It has to be said that it came as a surprise when Driver announced on Jay Leno’s chat show in March 2008 that she was pregnant — no one had known that she was even dating. Having been stung by several messy public break-ups, including John Cusack and Matt Damon, she has learnt to keep her love life strictly under wraps. To this day, she has not revealed who is the father of her 17-month-old son, Henry. All she will say is “he’s English and in the same sort of business, and he lives in California. Everybody is cool with the situation.” Throughout the interview she refers to him as her “partner”, often with the prefix “great”, but from what she says she hasn’t actually seen him since November.

It would be understandable if her views on relationships, fidelity and marriage had been coloured by the fact that her mother, Gaynor, was her father Ronnie’s other woman. But that didn’t stop the actress’s overwhelming desire to be a mother, and, despite a rocky first trimester, her pregnancy went smoothly.

“I had terrible, terrible morning sickness for the first four months of my pregnancy, but I soldiered on, and I walked and practised yoga until the day Henry was born in September 2008, in Los Angeles.”

I ask her if she’d like more children. “Growing up, I thought I’d have at least five kids,” says Driver, who turned 40 at the end of January. “I’m surprised I have only one; I really want more. It was never my intention to leave it until I was in my late thirties, but it was never the right time, right place or right person. Too many women put it off until everything is in place, but there’s never a perfect time, is there?”

Motherhood has also helped Driver to put the public highs and lows of her career into perspective. After her critically acclaimed performance in Circle of Friends in 1995 and then two years later in her Oscar-nominated performance in Good Will Hunting, her career has lurched from bit parts in low-budget films and animations to releasing two albums that were met with disproportionate derision.

“I wouldn’t change a thing about what I’ve done in the past because what may have been bad choices have all led me to this moment,” she says defiantly. “I’m incredibly happy because I’ve got my beautiful baby and lovely partner.”

When I meet her in Glasgow, where she is filming a new BBC drama, The Deep, she seems relaxed and happy. The inner city is a long way from the windswept Malibu property she shares with Henry and their black labrador Bubba, but, Driver, who was born in London, says: “My whole family is in the UK, so it’s been great for Henry to spend time with his cousins. Could I move back? No. I live my life outdoors, surfing, hiking, riding and running along the beach in the sunshine, having barbecues; even though I miss home, I couldn’t do the things I wanted to, personally and professionally.”

It could be argued that some of the things she wants to do professionally might be tricky with a baby in tow, but, luckily, her son seems as much of a pro as his mother.

“Henry was four months old when I started filming with Hilary Swank in sub-zero temperatures in Michigan last February,” Driver says. “Luckily, he was a good sleeper and was feeding on schedule every three hours by then, but I felt so fat and milky and sleep-deprived. It was hilarious watching these massive Michigan teamsters boom in their deep voices across the set, ‘Everything’s gotta stop! Henry’s gotta eat; it’s breast-feeding time’. The cast and crew doted on him.”

Driver credits the parenting guru Rachel Waddilove for helping her to settle Henry into a routine. “There’s no way, as a new mum, I could have let Henry cry for long; a little bit maybe. Besides, once you get your feeding sorted, their sleeping patterns fall into place. I’ve never brought Henry into bed with me, which was very hard, but I wanted to teach him that his bed isn’t a scary, isolated place. Now he’s the happiest, funniest, sweetest and most adaptable baby; he has slept in more drawers, walk-in closets and hotel bathrooms than you can imagine. We’re proper gypsies.”

Driver glows as she talks about Henry’s first words and learning to walk “like a little drunk Frankenstein”. But despite the obvious joy that motherhood has brought her, the actress recently had to deal with the sudden death of her father. “When my dad died in December after a heart attack, just a week into shooting The Deep, it was one of the very worst times of my life, but I’ve never felt so loved and taken care of,” she says. “Burying him two days before Christmas was so hard, but [co-star] Jimmy Nesbitt and the crew rallied round and really helped me get through it.” She wore a red dress to his funeral as a tribute to his sense of humour “because my father always used to tell me that I was the kind of girl who would wear a red dress to a funeral”.

It was acknowledging how important that support was to her, and realising how “motherhood has given me a much broader perspective about what hardship really is” that led Driver to become an ambassador for the 3 Rifles regiment through the sale of Love Bullets, a specially decommissioned bullet set with a Swarovski crystal. The money raised will be used to help the families of dead and injured soldiers.

“Regardless of your feelings about the war in Afghanistan, the lack of moral and physical support given to families of serving personnel, the injured and the bereaved is an insult and embarrassment,” she says. “These are women struggling to hold their families together. The hardship of others really makes you put your own life into perspective.”

Driver, who has appeared in films including Good Will Hunting and TV series such as Revisioned: Tomb Raider and Will and Grace, told website monstersandcritics.com that she cannot get by without riding the waves or practicing the Indian meditative poses.

“My church is surfing and yoga. If I can get in a surf or practice yoga then I will.

“Yoga’s great for when you’ve got a full brain and can’t stop the mind chatter,” the 40-year-old said.

Earlier this month, Marissa Campise, winner of Huffington Post Living’s Total Energy Makeover, suggested in a piece for the newspaper that, to ensure she thinks clearly, she too dons her ladies yoga clothing and practices her favourite yoga poses.

She said that the form of meditation helps to de-clutter her mind and improve her mental clarity.

Source.

Director: Richard J. Lewis
Writer(s): Michael Konyves
Producers: Robert Lantos
Distributor: Rights Available.

The Gist: Based on the novel by Mordecai Richler, this tells the story of the politically incorrect, fully lived life of the impulsive, irascible and fearlessly blunt Barney Panofsky (Giamatti)…(more)

Cast: Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Dustin Hoffman, Rachelle Lefevre, Bruce Greenwood, Minnie Driver, and Scott Speedman.

Why is it on the list?: If the film somehow retains the complex nature (narrator) of the novel, then I think we’ll understand why this project which has been in the works for more than a decade (see news report here). A great ensemble lead by Paul Giamatti and cameos from David Cronenberg and Atom Egoyan should make this a savory blend.

Release Date/Status?: This Canadian production should be TIFF’s 2010 opening film. U.S purchase a done deal with names like Giamatti and Hoffman on board.

Source.

Minnie, 39, spent an hour at the Whale of a Time activity centre on the south side of Glasgow with 16-month-old Henry.

Surprised parents looked on as Minnie – Oscar-nominated for her role in Good Will Hunting in 1997 – enjoyed a coffee while her son played.

She is in Scotland filming BBC thriller The Deep with Murphy’s Law actor James Nesbitt and ER hunk Goran Visnjic.

Mark Bishop, managing director of Whale of a Time, admitted he had no idea who she was at first and was stunned when other parents told him about his famous visitor.

He said: “I didn’t really know what to say to her. I’m not sure how she heard about our centre but we are really glad to have her visit.

“She was in last weekend too. It was lovely to see her and I hope she comes back.”

A parent who chatted with the actress said: “She seemed very nice.

“She said she’s enjoying being in Glasgow and everyone is extremely friendly and welcoming.”

Minnie has been filming The Deep, a thriller set in a submarine thousands of feet below the Arctic ice.

The five-part series is scheduled for transmission later this year.

Earlier this month, the Sunday Mail revealed how Minnie stunned colleagues on the set by insisting filming had to go on despite the death of her father.

Her dad Ronnie, 87, died after suffering a heart attack shortly before Christmas.

Former Oscar nominee Minnie’s 87-year-old dad, Ronnie, died after suffering a heart attack in the lead-up to Christmas.

But the 39-year-old actress hid her heartache from co-stars and crew during the filming of BBC thriller The Deep in Dumbarton.

Minnie worked for two days after her father’s death. It was only after a crew member asked after his health that she revealed her heartbreak.

A BBC insider said: “Most of the filming revolves around Minnie and when she had to rush off to be at her father’s bedside after his heart attack, it was feared everything would have to stop.

“But she was back on the Monday. Nothing was said until someone asked how her father was keeping. She broke down and said he’d just died.

“Everyone felt so sorry for her and she was clearly very distressed.

“It was a difficult time for her but her professionalism shone through.”

Minnie, who wore a red dress at her father’s funeral, broke down in tears as she read the eulogy during the service.

She told mourners: “I’m not being respectful. I’m wearing red because my father used to tell me that I was the kind of girl who would wear a red dress at a funeral so I wouldn’t want to disappoint you, dad.”

The star turned out with her family on Wednesday for the London funeral wearing a bright red dress and broke down in tears as she read the eulogy during the service.

“I am not being disrespectful. I am wearing red because my father always used to tell me that I was the kind of girl who would a wear a red dress to a funeral. So I wouldn’t want to disappoint you, Dad.”

The 39-year-old actress, who has been filming a movie in Scotland, put the production on hold to fly to London when her father fell ill.

Ronnie is survived by the actress and her elder sister, Kate, and their mother, Gaynor Millington, as well as his widow Misty, and two more children.

Minnie Driver has lost her father to a massive heart attack at age 87.

Ronnie Driver, an enigmatic character was described in a Daily Mail obituary-styled column this way: ‘[He was] the Swansea boy from a terrace house whose charm and entrepreneurial skills led him to become a major figure in the financial markets, dispensing advice to the Queen and Queen Mother and giving a job on his board to Prince Michael of Kent.’

Driver, who has been at work on The Deep with fellow UK actor, James Nesbitt, broke off filming the BBC drama in Scotland to fly to his side.

Minnie and her older sister Kate, who were the daughters of his mistress and kept secret from Driver’s wife for many years, were able to say their last good byes, the newspaper reported.

A friend said of the former insurance mogul who lost his fortune in the 1990s: ‘He was one of those rare people of whom you can truly say, ‘They don’t make them like that any more.’ He was one of the most charismatic, generous and charitable people you could meet.’

Driver was a friend of Sir Michael Caine and the Duchess of York. His funeral is expected to reflect his well-connectedness in its guests and is set to take place at St Paul’s, Knightsbridge.

The five-part thriller, which is written by Simon Donald, follows the crew of an oceanographic submarine as they search the final frontiers of Earth for unknown and remarkable life forms.

Set thousands of feet below the Arctic ice, the drama unfolds when the crew find themselves stranded with no power, limited oxygen and no communication with the surface.

Controller of BBC drama commissioning Ben Stephenson commented: “Simon Donald’s brilliantly imagined serial The Deep demonstrates my commitment to bringing the best work by the best writers to BBC One and the international talent signed up are further testament to the quality of the scripts.”

Click here to view pictures of Minnie wearing the shoes.

Own the Jimmy Choo shoes that Minnie Driver wore to the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards.

The shoes are up for auction through Clothes Off Our Back. Ms. Driver was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama for “The Riches.”

Proceeds from the auction benefit Clothes Off Our Back’s charities including Feeding America, The Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA, Malaria No More and Hope North.

Place your bid!

The 39-year-old actress will play Claire’s friend and former co-worker who she hasn’t seen in years.

She previously appeared as a guest star on a sitcom playing Karen’s nemesis on Will & Grace. Driver, who received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in 1997’s Good Will Hunting, also starred in FX’s The Riches.

Other guest stars coming to the new ABC comedy include Benjamin Bratt, Elizabeth Banks and Edward Norton. Driver’s episode will air in January.