Filmmaker Charlie McDowell has confessed that becoming a father has changed him. Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk in advance of the release of his new film The Summer Book, he said: "I would say that becoming a father, I think your outlook on life just changes, you know... Your priorities and what you focus on and what seeps into your soul are just different. It's different than it was before, and so I'm sure my choices naturally become something different because I have this, you know, this other little being running around," he smiled.
Daughter Tove Jane welcomed in 2025
Charlie, 43, and his wife, Emily in Paris star Lily Collins, 37, welcomed a daughter, Tove Jane McDowell, via surrogate in late January 2025. The couple announced the birth jointly on Instagram, expressing deep gratitude to their surrogate. "Welcome to the centre of our world, Tove Jane McDowell. Words will never express our endless gratitude for our incredible surrogate and everyone who helped us along the way. We love you to the moon and back again..." they wrote.
A family of show business royalty
Little Tove is part of a huge show business heritage on both sides of the family. Charlie's father is acclaimed actor Malcolm McDowell and his mother is beloved actress Mary Steenburgen. His sister is actress and interior designer Lilly McDowell, his stepfather is Cheers legend Ted Danson and his father-in-law, Lily's father, is music legend and actor Phil Collins.
He admits he is thrilled to pass on the family legacy to his child, saying: "I think it's more of an amazing thing to be surrounded by creatives, and also something that's exciting to pass along to our daughter. That there are so many creative people around you, you can think of anything, you can dream of anything, because the people around you have done that," he said.
From debut to The Summer Book
Charlie has been steadily building a name for himself in the family business since his directorial film debut with the romantic thriller The One I Love in 2014. He has since written and directed the Netflix drama films The Discovery (2017) and Windfall (2022).
His latest film The Summer Book stars eight-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close and is a gentle and moving adaptation of Tove Jansson's 1972 novel of the same name, which explores the nature and effect of grief on a family. It has received rave reviews, and he admitted he consciously wanted to make a more thoughtful movie.
"I'm sort of terrified by how quickly we're moving forward as humans with this digital world and how quickly we adapt and experience things and so I really wanted to make something that reminded people of a simpler time, a simpler life, and a time that you could slow down and actually observe," he smiled.
The Summer Book is in cinemas now.
