‘Crying my eyes out’: Rupert Friend misses his daughter’s birth since he was busy dangling 100 feet in the air

British actor Rupert Friend, known for his role as the Grand Inquisitor in Obi-Wan Kenobi, recently shared the story of how he missed his daughter’s birth while filming Jurassic World: Rebirth in London. The 43-year-old actor was working on set when he got the news that his wife, Aimee Mullins, had gone into labor in America.

According to People, Friend was performing a stunt, hanging on wires high above the ground, when crew members urgently tried to get him down. They informed him that his wife was on the phone, but Friend initially responded with “Honey, I’m a little busy,” not knowing the importance of the call.

When he learned that his wife’s water had broken, Friend rushed to catch the last flight from England to America. While at the airport, he ended up watching his daughter’s birth through FaceTime, “crying my eyes out” as flight attendants offered him champagne to celebrate the moment.

Airport delay allows father to witness birth through video call

The actor faced a difficult choice between staying on FaceTime to witness the birth or boarding his flight. Fortunately, a 20-minute flight delay announcement came at the perfect time, allowing him to see the moment his daughter was born through the video call.

Friend, who was recently cast as the villain in Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon, and his wife, Mullins got married in 2016 after meeting in 2013. They have chosen to keep their daughter’s life private and haven’t shared many details about her online. They have nicknamed their baby girl “the Jurassic baby” due to the circumstances of her birth coinciding with the film’s production.

Mullins, Friend’s wife, has an impressive background as an athlete and actress. She made history as the first female amputee to compete in the NCAA, despite being born with fibular hemimelia. She also participated in the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta.

The American athlete turned actress is known for her role as Eleven’s mother in the popular series Stranger Things. Both Friend and Mullins continue to maintain their privacy regarding their family life while pursuing their respective careers in the entertainment industry.