Carlos Valdes talked about being a “relatively new dad” just days before he was revealed to be the father of Mae Whitman’s son.
“Not a lot of people know this, but I’m a dad, a relatively new dad,” Valdes told People in an interview published March 3.
The “Flash” actor, 35, didn’t divulge much information about his new parenting role, sharing that he wanted to keep that part of his life mostly private.
“And it’s my personal preference that I don’t share more beyond that,” he said.
Valdes admitted that he’s been struggling to balance his daddy duties with his role as Orpheus in the Broadway show “Hadestown.”
“Being a Broadway dad… let me tell you, it’s not for the faint of heart!” he said. “This life is pretty unforgiving when it comes to balancing it with parenting.”
Valdes did share that he has turned to Darren Criss, a father of two children and star of Broadway’s “Maybe Happy Ending,” for guidance.
“I haven’t been able to see Darren in ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ yet, which is such a crime, but I’ve been able to talk with him a lot,” Valdes said. “It’s been really helpful to lean on each other, share tips and have him as a support system and sounding board for all of my parenting woes.”
He added, “It’s allowed us to bond in a new way. It’s also a tremendously joyous thing to be able to have a child and have that inform our respective stories.”
Valdes said that his Hadestown predecessor, Jordan Fisher, has also been a guiding light for him.
“We had our little sentimental ‘passing of the torch’ conversation and one of the many things he imparted to me in that conversation was that as dads, we have a superpower in playing Orpheus because we can allow the fruits of that experience color our approach to this very childlike character in a very natural and informed way,” Valdes said. “And since I started in the show on Jan. 14, he could not be more correct.”
Becoming a father has inspired the way Valdes approaches his role as Orpheus.
“I’ve really put a lot of my own personal experience as a dad, and as a fan of my child, into Orpheus’ own naiveté of looking at the world,” he said, adding, “So I’m very grateful to Jordan for extending that wisdom.”
Lauren Graham let slip that Valdes was the father of her former “Parenthood” co-star’s 6-month-old son Miles in a podcast interview published Monday.
Whitman, 36, announced in May 2024 that she was expecting her first child — though she didn’t reveal the identity of the father.
Valdes and Whitman, who played each other’s on-screen love interests in the 2023 TV series, “Up Here,” have not confirmed the status of their real-life relationship publicly.
