Mike Flanagan has had a crazy year. His Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House was a major hit this October, he’s been hard at work on a film adaptation of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, and he just became a dad for the second time. In a Twitter post, the writer/director shared the news that his wife Kate Siegel, an actress who has starred in most of his projects including Hill House, gave birth to a baby girl today. This is already happy news for the family, but you’ll notice an additionally heartwarming bit of trivia in the announcement: They name their daughter Theodora.
Today, Kate and I welcomed our daughter, Theodora Isabelle Irene Flanagan, into the world. Mom and baby are both fantastic, tired, and so, so happy.
— Mike Flanagan (@flanaganfilm) December 3, 2018
If you’ve seen Hill House, you’ll know that Theodora is the name of the character Siegel plays in the 10-episode series. Better known by her nickname Theo, she’s the middle child in the Crain family, a child psychologist afflicted with debilitating psychic touch abilities. Theo is one of the most fascinating characters on the show; as a queer woman and empath, she’s extra ostracized from her already haunted family. She immediately became a fan favorite on the series, inspiring a number of fan art and appreciation posts on social media.
The name is a meaningful choice for Flanagan and Siegel, who discovered they were expecting another child during the filming of Hill House‘s perilous, long-shot episode six, “Two Storms.” “Made me really nervous every time I saw her fall down,” Flanagan said on Twitter, referencing the scene when a drunk Theo slips and falls during an argument with her siblings.
It’s been quite a week for Flanagan, who wrapped filming on Doctor Sleep just two days ago. That horror flick will come out in 2020.
That’s a wrap on DOCTOR SLEEP. What an amazing experience. Honored and grateful.
— Mike Flanagan (@flanaganfilm) December 1, 2018
Baby Theodora joins older brother Cody as the newest member of the Flanagan clan. Nerdist wishes a big congrats to the family on the birth and on a big year!
