Josh Duhamel's Newborn Smile Sparks a Fatherhood Wake-Up Call

Josh Duhamel is known for playing heroes, but a recent role left him fearing he might become a different kind of character in real life.

He and his wife, Audra Mari, welcomed their daughter, Rocca, earlier this year. The two-month-old is just coming out of the newborn fog, Duhamel said, and recently gifted him with her first smile. "She looks up, she recognizes me now, and so it’s starting to happen, you know, and I just already have such a love for her."

That sweet moment was underscored by a sobering one from his work. While filming the movie Runaway, where he played a detective who loses his daughter, Duhamel had a stark realization. "It was so funny because while I was shooting this movie, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I cannot be this guy. This cannot be my story,’ and so, if anything else, it was a cautionary tale," He explained the film served as a cautionary tale about work-life balance. "Not that I’m learning my life lessons on set, but it was like a real sort of moment where, ‘Oh my god, dude, you need to make sure that you’re there more,’ and I’m not. The truth is, I’m not there enough, and I need to be there more often."

Duhamel is already a dad to two-year-old Shepherd, his son with Mari, and 12-year-old Axl, whom he shares with ex-wife Fergie. Rocca is his first daughter. The couple has not shared further details about Rocca's milestones beyond this interview.

Sources

• Josh Duhamel Opens Up About Being a Girl Dad and Says His Newborn is Starting to Recognize — Just Jared