Guy Pearce has felt "jet-lagged for eight years" since becoming a dad
The 57-year-old actor became a first-time father at the age of 49 when he welcomed son Monte with his actress partner Carice van Houten and Guy admits fatherhood has been tiring and tough on his knees, but he's glad he waited until later in life to start a family.
15 January 2025
He told The Telegraph newspaper: "It's amazing, and it's hard work, and all the clichés, but the gratitude I have for my parents is only getting clearer.
"The love that I feel from and for [him] is like nothing else. It's remarkable. And exhausting. I feel like I've been jet-lagged for eight years ...
"[I'm glad I became a father later] apart from my knees. Monte goes: 'You're the oldest papa at the school!' I say: 'I know mate, but I'm the funniest.'
"And he goes: 'No, you're not.' I definitely am the oldest, though."
Guy went on to admit having a child has changed his social life, adding: "Now that I've got my child I haven't changed how I work, but I've certainly changed how I lead my personal life in that regard. I can dip in and out.
"I don't take drugs any more, but I can drink. It's tricky, that stuff, but I don't know how you could wake up with a hangover when you have a kid. It's hard enough getting up for work."
Guy was previously married to his childhood sweetheart Kate Mestitz between 1997 and 2015 and they both had previously decided he didn't want children.
He added: "She didn't want kids, and I didn't either. I'd had to help raise my sister so I felt like I'd kind of got the parenting out of the way, though I remember thinking in my 20s that I wouldn't want to be on my deathbed regretting not having kids.
"So somewhere deep in there was something, but I was resisting it. I just wanted to live my life."
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