I hope everyone remembers the film Whale Rider. It was a small, independent film released in America in 2003. It was a critical success, and Keisha Castle-Hughes, the young actress in her first film performance, earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her work. It really is a lovely, wonderful little film, and I’ve been a fan of Keisha’s ever since, even though she’s only done five projects since. Part of the reason? Keisha got pregnant when she was sixteen, and gave birth to a daughter when she was 17 years old. While Keisha is in Toronto promoting The Vintner’s Luck, Keisha spoke to People about becoming a teenage mother, and how she has no regrets:
Since becoming a teenage parent, Whale Rider Oscar nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes is relishing the role of a lifetime – costarring her daughter.
“I absolutely love being a mother,” Castle-Hughes, 19, told PEOPLE at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of her new film The Vintner’s Luck. “It’s been a blessing. It’s fun and it’s hard, but it’s absolutely amazing.”
At the age of 17, Castle-Hughes gave birth to Felicity-Amore, now 2, with boyfriend Bradley Hull. Since then, she’s chosen to be out of the Hollywood spotlight to focus on taking care of her toddler, who is blossoming into a mini version of herself.
“Felicity’s just like me. All trapped into a little body,” says Castle-Hughes. “It’s quite full on. She’s got lots of energy and quite dramatic. She’s picked up quite a few dramatic tendencies from me, which is good and bad. But it’s very exciting to watch her personality develop.”
As for being a teenage mom, the youngest female star ever to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award – she was 13 – says, “It’s no different for me than any other mum in the world. I can be a little stressful and tiring, but it’s the most rewarding thing.”
While critics called her too young to become a mother, Castle-Hughes said she respectfully disagrees. “I was in a very different situation when I had her. I was in a loving and stable relationship with her father, who I’m still with. I had quite an established career and so the decision to have her was very easy,” she says.
“Once I found out I was pregnant there was no decision really. I was shocked but it was just like, ‘Okay, we are having a baby. That’s great.’ ”
She ads, “I’ve lived a fast-paced life, but I had the best childhood. I didn’t miss out on anything by having my daughter at a young age … If I would go back and change things, I would not. I can’t imagine living my life without her.”
Castle-Hughes is still in a happy and committed relationship – and revealed that she and Hull, 22, have “been engaged for 2½ years,” she said enthusiastically. “It’s a very long engagement but no immediate plans. Eventually it will happen. I love him and we will be together for the rest of our lives.”
As for Hull’s parenting skills, Castle-Hughes says Felicity-Amore could not have a better dad. “He’s very present in her life. He’s a fantastic father who absolutely loves her. He’s very gentle and very loving with her. He does every with her and is the perfect dad.”
The New Zealand native also says she “absolutely” wants little Felicity to have siblings. “I have no idea how many, but it changes every day. I come from a big family, so I’d like to have a big family.”
Castle-Hughes says she has a difficult time being away from her daughter. “When I’m away from her it’s torture. The minute I see a little kid on the street, I want to be with them. The [parents] go, ‘Excuse me, can you not touch my child?’ And I’m like, ‘I just wanted to hold them because I miss my own kid!’ ”
[From People]
That’s nice to know that she’s still with the father. And it’s great that she’s found the transition to motherhood so easy and joyful. That being said, I don’t think she should be held up as example of teenage motherhood, or any kind of spokesperson for it. I don’t think that’s what she’s saying either – she’s just trying to explain her personal experience with it. She seems to be a very responsible, focused young woman and a great, engaged mother, so God bless.
Keisha Castle-Hughes is shown on 2/21/09. Credit: WENN.com
Good for her.
She’s really a beautiful young woman. It’s good to hear she’s in a good relationship and raising her daughter out of the spotlight.
I regret that hairdo.
Congrats to her. I’m glad she’s doing good. My mother was married when she was 16 and had me when she was 17, and she did a hell of a good job raising me. As long as your mind is in the right place, you can deal with motherhood fairly easy and be a great mother.
That being said, I don’t think every young girl out here should jump up and say “if she can do it, so can I!” Not everyone is cut out to be a mother at such a young age.
i love, love, love “whale rider” – it always makes me cry. in any case she seems like a very grounded young woman…good for her. glad she’s back to acting, too.
LMAO… I used to call my bf whale rider cuz his psycho ex is really fat!
Megan, that actually made me laugh out loud!
While in general I think it’s a bad idea for children to have children, I think this one is probably better off than poor little Maddie Spears.
Hope she turnes out to be a good mom, despite her age. It will not only be like standing in the spot lights, that’s for sure.
A lot of it might be cultural. She did refer to herself as being in a very different place. She sounds very grounded and like she probably is a good mother. I am glad to see she is back into acting. Kudos to her.
That is the most put-together, ADULT-sounding 19-year-old ever. I’m nearly twice her age (ouch), and I’m sure I’m not as grown-up as she is.
Good for her… 🙂
Way to go cuz
Its nice to hear a mature 19 year old, and I doubt all the other teenagers are going to take that as a free pass to go procreate… not that they need one!
I give her total props for having the baby. I know there are a lot of young celebs that get knocked up and end up not having the baby.
Good for you Keisha.
And man I cried in Whale Rider, when she was giving her speech and her koro wasn’t there!
First off, Whale Rider was one of the best movies of that year and a seriously underestimated flick. If anyone hasn’t seen it, do it. Now. That said, I can’t believe the flack this poor girl received from the public about her early pregnancy. The religious community was up in arms as she had played The Virgin Mary in “The Nativity Story”.
Keisha is not American, she’s part of the Maori tribe of New Zealand. People have children and marry younger and she has a ton of support. People need to let go of their cultural attitudes and need to be more accepting and less judgmental.
I would love to see her act again, she’s awesome. Who else pics up an Oscar nom as a child in their first picture and then scores a role in Star Wars in her second?!
Easy to say that when you’re f*ck*ng wealthy.
People have children and marry younger in Mississippi, too, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.
First I would like to thank Zoe (#15) for saying essentially what I was intending to, but i would like to clarify a few things.
Having just returned from an extended stay in New Zealand, Maori (pronounced something close to “mau-ree”) is the name of the native polynesian people of New Zealand, not a tribe.
There are “tribes” of Maori, but they are called “Iwi” (ee-wee).
I did a bit of poking around but was unable to ascertain which Iwi Keisha belongs to but Zoe was absolutely correct.
People need to stop placing their cultural values upon a culture which they clearly know nothing about.
Maybe, Grex, but she sure isn’t clinking gold coins together… Keisha is a real person with real life issues. The Spears family (or any of those babies-for-attention families) have no freaking clue what its like to actually raise a child. I can’t speak from experience, but still…
Simp
Kiesha is from the same Iwi as my family (through the Hughes line)(hence the cuz comment), I can never remember the name!
Its not necessarily a cultural thing though I don’t think, to get pregnant young, like she said she didn’t plan it… but it is more culturally acceptable and it is common for a child to be raised by an entire family, thus a greater support structure…