Zawe Ashton Says She Weighed Whether Promoting a “Lighthearted” Film While Pregnant After Roe v. Wade’s Overturning Was “Tone Deaf”
Zawe Ashton says she had a lot to consider in terms of how her pregnancy was publicly announced, from being on a press tour to the then-recent overturning of Roe v. Wade.
In a new Guardian interview in the lead-up to the U.K. release of Mr. Malcolm’s List, Ashton opens up about her pregnancy, specifically the terms of her exciting announcement being made during the film’s New York premiere.
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During the discussion, the Mr. Malcolm’s List star points out the conundrum of being a private person who had no way of keeping her pregnancy from the public while having to promote a film. “That’s the hysterical thing,” she says, half-serious, half-making light. “No one wants to go on a press tour at the same time that they want to keep their personal life private, but that’s my ‘contractual professional obligation.'”
Being in a position where she had to announce her pregnancy this way was made more complicated by how close it was to the U.S. Supreme Court decision.
“I thought: ‘Oh God, there’s nothing more tone deaf I could be doing right now than promoting a lighthearted movie,'” she tells the outlet. “I was also very aware that my presence in that promotion would be as a pregnant person.”
While the optics might have felt weird, Ashton — who is engaged to fellow MCU star Tom Hiddleston — acknowledges that now is an important time to be open about the various journeys people go on when considering a family and the choices they should have around pregnancy.
“We’re having very important conversations about the autonomy we have over our bodies,” she says. “What better autonomy could I have than just doing it how I wanted to do it?”
Ashton goes on to note that not everyone’s experience was like her own in that way, but that she also hopes her choices can positively represent the journeys of those who choose pregnancy later in life.
“I have so many friends who have been through real grief, with regards to pregnancy and conception. I hope I can represent anyone on this journey, in whatever way they’re on it,” she said, before adding jokingly, “’cause it doesn’t get more ancient than this.”
