Joel Edgerton thought his twins “were not going to make it” prior to their birth.
Joel Edgerton has opened up about being a dad of twins
The Great Gatsby star, 51, became a first-time dad in 2021 when he welcomed twins with his journalist partner Christine Centenera and he’s immediately admitted they suffered a scare in the run-up to the delivery and he’s still haunted by the terror he felt.
Joel told the Guardian newspaper: “As soon as you become a father you imagine it [something bad happening to the kids] and it’s terrifying.
“In the lead-up to our kids coming into the world, there was a moment when we thought they were not going to make it.
“And I find that when I think about those days there’s a pit in my stomach that will live there for ever.”
The actor went on to admit that he’s struggled juggling his work with being a dad-of two, adding: “As privileged as I am, I still can’t reconcile my working life with my family.
“I mean, surely I can rule the world. I’m an important actor, I can do whatever I want. But no. I’m a contract worker and the kids have to be in school. And if they don’t go to school then I go to jail.”
It comes after Joel previously admitted he feels he’s “lucky” to have been able to carve out a career as actor.
As he accepted the Talent Award at the Deauville American Film Festival in September, Joel told the audience: “I never thought of myself as talented …
“I’ve always seen myself as one of the lucky ones. Lucky enough to deeply love going to work as an actor, a writer and occasionally a director.
“And I share this honor with the extraordinary people I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside, been challenged by and learned from.”
Reflecting on his early life in his acceptance speech, Joel added he “grew up a long way from here … on the other side of the world” in the rural suburbs of Sydney.
He said he “rarely had traveled until my teenage years”, adding “but films from around the world traveled to me”.
Joel also said: “When I was very young, movies were a chance to escape – to other worlds, into other lives. To be transported away from my real life.
“As I got older, I got more interested in the ways cinema could also reflect real life and its experiences. I suspect the best of the films that captured my imagination as a child did both: transported but also reflected.”
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