Hugh Jackman on fatherhood and adoption

Actor Hugh Jackman spoke to Sunday Life magazine for this week’s issue, on such topics as his work, fatherhood and adoption. Hugh and wife, Deborra-Lee Furness have two adopted children, Oscar, 6 1/2 and Ava, 18 months. Some highlights include:

Deborra-Lee is the SAHM and they travel with daddy!

Despite having her own career, Deborra-Lee and the children follow Hugh to locations for filming. This means that Hugh never has to be away from the kids for more than two weeks. Deborra-Lee has only acted in one film, Jindabyne, which had great raves last year, since Oscar’s arrival.

On their plans for children.

The couple were "present at his [Oscar's] birth and his biological mother even came to live with them for a time." They then adopted Ava in 2005. The couple have said however, even if they could have had children they still would have adopted;

We still wanted to adopt. That was our plan: we’ll have two and we’ll adopt one. Anyway we didn’t have children. We tried and that was tough. But the moment Oscar arrived, it just felt like he was always meant to come that way. I forget he’s adopted; he’s just my son.

On hectic times at home.

Jackman has said now that they have two children, times at home get hectic, but they feel "more natural." Deb worries sometimes; "Deb, who is an only child, gets increasingly freaked out…but the more there’s chaos, mess, noise, the more I start to feel, ‘Ah, this is how it’s meant to be!’"

Source: Sunday Life magazine (The Sun-Herald Magazine), January 28th, pg. 12

Photo source: Yahoo and WireImage

Comments

It’s great that the Jackmans included the birth mother in the transitional phase of Oscar’s adoption. It sounds like they will continue to have her in their lives.
I also loved Hugh’s comment about their kids being no different to ones they might have conceived naturally, that he’d love them all the same. As an adopted child myself with a celebrity birth father, I’m wondering about Oscar’s and Ava’s stories about having a celebrity adoptive father. Adoption issues are so complex and sensitive. Will they struggle with the same issues naturally born children of celebrities face, of having a famous parent? Or will they feel one step removed from this position? For me, having a famous birth father brought up many issues as I grrew older.
I hope the Jackmans avail themselves of the plentiful information out there about the issues adopted children face.

- Janet Shaw on February 12th, 2007

Well I think that it is appauling for people who give their children and all their rights up when they give their children up for adoption because it is hard for the children when they grow up because they don’t know their roots or true family history that is why I am an advocate against adoptions in that aspect. Because you need genetic information and family history to determine a child’s future and where they may end up in life. I am for adoption but I feel that when the child reaches a certain age they should know the truth about their biological parents for future reference whether it be for medical purposes or geneaological purposes. I have had egg cells removed from me while having pelvic examinations without me knowing at the time and I have children out there that I don’t know about. It is appauling and a disgrace. I hate to even get a check up in this day and age. Hell on them.

- colette mcknight on September 8th, 2008