Last fall, Guy Pearce announced his split from his wife of 18 years, Kate Mestitz. Kate and Guy were childhood sweethearts and she had seen him through some good times and some bad times. In past interviews, Guy has talked about his drug use, and he even claimed that he was addicted to marijuana for “years” and that he got high every day at one point in his life. So, yeah, his wife saw him through some bad times. It didn’t seem like anything really scandalous happened around his actual divorce though – by the time he got around to announcing it last fall, he said that he and Kate had split in January 2015. He also tweeted “we couldn’t be closer. We’ll love each other 4 ever.”
I actually forgotten about all of that, so when I read this little piece of news in People Mag, I was like, “Wait, I thought Guy was married?!” It’s still slightly scandalous, but not AS scandalous as I originally thought. As it turns out, Guy has been quietly dating Game of Thrones‘ Melisandre/Carice van Houten (who knew?) and now they’re going to have a baby.
Game of Thrones star Carice van Houten and Aussie actor Guy Pearce are expecting their first child together, PEOPLE has learned exclusively.
Dutch actress Houten, who portrays Melisandre in the hit HBO series, is currently starring in the film, Race, about track star Jesse Owens’ historic wins in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The 39-year-old is also a singer and has released two albums — 2012’s See You on the Ice and 2006′ Black Book.
Pearce, 48, currently stars in Australian TV series Jack Irish and will portray F. Scott Fitzgerald in the upcoming film, Genius, which will be released in July. His cult film, Memento, celebrated its 15th anniversary on March 16.
Guy and Kate didn’t have any kids, so this will be his first child full-stop. And this will be Carice’s first kid too. Guy once told an Australian outlet that “I’m not consistent enough to be a parent – I blow too hot and cold. Kate jokes that we’d end up on the news for throwing a child out of the window.” I guess everybody’s allowed to change their mind. And considering that before now, I had no idea that Melisandre was hittin’ it with Guy Pearce, I guess I’m okay with all of this. I’ve always loved Guy, and Carice seems like a cool person. Congrats, you two.
PS… From what I can tell, Guy and Carice have only been photographed together one time – go here to see some candid photos from January. Also, this happened:
Ok. I'm ready for your shadowbaby jokes.
— Carice van Houten (@caricevhouten) March 19, 2016
Photos courtesy of WENN.
He’s always reminded me of a slighty-less-cool Timothy Olyphant.
He does have a similar look. Tim’s still with his wife of 25 years though 😉
48 is a bit too old to be having a kid. People will think he’s the kid’s grand dad when he comes to pick him up from school.
Maybe he doesn’t care what other people think 🙂
He’s a person who craved fame. Of course he cares about what other people think. 😉
Touché!
I figure it’s all about context, though. He may not care what the other parents picking up his kids think. If he’s even the one picking up his kid.
Its not what you think its just what you can DO. People age, you don’t feel or can do the same things as one at 32 for example.
When his kid wants to toss a ball or go bike riding he will be in his middle 50’s.
Actually, no. He didn’t crave fame. Several times in his career people have tried to blow him up into a big movie star because he is talented and beautiful; but he wasn’t interested and resisted. He turned down BIG parts and movies. He only takes roles that interest him, they are often quirky and off-beat and he is extremely private. Not a fame-seeker, just an actor.
HadleyB – I’m asking respectfully, are you a younger person (ie 20s)? I ask because your comment makes mid-fifties sound like a person is ancient. I wonder if perhaps you are not around people that age very often.
My husband just turned 52 – he runs 5 miles a day, tosses the ball around just fine and bikes on trails in the Everglades with my son. Don’t see that changing over the next three years.
My girlfriend who is 55 plays amazing tennis 4 times per week, my brother in law who is 56 is a physical specimen – he can out cross-fit people in their 20s.
@SKF: he’s still mainstream though.
Maybe the kid will be homeschooled
What are they going to do, not have the baby because of that?
Exactly, better not to have existed than have an “old” dad?
@Dangles oh really. Robert Downey Jr. was like 49 when his wife had his second child. Halle Berry was around 46 when she had her son.
I don’t think it’s that old. Plenty of women have children in their early forties. I do think you reach a point where you’re too old, but not yet.
With respect, that is a pretty narrow minded, not say, age-ist thing to say. I’m guessing you’re teens/twenties? People mature at different ages and 48 isn’t old!
Not ageist. I didn’t even mention the older man younger woman age gap that people usually take issue with around here.
I’m 51 years old and I agree that 48 is pretty old to be having a child. Not judging Guy for this, as I seriously doubt this was planned? And life is messy, things can’t always be optimal, children should always be considered a blessing and that is that!
But the fact is, Guy will be 64 when that kid is 15, and he’ll be 79 when he or she turns 30. Having spent my 40’s caring for aging parents and in-laws, who gradually passed away, I can say that I wouldn’t want my own kids to be experiencing that when they were only in their 30’s and might possibly have young children of their own. But maybe that’s just me!
My parents were 41 and 45 when they had my brother. Yeah, some people thought they were the grandparents. It didn’t bother them. It bothered me a lot more when people thought my brother was my kid!
I guess it could be worse. Imagine if you had teen parents and when you got older people thought your mum or dad was your partner.
40 Is the new 30.
Who cares, yes, he is older, as she is, since she is an older mom too. He is slim and fit , he’s said he stopped using drugs, so he is healthier now. Good for them. Great news.
BTW, my mom had me when she was 42, and my dad was already 53. He was a very active dad, he was a milkman and was around cattle and walked a lot with me in tow, helping him (I was the youngest and I loved being his shadow when he went to the ranch) and my mom really was more hands on and out and about than many younger Mom’s of today who are mostly with the cellphone in their hands. They were healthier until genes caught up with them. both passed away with a few years of difference when I was about 40. They did have time to spend with the grandkids.
So if I was working in a bottle shop and an 18 year old tried to buy booze off me I could say “sorry, kid, 18 is the new 8.” 😀
I was about to say that. I’m so much more patient and attentive with my last child (I’m 40) than I was with my first (early 20’s). And my husband is 50 and is awesome.
He is beautiful, by the way. Memento…whoa. So is she–can’t wait to see this gorgeous child! And maybe, just maybe, this will make her keep her shirt on in GoT!
Very sweet visual of you following your father around. That sounds like a very sweet memory and super fun bonding.
Men AND women have been having kids this late since the beginning of time. It’s not ideal, if we could chose our parents almost everyone would want a mother and father only 18-20 yrs older, to have them in your life as long as possible, but this is nothing new. People who talk about mid to late in life parenthood as if it’s a new trend are so ignorant. There’ve always been people having kids late. Look at the Kennedys, Maria Shriver’s mom didn’t start having kids til her mid-30s and she was in her mid-40s when the last one was born. Yet people think everyone in that era settled down right out of high school.
What a douchebag. It was well documented that he and his wife had no kids because he did not want them, then he leaves her and the first thing he does is make a baby with the younger model. That would really hurt, feel sorry for his wife, hard to deal with.
Please publish your standards, so that we may all live up to them. Kthxbai.
I’ll PM you.
So people are not saying he left his wife of 18 years for Carice because nobody really cares?
I honestly have no idea if he left his wife for Carice. He claims it was over with Kate in January 2015, so it’s possible he met Carice when he had already split from Kate.
I’m not sure. Carice had a very sudden breakup too. It was in the Dutch media that her breakup was because of Guy Pearce.
Carice has been talking about wanting to be a mother forever, and her 27 year old lover probably got scared. She met Guy on the set of Brimstone, and I think she ‘seduced’ him. He had stated a couple of times he didn’t want to be a father, that it wasn’t for him. Also, by the end of 2015, news had it that the relationship between Guy and Carice already is over because of too busy schedules. Carice went on twitter to state: “Done with 2015!What a sh.. year!” So, we are only talking about a few month between her split from her former partner by the end of July 2015, and the year’s end. And now this…
People seem to selective on when they pounce on a celebrity for this or what they perceive as something shady. All depends on who the celebrity is; and the comments would be very different.
I find it quite fascinating how selective negative comments are given out.
I think it’s perfectly natural, frankly. Do you feel the same way about every person you know? Are you completely objective about the behavior of a person you like as opposed to someone you dislike? If someone has a history of being unkind or racist or whatever, would you be more inclined to take a possibly innocuous remark as being unkind or racist? If they had a history of being really good and sweet would you be more likely to give them the benefit of the doubt? Why should people have identical feelings about every celebrity? We are just human.
Quite! I don’t understand why this is ‘shady’?
I think he left his wife for Candice ( they worked this summer together ) and I have no problem with that because his ex-wife had no problem with that .
People are not saying it because Pearce himself says that they broke up last January. He and Carice didn’t start working together until June.
Guy has made a lot of comments over the years about not wanting children – seems like a mid-life crisis baby.
Possibly, or this is how he feels now with a *surprise* baby. Since I just read the Nia thread, maybe Guy was deflecting/taking the heat if there were issues conceiving that his former wife not want to discuss?
Or maybe he just changed his mind. I’m not being sarcastic. I’ve just known several people who didn’t want children. Until they did.
I know a few men, particularly, who suddenly wanted kids in their 40s. People change their minds. This seems to be a ‘whoops’ baby but he sounds happy enough about it now so good luck to them.
I assume they met working together on Brimstone. That started shooting in June 2015 so if he and his wife separated in January then there was no overlap.
Truth GNAT, no snark – I like Guy, maybe he just changed his mind. When I read the article over the split, his response seemed respectful & mature. Perhaps they were best friends but grew apart? My SO has no children, I have a teenager, I’m personally pretty indifferent to “if it happens, it happens”. Kids are a lot of work, so congradulations.
Men can be as fickle as women. They don’t want to marry someone — until they do. They also don’t want to have kids with someone until they do.
Or maybe it was an oops baby and what can he say to the public about that? Its better he says nothing if so.
Maybe he felt it would be irresponsible to bring a child into the world whilst he was dealing with issues?
Kudos to Pearce if he has dealt with his demons and is now happy & healthy.
PS – he will always be Mike Young from Neighbours to me….google Guy Pearce & Jason Donovan for some fine examples of 80’s Aussie mullets 🙂
She did such a great job on GOT playing an evil person that I have trouble liking her. I know that’s not fair. Good luck, I mean congratulations.
Yes! It is silly but I also let my feelings for her from GOT cloud my real life perception of her.
I’m not sure though it’s because I think she does a great job at playing an evil person. I think it’s more the fact that I hate The Red Woman character so much overall and find all those scenes with her so tedious.
I will say, her twitter post was cute and made a crack in my perception of her.
I need to get over it! Yes, I loathed her character so much!
And I had the opposite reaction because I don’t watch GOT but saw her in the Black Book, a Dutch WWII film. She played a sympathetic character in that movie.
I love that movie so much, and she did a great job in it, so I always think of that movie when I see her.
Her GoT story is one of my least favourite because of what they did to Stannis who was one of my favourite characters in the books.
Maybe I need to see that so I can be more fair. Really, my feelings are ridiculous. I’m scared of her. Lol
I don’t like her at all, but that’s because I know her from Dutch media. She has always come across as rather cold and hard. I’m fine with that, I think she needs to be who she is in order to have this sort of career. Not a lot of Dutch actors make it in the US and a woman it’s probably even harder.
really? she’s always very funny in her interviews in english.
Yes, I think it’s because she has been our best actress for a long time now. She’s way beyond us. She knows it, we know it. It shines through in her Dutch interviews, she’s done with us. It’s good that she has new challenges.
GNAT, watch that YouTube video of her as Melisandre at a baby shower, I forgot the name of the male comedian… Jimmy Kimmel? I kind of disliked her, but she does have a good sense of humor to make fun of herself/ character that way. I loved it!
I’ll try to find it!
Seth Meyers! Good one. The one with Jon Snow was even better.
Kai – I love the Jon Snow at a Dinner Party video.
I was coming here to comment about her hilarious skit on Seth Meyer’s show but you beat me to it! She was pretty funny.
Regardless of whether not having kids was by mutual agreement or not, his ex-wife must be feeling like crap right now. Splitting up with the man you’ve been with for 20+ years, only for him to get an insta-family 6 months later…
True. However with modern technology, his ex can still have a child or find a surrogate to have one for her. We don’t know if she’s even interested though. Not all women want children and sometimes women may not think their husband at the time is the right person.
His ex is an attractive woman with money (see Kaiser’s link to see pics), she can decide if she too has changed her mind and have children with her next partner. I’m not going to put a stereotypical sadness on her because she’s a woman unless she herself comes out and says so.
I would never come out and say hey I am sad because I could never have kids… come on.
Who would say that to the media?
I wouldn’t even tell friends or family as its none of their business. And even with modern technology — having a child alone via surrogate is nothing like having a child with your husband as a family.
@HadlyB,
Modern technology does not mean having a child alone without a partner. Modern technology = IVF, surrogacy etc. Which many couples use. Meaning, when she finds the person she DOES want to have a child with, she will still have the option.
I think many women define their gender so tightly with motherhood that they are unable to objectly view another woman who does not. In your response the focuse is on “you” not the person this column is about. I do not mean that unkindly since I frequently do the same and have to remind myself to step back. We do it unconsciously. That’s all. No hard feelings 🙂
Maybe, maybe not… she may have ended the marriage, she may not have wanted kids, she may have a new partner now. We shouldn’t assume we need to feel sorry for her just because she’s isn’t breeding.
Why? They were together for 20 years. Presumably if she’d wanted kids with Guy she could have had them during that time. Of course it’s possible she wasn’t unable to do so for medical reasons, but if so, that shouldn’t be held against him having a baby with another woman after they’ve split.
Believe it or not there are women out there who simply don’t want children. At all. I know because I’m one of them. If I broke up with someone and later found out his new partner was pregnant it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest. If he’d cheated on me or dumped me disrespectully, that’s another issue, but him going on to have kids would be ‘meh’ for me. If anything, I’d feel a bit of schadenfreude at him having to deal with night feeds and temper tantrums when he’s pushing 50!
I agree that it depends. My ex and I tried unsuccessfully for years to get pregnant and then his new wife had a baby within two years of our divorce. I didn’t love him anymore, but I have to say it ticked me off. But that was mainly because I wanted a baby. If I’d had one, I don’t think I would have cared.
By the way, for anyone who knows my history, I just found out my ex’s new wife divorced him. Am I terrible to be sort of glad? I don’t care!
You are assuming she wanted children and that it’s something she feels she missed out on.
I didn’t even know I wanted to marry until I did and had a vague idea about wanting children and then did it more than once. But that was me and it was somewhere on the radar. But for some people it’s nowhere on theirs and are quite happy about it.
My aunt was 41 when she had my cousin and everyone was very shocked because she liked being the cool aunt but is not domestic and lived a free spirited somewhat exciting high flying life. But she decided she would go through with it and is a terrific mother even if she is unconventional. I think this is where Guy and his new partner probably fall.
I don’t think we can project our own feelings about motherhood and a marriage breakup to speculate what Pearce’s ex-wife may or may not be thinking.
^This!
why do people always assume stuff like this?? maybe she’s perfectly happy not having children, since she never had them, and maybe that’s what split them up, he wanted kids and she didn’t.
He splits from his wife, finds a younger woman and is now having a child with her five minutes later.
Such a cliche.
She’s 39 and he is 48 so that’s pretty much in the same age group. I don’t know he’s ex-wife’s name. And we don’t know that he was “trying” to have a child or this is an oops baby.
If Melisadre does not did in season 6 this baby is poorly timed for filming season 7 of Game of Thrones. So it would seem odd if she planned have a baby right now (unless if her character really dies, then it would be good timing.
@Original T. C
Not really. A decade apart is not being in the same age group at all!!! She is a younger woman to him.
This isn’t Alec Baldwin finding a 27 year old to date. He started dating someone 9 years younger than him. She and his ex look the same age to me. She was 39 with no children and he was 48 with no children, so I’m guessing it was a surprise.
I find these thread always depressing (its not aiming specifically at your comment) where whenever a man get with a woman a decade his junior they are supposed to be the same age… but when the genders are reversed suddenly he is younger.
No they are not and don’t look the same age , in fact HE IS a decade older .
Actually, I think she finally found a father for the child she always said she wanted. Her former lover was 27, they were together for two years, but I don’t think he was ready to have a family yet.
I don’t get the harsh comment, you met another woman and you have a baby with her what is so cliché about that, it’s life.
+1
Agreed!
That kid is quite probably going to be absolutely gorgeous.
He was great in Ravenous”.
So the story is he splits from his wife in January and now over a year later us having a baby with someone else who he met in June?
Those candid pics in the Daily Mail are making me giggle. For some reason, it delights me to see that even such glamourous, gorgeous people can photograph badly and look like total crap. Ahh, celebrities! They’re just like us.
Also, putting in another gossip tidbit: Carice appartently left her 15-years-younger Dutch boyfriend Kees for Guy.
They look super cute in those photos. Congrats to them!
I thought he was married too. Oh well, congrats.
Carice and the ex look like they could be related. Like half-sisters or auntie and niece related, not twins or anything. He has a type, it appears.
I thought the same thing! They definitely have a similar look.
I love Guy. I think he’s one of the greatest character actors around. It’s true, he went against type by avoiding getting pigeonholed into ‘leading man’ roles and has remained a bit below the radar by consistently choosing more quirky, independent films or characters. He was absolutely incredible in Mildred Pierce with Kate Winslet – need to watch that again.
I’ve followed his career from his neighbours days and yes he’s a brilliant actor, I agree. His first love was Kate Bush, the singer (one way, fan to star love) and his ex wife used to look a lot like her. I think Carice has a similar look too.
The next love of his life was named Shaney Stone or something similar. She looked the most like Kate Bush in her day and was quite a stunner. He said he was either getting on with his life or getting a gun after their break-up. His reuniting with Kate was actually a rebound romance. She comes from a wealthy family. I find this sad because I really think Guy has never wanted children. He has admitted he is selfish and will have to take care of his adult disabled sister once their mum passes. I wonder if he’ll be the next Hugh Grant as a Father role model: Men who tried really hard to tell women that they weren’t interested in making babies and the women went ahead anyway, convinced they could change them when, of course, you cannot change a man or another woman, ever.
Are we sure Carice doesn’t lie about her age? She looks older than 39.
No, she’s been famous in The Netherlands since 2001 and her face has always matched her age. She has been using botox since GoT and it makes her look older. As it always does.
What an actor! Underrated, that Guy Pearce. His dad died very young and he grew up with an intellectually disabled sibling and has confessed he’s a complicated character. He was outstanding in LA Confidental.
She was great in the 5th Estate and very funny in interviews. I COULD NOT work out her accent at first – she’s Dutch. She seems really grounded and normal – maybe she’ll offset Guy’s intensity for the baby.
They are both well into adulthood and most likely know what they are doing.
I don’t side eye Guy and Carice’s timing. Usually by the time a couple splits for good, it’s been over for awhile for at least one of them. Sometimes a person can meet someone during that time and not cheat but later hook up. Marriages can limp along for a long time out of habit and fear of being alone.
Why does the story have to be he left her. Maybe because she’s not famous no one is aware that she left him.
I think they had an unconventional relationship anyway. They lived next door to each other, never in the same home.
He is such an underrated actor.
So… Technically this baby is a crossover episode of Neighbours and GoT! I’m so amused by this.
Nothing does my head in more than a guy who says I hate kids, I’m not having them, who then turns around, dumps his wife and knocks up his girlfriend within five minutes. Isn’t it lucky he gets to change his mind? His ex-wife doesn’t have that luxury.
Why assume the ex ever wanted a child? As others have said, this reads like a classic “oops” baby.
She’s been very vocal in Dutch media about her wish to be a mother (for several years now)
When would his ex have had time to decide if she did want a baby? what with dealing with his ego/drug addiction
A friend has told me that since separating from Pearce, Kate’s smile has been a mile wide. Pearce is NOT in recovery. He’s always considered himself “grand.” It still irks him that every lead in LA CONFIDENTIAL is a bona fide star … except for him. People soon forget what a louse the man really is, making the announcement so close to what would have been his and Kate’s 19th wedding anniversary. The classless are often clueless, too. Kate struggled with dealing with an addict husband. No wonder she didn’t want an addict child by him. She also is now let out from under Pearce’s legal guardianship of his intellectually disabled adult sister in the event of his elderly mother’s passing. My guess is the winner in this game is clearly Kate Mestitz, who wisely chose to keep her family name and not take Pearce’s. His Dutch whoever will come to understand the meaning of: “Be careful what you wish for. You may get it.” Looking back, it makes perfect sense: Pearce always indicated she was clearly the smarter of the two. Grace to Kate. Live and be well, my belle.