Claire Danes reveals one thing she 'dreaded' about 'The Beast in Me'

Claire Danes dreaded one aspect of making The Beast in Me: tapping into her motherly instinct.

Danes plays Aggie Wiggs, a mother who recently lost her son. The actress wasn’t thrilled to portray every parent's "most dreaded nightmare."

"Unfortunately, yes. That was unavoidable," she said of using her motherly instinct. "I was not looking forward to that element of the character," she told People.

The actress who shares sons Rowan, 7, and Cyrus, 12, and a daughter, 2, with husband Hugh Dancy, remarked, "It really is every parent's most dreaded nightmare."

The Romeo + Juliet star added, "But it was essential to who she was, and it drives her. I read a number of books about maternal grief and just...that's the job."

Danes keeps her kids lives private, but shares funny incidents occasionally.

In 2023, she told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that her son Rowan was "less than thrilled" about the family welcoming another baby.

"Cyrus was sort of resigned to it. I mean, the worst has already happened. His name is Rowan," she said. "But Rowan has more to lose like he has more at stake and he was categorically opposed to the idea."

"But then we talked about how when the baby comes out, it's gonna be pretty dumb, doesn't know a lot. So, you know, it's gonna need assistance and some educating," Danes said. "That was interesting to him. He liked the idea of being a sort of condescending presence."