Joel Edgerton on How Fatherhood Has Changed His Outlook on Life (Exclusive)

Joel Edgerton says his 2-year-old twins have affected his outlook on life and his approach to his career. 

In an interview with ET’s Nischelle Turner from the premiere of his new Apple TV+ show, Dark Matter, on Monday, the 49-year-old Aussie actor opened up about how his toddlers — whom he shares with partner Christine Centenera — have changed his life for the better.

When asked if his kids have influenced the roles he considers, the actor said, “100 percent.” 

He explained, “You know, there’s things that are in the show that really resonate with me about how important family is and what being taken away from your family would mean.” 

Edgerton first confirmed that he and Centenera — who serves as Vogue Australia‘s editor-in-chief — became parents in an interview with Oprah Daily back in 2021. At the time, several outlets reported that the couple had welcomed a single child, only for news to later emerge that they became parents of two.

For the actor, his children made the storyline behind Dark Matter – an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Blake Crouch — more meaningful and thought-provoking. In the book, Jason Dessen (Edgerton) is abducted while walking home in Chicago one night, only to find himself in an alternate version of his own life.

The story — an exploration of “the road not taken,” according to AppleTV+ — sees Edgerton’s character racing against the clock in order to return home to his wife (Jennifer Connelly) and young son (Oakes Fegley) while traversing a ”mind-bending landscape.”

Edgerton told ET that while he would love to see some of the lives that could have been — including one in which he was almost a professional painter — he is blissfully content with the path he chose and the life he has with Centenera and their kids. 

“I certainly don’t want to go and take that life over, that’s for sure,” he joked. “I would peek into my alternate life, but I wouldn’t exchange it for the world. No matter how stressful or how discombobulated that mine had become, it’s the best thing in the world.”

While it’s certainly possible that Edgerton’s “alternates” may have projects and accolades of their own to boast, none amount to the actor’s recent role in one of the hottest television shows in the world right now and one that almost certainly gained him popularity points with his kids: Bluey. In an April episode of the children’s program, the actor lent his voice to play a policeman in the show’s third season. 

Edgerton said that while it was amazing to have a small part in such a beloved show, it’s even more special for him as an actor from Australia watching the world fall in love with a show from his native country. 

“I recorded right before I became a dad. We were waiting for our twins to arrive, and now it’s super cool,” he said. “But I’ll tell you what’s even more cool is that [it’s] an Australian TV show that you’re asking me about right here.”

It shouldn’t be surprising at all for the Zero Dark Thirty star, however, as the show continues to make waves across the world. “The Sign,” the episode in which Edgerton guest starred in, racked up 10.4 million views on Disney+ globally within the first week of streaming, according to Disney.

“I watch more children’s television than I do adult drama right now and that’s fine with me,” Edgerton noted.

Of course, he is focused on one particular adult drama at the moment — Dark Matter. For the AppleTV+ project, Edgerton serves as executive producer and star, alongside Connelly, 53, as well as Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson and Amanda Brugel. 

He promises that for fans of the eponymous book, no major surprises or twists are coming their way. The actor and EP said they deemed it important to stay true to the novel that has gripped millions worldwide. 

“We got to shift some things and I think it’s good because if you read the book, then there’s really no major surprises apart from who might be playing the characters,” he told ET. “But for there to be extra backstory to characters and different resolutions, it’s cool.”

Watch the trailer for Dark Matter in the player below:

The show debuts two episodes on May 8 with episodes releasing weekly through June 26. 

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