternal instincts for the role. The actress admitted that while "unfortunately, yes, that was unavoidable," she wasn't eagerly looking forward to embodying what she termed "every parent's most dreaded nightmare."
Danes, who shares three children with husband Hugh Dancy—Rowan, 7, Cyrus, 12, and a daughter, 2—shared her candid thoughts on the emotional depth of the character. "It really is every parent's most dreaded nightmare," she said with a hint of resignation. But she added, "It was essential to who she was and what drove her. I delved into a multitude of books on maternal grief to get a sense of the job."
Danes, who keeps her children's lives private but occasionally shares amusing anecdotes, recalled an incident from 2023 during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. She recounted how her son Rowan was initially "less than thrilled" about the family welcoming another baby into their fold. "Cyrus was sort of resigned to it," she quipped. "His name is Rowan, so the worst had already happened." However, Danes explained how they eventually convinced Rowan that the newborn would be "pretty dumb," not knowing much, and thus in need of assistance and education. "That was interesting to him," she said with a smile. "He liked the idea of being a sort of condescending presence."
