One of the things that Kate Beckinsale has hated the most about the pandemic? The fact that it's separated her from her 22-year-old daughter.
Kate shares daughter Lily Mo Sheen with ex Michael Sheen. It may seem ridiculous for casual fans to think that Kate has an adult daughter, but the actress is 48.
But despite getting used to some distance, Kate has the same feeling of loss that all parents do when they haven't seen their children in a long time. Luckily, they've since reunited — but Kate's words on the separation are still very relatable.
She talked about her experience on Live With Kelly and Ryan.
"I haven't seen my daughter for two years because of everything," she told Ryan and Kelly. "Also, I went to Canada working and she couldn't come see me. Two years of not seeing your child is the most preposterous thought."
While there are other ways to communicate and keep in touch, nothing beats a face-to-face interaction. For many people this last year and a half, they realized how important contact was. Nothing beats the hug you get from the family member you haven't seen in months.
"Thank goodness for FaceTime and all that, but we're both panicking that we'll look really old to each other," Kate joked. "She's like, 'I'm just worried that you'll think I'll look old.' I'm like, 'I'm gonna look old,'" she added. But those thoughts likely won't matter as much when they're both in the same room together.
She also talked about how her daughter followed in her footsteps, even though she never pressured her to join in on the Hollywood lifestyle. "She did her first movie last year, she's playing Nicolas Cage's daughter," Kate proudly stated. "She's off and running. It's quite scary."
The movie in question is called The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and it's due out in theaters in 2022. Lily plays the role of Addy. Aside from Nicholas Cage, the movie also features Tiffany Haddish and Neil Patrick Harris. It's not her first role, but it's the first project she's worked on since 2009.
Kate and Lily are quite close. In fact, for Lily's 22nd birthday, Kate honored her with a sweet Instagram tribute, calling her the "best person ever invented." So these last two years must have been extra difficult, but if anything, they made the eventual reunion so much better.
Lily's parents were together for about eight years before splitting in 2002. At the time, the split was tough for Michael Sheen, as he reportedly was living a country away from Kate and Lily. "Going through that experience of a relationship breaking down and having a young child, and then because of my daughter and her mum living in another country, having to make a life in a new place whilst going through that whole experience which is difficult enough," he stated on the Changes With Annie Macmanus podcast.
"I had no work visa to stay in America, so every time I left, I had to go back to Britain," he continued. "I never knew if I would be allowed to come back in again. So, I ended up having to get work in Britain because I wasn't really getting any work in America. It really made me question certain things about myself."
Luckily, the two figured out the best ways to co-parent. One of their best tips? Always put Lily first. According to Time, Kate said that their fondness of each other also helped the process go smoothly. "We've also got a really similar sense of humor, and I do find that humor can save an awful lot of things and help a lot of things," she admitted.
She's also admitted that they both are welcoming of each other's relationships. Since divorcing, Kate has been married to director Len Wiseman. She also had a brief relationship with SNL cast member Pete Davidson that heated up the headlines. As for Michael, he's also moved on. He dated comedian Sarah Silverman for a bit but recently had a daughter with theater actress Anna Lundberg.
Before Lily became an adult, custody issues were never a big deal. According to Kate, it was easy to figure things out with Michael. "We like hanging out with each other, so it’s not like, ‘Oh, who gets Lily?’ or whatever," she admitted, per Time. "It's like, 'Whose house are we going to be at?'"
It seems like Kate is living her best life — and after fans managed to snap photos of the two finally meeting up at JFK Airport (along with Lily's boyfriend), surely things have already gotten much better.
