Cate Blanchett Says All Three Sons Have Been Surprises

INF

When it comes to her career, Cate Blanchett is a realist. While her status as an Academy Award-winning actress affords her “a shot at most films” she’d like to make, her role as a mom and wife must come first. “You can pick and choose as much as a mother can pick and choose,” she explains. “I have three kids, two of them are in school, and my husband and I are running a theater company…I have a few months off a year, and films can’t always wait.”

Despite speaking in 2007 about her overwhelming desire for a third child, Cate says that all three of her boys — Dashiell John, 7, Roman Robert, 4 ½, and Ignatius Martin, 8 months — have been unexpected. Her pregnancy with new baby Iggy is something the 39-year-old actress goes so far as to describe as “surreal.”

“He was a surprise. But they’ve all been surprises. We didn’t get married to have children. So when they’ve popped along it’s been ‘whoops!’ but it’s been great.”

Dashiell, Roman and Iggy are Cate’s children with husband Andrew Upton, whom she married in 1997. Her new film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button hits theaters Christmas Day.

Source: The Star

Comments

I just don’t understand this statement. Unprotected sex=babies – where’s the surprise?

- Andrea Stidwikk on December 23rd, 2008

Andrea- unprotected sex does not automatically mean you’ll get pregnant. I think what Cate means is that she and Andrew weren’t trying to get pregnant in the way that some women figure out when they’re ovulating, deliberately chose when to have sex etc. They just let nature take it’s course so to speak.

- Freya on December 23rd, 2008

I don’t know that I would call getting pregnant while not using birth control a surprise so much as playing the odds and losing (or winning depending how you look at it). The first pregnancy can count as a surprise – any kid after that is just being lazy about protection!

Anyway, I’m sure they are a very happy family and enjoy their “surprises” everyday!

- thekate on December 23rd, 2008

I believe that Cate was just trying to express that she & her husband didn’t deliberately try to have children – with timing, ovulation calendars, etc. They children just “happened”. I would like to note though…that while definitely welcomed and deeply loved, both of my children were “surprises” conceived while employing different birth control methods!

- Anne on December 23rd, 2008

I have to agree with Anne, that she obviously wasn’t trying to prevent getting pregnant but at the same time wasn’t trying to either. It’s clear she likes having children, otherwise she would have made sure after the first not to have any more.

- Devon on December 23rd, 2008

Andrea- I’m sure a lot of women suffering from fertility troubles (and men too, for that matter. Men can have fertility issues as well!) wish that getting pregnant was as simple as “unprotected sex=babies”. Anyway, I agree with Freya and Anne. I think Cate was just trying to say that she and Andrew basically left it up to God when it came to having babies (sorry if I offended any readers who aren’t religious!).

- CelebBabyLover on December 24th, 2008

I have to agree with Andrea. If you don’t use birth control, every month (for most couples) there is a chance you could fall pregnant, so I don’t get how you could call it a surprise. Like The Kate says, it’s just playing the odds. I certainly respect the fact it’s not that easy for everyone to fall pregnant (I’ve been there), but I highly doubt Cate and Andrew have fertility issues considering they have three kids (and I recently read an interview where Cate talked about having more).
For me, a “surprise” is if you fall pregnant while trying not to, or after being told you can’t – like if you’re taking birth control or, in my case, being told you have under 5% chance of conceiving naturally and then falling pregnant when your IVF baby is 5 months old! We tried for our son for 3 years and had sex at all the “right” times and nothing; this time was one lone lay at completely the “wrong” time of the month, and whammo – twins.
Anyway, she seems like a great mother and her boys are gorgeous.

- Sadie on December 24th, 2008

I think Cate meant that she and her husband did not actively try for a child. So therefore, their children were surprises as they may not have been ‘trying’ for a baby. Cate could have been using birth control, and yet still have fallen pregnant = Surprise.

- Jane on December 24th, 2008

I understand what she is saying…

We have three kids as well…our two boys, very much planned..our daughter was our “Whoops!” a surprise, but a wonderful blessed surprise..and she was conceived while I was on Birth Control..so it’s possible! Let me tell you!

- Emily Jones on December 24th, 2008

Wow, I thought I was the only one with 3 unplanned pregnancies…

seriously other commenters, I think you are over thinking Cate’s comment.

- Valmom on December 24th, 2008

Surprise was probably not the best word to use, but it’s pretty clear to me that she just meant that they never actively tried to get pregnant and that the boys were unplanned but not unwanted. They’re just very lucky in that they have no fertility issues and they want kids and have the means to support them.

- Jeanne on December 24th, 2008

I think it’s kinda sad that nowadays in people’s minds you’re either trying to or trying not to. She probably just didn’t actively plan to have them and they happened, that’s all. OK, it’s not a surprise like “I tought it couldn’t happen at all” but it’s still a surprise. I don’t think anyone expects to conceive each and every time they have sex.

- Alice on December 24th, 2008

I always love when people say, “oh he/she was a surprise!”

It’s common sense that not using any kind of protection can and most likely will eventually get you knocked up!! lol

However if your on birth control (or told you couldn’t have a baby) and you end up pregnant well then I guess you can get away with the “it was a surprise!” type of comment.

- JM on December 24th, 2008

My husband and I have 3 surprises and 1 baby we planned for. The truth is that some women and men are more fertile than others and even if you use birth control, one time of not using it can easily result in a baby. We have been down that road. Now that we’ve had our 4th, my husband is having a procedure done. That’s all there is to it.
I know there are so many tensions when it comes to having children. It doesn’t always happen easily. When we found out last year that we were expecting our 4th, there was so much anger from my sister in law who had been trying to have a baby for 6 years. She kept saying things like- it’s not fair, you don’t even want it- and other even uglier things. We were so close, but now our family has been torn apart over the infertity which has consumed her. She didn’t come to the hospital when the baby came or call us. She is the godmother to all the other children, but said she won’t be for our new baby because it’s too hard. The irony of the situation is that she just found out that she is pregnant a few weeks ago. At a time when we should all be rejoicing, our family is really broken over this.

- melania on December 24th, 2008

Wow Melanie thats horrible!!!!!

- Britt on December 24th, 2008

Anyways, who cares if they were a surprise or planned if they are happy with their children then way to be!

- Britt on December 24th, 2008

Where does it say that they weren’t using birth control?

- jaja on December 24th, 2008

I think it’s great that Cate and her husband have welcomed their little surprises with open, loving arms.

As for the term “surprise” meaning with or without birth control, with or without actively trying, whatever. Only the two of them know what actually happened, and I personally don’t want to hear that much detail about any celebrity’s sex life. I was conceived while my parents were using a diaphragm and spermacide. I have a couple friend who conceived their second child while using nuvaring and condoms – the baby boy is now 5 months old. I have another couple friend who actively tried for a baby for a year and a half with no success, and conceived their 2 year old son naturally just as they were about to start fertility treatments. Birth control isn’t infallible, and unprotected sex does not automatically equal babies. And really, aren’t all babies surprises?

- Jody on December 24th, 2008

Melanie – So sorry to hear about the situation. I couldn’t imagine what it’s like for you to no longer have a close bond with your sister and vis versa. The same kind of situaiton happend to my SIL. When my SIL became pregnant with twins all of a sudden this “friend” of hers no longer called her and pretty much began to have nothing to do with her. My SIL found out from a coworker that she told them she couldn’t stand to listen to her go on about the babies it became to painful. I don’t think the way this “friend” handled the situation was right but my SIL just didn’t have time to deal with it. Turns out a few years later she just had a baby herself and all of a sudden the two are talking again! I really don’t know what kind of mind frame these woman go through but I bet it truly is hard to have close people around you filled with all this joy and happiness and you find it so difficult to get it yourself. My suggestion would be to reach out to your sister. She’s either going to accept it or she’s going to move on (and so will you). But being two adults it should be something that can be worked through. I am sure your sister is going to need you more then ever now that she’s pregnant (but most likely won’t admit it). But try to see it from her point of view and maybe reconcile the situation. She was going through something painful and it probably wasn’t you or your child she was resenting it was herself for not being able to make this work for herself. Life’s just way too short to let the small pety stuff get in the way.

Good luck!

- JM on December 24th, 2008

I like how she said they were suprises. Me an both my other siblings were all suprises.She could have been using a type of birth controll and it failed or she could have just not been trying as hard to prevent it.

- liv on December 29th, 2008