Hugh Jackman & Deborra-Lee Furness Had ‘Really Different Ideas’ About Parenting

Oscar Maximillian

Born: on May 15, 2000

Jackman and Furness became parents for the first time in 2020 when they welcomed Oscar into their family. Jackman said they “were always going to adopt,” but it came after experiencing miscarriages and IVF. “It was not easy. It was difficult, obviously particularly on Deb,” he told PEOPLE in 2017. “I remember saying to her, ‘We were always going to adopt—let’s just adopt now.’ ”

“Our motivation behind adopting was, ‘Where is the need?’ ” he continued. “And we just knew from talking with people in that space, when we were looking around, that the biggest need is in mixed-race kids.”

Furness spoke of how they supported Oscar’s background, as well. “When my son was younger, he found out he was part Bosnian, so we went and got this Croatian/Bosnian cookbook and he was very proud to carry that around when he was 7 years old,” Furness told PEOPLE in 2020.

Ava Eliot

Born: on July 10, 2005

Ava is Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness’ second child and he told People at the time of becoming a father-of-two that, “You’re a little more relaxed. And it’s a different dynamic having a girl, but both are wonderful and I’m so blessed to have a beautiful boy and girl.” He added, “I hold her and think, ‘I don’t want you to face anything bad ever in your life.’ “

The Oscar-nominated actor also told PEOPLE and EW at the Toronto International Film Festival that she had some feedback for a dance scene he had to perform in The Son.

“I did say to my daughter that I have this scene, and the only clue I have [for the character’s approach] is that there’s a famous hip sway. I said, ‘I’ve been workshopping a few ideas, what do you think?'” he recalled. “I started to do it and she goes, ‘Dad, is the idea that you’re doing nerdy dad dancing?'” Jackman said he responded in the affirmative, to which she replied: “You’ve got it, just roll the camera.”

Why are Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness separating?

Why are Hugh Jackman and Deborra Lee-Furness separating? The two made a statement to People on September 15, 2023.

 “We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth,” they wrote.

“Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives.” The statement concluded: “This is the sole statement either of us will make.”

The two met when they co-starred in the Australian TV show Corelli. “Deb, she was a big star…I get picked up, and Deb is in the front seat of the car. I’ll never forget,” Hugh recalled to People. “She took off her seatbelt and she turned around and put out her hand and took off her sunglasses and said, ‘Hi, I’m Deborra-lee Furness, nice to meet you.’ I remember thinking, ‘I like this girl.’”

Everyone else on the crew had the same idea. “She was the star. I had this major crush on her,” Jackman told Ellen DeGeneres in 2016. “Everyone did. The whole crew had a crush on her.” Jackman later admitted his feelings for Furness and the couple got married about a year later.

On the key to a long-lasting marriage, Hugh gushed about meeting his wife. Literally from day one, Deb and I had that feeling. It was like a relief. I could just be myself,” he told TODAY. “I am not saying we don’t ever dress up or impress each other, but being comfortable is a key.”

Just a month prior, Jackman told Smooth Radio about the secret to a happy, long-lasting marriage. “I think honesty and intimacy and making time. You can’t just assume that things will just tick along. You have to make time. And intimacy is about really sharing what you’re going through, feelings and checking in with the other person, checking in what they need from you, checking in, how they’re doing, checking and beyond,” he said.

He continued: “Just because it’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of life. That’s hard enough. Kids, school runs, whatever it is, sleepless nights, it’s tiring. So you have to be checking in with each other. We have time together every morning, so we make sure of that as the day can get away from you. And sometimes in the evening, I’m sorry, that’s not the best version of me by the evening. I’m tired, I want to check out. I run out of words for the day. They say men have 2,000 words a day.”