Hugh Jackman and actress Deborra-Lee Furness knew they wanted children when they married. They decided to adopt after trying for a long time and failing to conceive. Follow them on their path to becoming parents.
Hugh Jackman and his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, have a love story that is reminiscent of a fairy tale. They met in the Australian TV show “Corelli,” in which Jackman played a prisoner and Furness played the prison psychologist.
Jackman had just graduated from theater school, whereas Furness had already established herself as a major star. But it was love at first sight for “The Wolverine” actor when he first saw the stunning lady.
Furness, on the other hand, was not looking for love at the moment. She had made it a point not to date an actor or anyone under the age of 30. All of Jackman’s boxes were unchecked. He was a 26-year-old actor at the time.
Because of their evident chemistry from the beginning, Jackman decided to pursue Furness and hosted a group supper at his home. While there, Jackman admitted to having a crush on Furness, and Furness sealed the deal by saying she shared his feelings.
Their subsequent romance became a work secretly, and 11 months later, on April 11, 1996, they married. Furness was 40 years old, and Jackman was 27. They both knew they wanted children, so they began attempting to have a family soon after the wedding.
The couple was happily married and looked forward to starting a family. They started trying right away because of Furness’s age. They intended to have two biological children before adopting more. Unfortunately, they discovered they were unable to conceive naturally, and as the “Logan” actor put it, “Trying to have children is fantastic, and when you feel like it’s not going to happen, there’s a certain anxiety that goes with it.”
He described how difficult it was to navigate the emotions of realizing they were unable to conceive naturally, despite their time and effort.
The couple then tried in vitro fertilization to conceive (IVF). Despite this, Furness had multiple miscarriages, and they decided to take a hiatus after a while.
The actor revealed that they went through the grieving process in private because miscarriages are a taboo subject. He does, however, believe that more individuals should speak up about it because it is more frequent than most people realize.
Even though the couple preferred to have their own children first, adoption had always been in the cards for them. However, after multiple failed efforts at natural and IVF conception, they decided it was time to explore other possibilities. “I remember saying to Furness,” Jackman recalls. “We were going to adopt anyhow, so let’s do it now.”
Despite the obstacles, Jackman and Furness got back on their feet and began the adoption process. All of their fear vanished the moment the process began, according to Jackman. They had always believed that they were destined to be adoptive parents.
Their first adoption was an open adoption, which meant they already knew the child’s family and kept in touch with them. Their second adoption, on the other hand, was a closed one. They no longer believe their two children to be adopted.
Oscar Maximillian, of Croatian/Bosnian descent, and Ava Eliot, of Mexican origin, were adopted by the “The Son” actor and his wife. Oscar, the family’s first kid, was born in 2000 and brought joy and fulfillment to the couple after a string of disappointments.
Oscar and his father have had an unbreakable link since he entered the lives of the stars, and it continues to become stronger as Oscar grows older.
The proud father revealed that he is his son’s wingman, assisting him in approaching females by informing them that he portrays Wolverine in the X-Men films.
Ava is no exception, and the two have a particular relationship. But don’t get me wrong. She is unafraid of his celebrity, and she has even barred him from her dance classes for capturing all of the girls’ attention.
Adopting mixed-race children had always been a priority for the “Missing Link” actor since that was where the need was. When they first started thinking about adoption, he said they searched about and talked to individuals. He elaborated:
“A lot of people go into adoption thinking it’s incredibly crucial for the child to look like them, and honestly, that was never an issue for Deb and me.”
Parenthood has never been simple for the actor and his wife, but the experience has been eye-opening and rewarding. The “Angel Baby” actress revealed that she is more clever than she ever imagined thanks to her children.
Furness has realized that her children always point out her mistakes during her parenting journey, which has been fascinating. They encourage her to always look in the mirror and strive to be a better person.
Furness also revealed that her home has become a cultural hub as a result of her adoption of people from all backgrounds. Her history, combined with her children’s and husband’s Australian ancestry, is quite diverse, but they have learned to appreciate their differences and to incorporate each culture into their daily life.
When their son was smaller, they purchased him a Croatian/Bosnian cookbook, which he was proud to carry around. Their entire family has traveled to Mexico to learn about the culture because their daughter is Mexican.
Adapting to his new life as a father of teenage children was difficult for Jackman at first, and the dialogues were not always pleasant. After a lot of readjusting, however, Jackman says:
“It went from being able to tell them, ‘Hey, guys, these are the rules, we don’t do that,’ to having to explain why.”
The actor also loves his time with the kids more now that they can all watch movies together instead of back-to-back children’s flicks. Putting the kids’ needs first has helped him keep things in perspective, and he thinks parenting has taught him a lot.
