Rachael Leigh Cook has truly embraced motherhood, balancing her career and family life with grace while raising her two children, Charlotte and Theodore. Together with her ex-husband, Daniel Gillies, known for his role in The Vampire Diaries, Cook became a mother after they wed.
Their daughter, Charlotte, arrived in 2013, followed by Theodore in 2015. Gillies expressed how fatherhood made him more present in his daily life, admitting to Huffington Post in 2014 that having kids was a constant source of awe for him.
Rachael Leigh Cook opens up about the emotional challenges of leaving her children for work
Reflecting on the shift in her own life, Cook admitted that her natural inclination to prioritize her children had left her feeling distant from her friendships. In a 2017 conversation with PEOPLE, she mentioned how her role as a mother sometimes made her feel “flaky,” noting that her kids came before everything else.
She also described the emotional toll of leaving them for work, sharing that hearing them say “Don’t go, don’t do work” made it hard to leave. Even though Cook and Gillies divorced in 2021, they have maintained a cooperative co-parenting relationship, often coming together for family occasions like Halloween.
Charlotte Easton Gillies, now 11, was born on September 28, 2013. Gillies joyfully announced her birth on social media, calling her “the tiny new empress of my everything.” Their journey to parenthood had been announced earlier that year, just before their nine-year wedding anniversary, when Cook was pregnant while filming Perception.
As Charlotte grew, Cook shared some lighthearted moments of parenting. She recalled one amusing incident where Charlotte, as a toddler, asked to see her breasts in a car ride. “I didn’t say ‘Please don’t say that again,’ but I was really thinking it,” Cook humorously told PEOPLE in 2017.
Charlotte made her red carpet debut at the age of seven at the premiere of He’s All That, the gender-swapped remake of the movie that brought Cook fame. Reflecting on the impact of the original film, Cook shared with Yahoo! Entertainment in 2022 that she felt some aspects of the movie, particularly body-shaming comments, didn’t align with modern values and were important to change in the remake.
Charlotte’s growing interests have also been part of Cook’s journey as a mother. For her 9th birthday, Charlotte celebrated with a limo ride and a trip to the Cheesecake Factory with friends. For Halloween, she chose to dress as the spooky Roblox character Jenna the Killer, a decision that Cook humorously questioned but supported.
Theodore Vigo Sullivan Gillies, born on April 4, 2015, is Cook and Gillies’ second child. After announcing their pregnancy just after Charlotte’s first birthday, they shared their excitement and the challenges of having “Two Under Two.”
The couple also revealed they struggled to settle on a name for their son, affectionately calling him “sweetheart” and “raisin” before choosing Theodore Vigo. Gillies even considered calling him Vigo after actor Viggo Mortensen, but finally decided on a more fitting name.
As the oldest, Charlotte quickly became a loving and involved older sister to Theodore, a role Gillies proudly described, noting that Charlotte would eagerly show off her helpfulness for rewards, like watching her favorite shows.
Despite having experience as parents, Gillies acknowledged that each child brings its own unique challenges and joys. Speaking to PEOPLE in 2015, he reflected that Theodore’s joyful nature made the experience of parenting different from their first with Charlotte.
Over the years, Cook has shared glimpses of Theodore’s creativity, including a craft he made for her when he was 6, which doubled as both a purse and a helmet.
Cook also recalled his reaction to the film Spirit Halloween, which she made specifically for her kids. While Charlotte loved the movie, Theodore, then 7, found it a bit too scary. Cook’s journey through motherhood has been full of heartwarming moments, balancing her career with the joys and challenges of raising her children.
