Claire Danes, the star of "Homeland," is not immune to the so-called societal expectations. Reflecting on the arrival of her 2-year-old daughter with husband Hugh Dancy in July 2023, she admits that having a baby at the age of 44 was not exactly on her vision board. "I was so old when that happened," she said during the November 17 episode of the Smartless podcast. "I didn't think it was possible. I was really terrified, but it was all OK."
The 46-year-old actress explained that she "did not foresee" getting pregnant at that age "at all," and while she embraced the newest addition to her family, she admitted to experiencing unexpected emotions along the way. "Suddenly, I felt a funny shame," she explained. "I was 'naughty.' I'd been caught fornicating past the point I was meant to. It was weird, and it was like I found an edge that I hadn't been quite conscious of. I was going outside of the parameters a little bit. That was wild."
But now that Claire has settled into life as a mom of three—she and Hugh also share sons Cyrus, 12, and Rowan, 7—the Emmy winner can't help but marvel at her kids' differing life stages. "There's about five years between each," she continued, "but it's a trip. I have a teenager and a toddler."
Prior to welcoming baby no. 3, Claire revealed that her boys were resistant when she told them they'd soon have another sibling. "Cyrus was resigned to it," she said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in January 2023. "I mean, the worst has already happened. His name is Rowan." Meanwhile, Rowan was more vocally opposed to becoming a big brother. "He said, 'When it comes out of your tummy, we'll give it to a family that doesn't have a baby,'" Claire went on. "He was less than thrilled."
Fortunately, the actress from "My So-Called Life" found an unlikely angle to get her son more excited about her pregnancy. "We talked about how when the baby comes out, it's going to be pretty dumb, doesn't know a lot," she joked. "That was interesting to him. He liked the idea of being a condescending presence. So now he's a little more optimistic."
